Method of the Study

Even as a little boy he had resented his fathers failure and weakness, and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala. That was how Okonkwo first came to know that agbala was not only a name for a woman, it could also mean a man who had taken no title. And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion— to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. p.13 The fear of Unokas failure and weakness has covered Okonkwos life sin he was a boy. The domination of this fear in his life is so great. Therefore, by hard working Okonkwo can achieve his success and fame. The conflict against his fathers misfortune also makes him as a man who cannot accept any failure and weakness. Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by the fear, the fear of failure and weakness. p.13

4. 1. 2. Stern and Bad Temper

Okonkwos unhappy childhood makes him grow to be a very stern person. He is willing to rule his life rigorously in order to avoid his fathers mistake. He spends most of his time only for working. He realizes that hard working is the key of his success. He wants to end his miserable life by choosing his own life. He is tired of living under his fathers shadow. His strong intention, to achieve a success, is shown when he succeeded in defeating Amalinze the Cat, a tough and famous wrestler, in a wrestling match. Suddenly, his life changes from a poor young boy into a very well known wrestler. This victory leads him to achieve another success that awaits him in the years to come. His obsession, to avoid his fathers mistake and to be a successful man, in fact changes him to be a very temperamental man. He is too strict in managing his household. He forces his wives and children too much to fulfill his expectation. He always uses his harsh and cruel actions every time he sees laziness and weakness in their life. He often gives them punishment if they disobey his orders. Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His`wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children. p.13 His superiority can be on the way he treats unsuccessful men. He is so strict with the condition of being weak or lazy. This condition always makes him upset. He does not care of such thing although his wives or children do those kinds of thing. He always uses his strength and harsh action to teach his wives and children in avoiding laziness or weakness. Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength. p.28 Although Okonkwo is described as a great warrior but he also has some weaknesses. Besides his strong and well-built body, Okonkwo cannot say what he thought quickly. He is a little bit stammer. He is also a man who cannot accommodate his anger. Every time he gets angry and cannot express it by his words, he will use his fists to satisfy his anger. He often uses his fists to weakness and unsuccessful men like his father. And he did pounce on people quite often. He had a slight stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words quickly enough, he would use his fists. He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father. p.4 Okonkwos harsh actions actually show his inability in overcoming his fear. He covers up his weakness behind his harsh and rude actions. He cannot