Saturday, March 24, 2018
Okonkwo's Downfall
From the beginning of the novel, it was clear that Okonkwo's mentality wasn't necessarily advantageous. Sure, it got him titles and respect which is what he wanted from life, but I think a majority of that desire was really fueled by his father's shortcomings. His mentality also is not one that incites strong loyalty, or at least not loyalty from a place of friendship and trust, but rather I think it inspired loyalty out of fear. So, I think his decision to kill the messenger, and his fellow villagers not responding how he expected makes sense. I also think out of this he discovered that he does possess weakness, and that it manifests himself in the inability to form meaningful connections with people and express that.
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4 comments:
I think he was weak for repressing all of his emotions. He valued strength more than anything and while strength is a good quality to have, it's not the only thing that matters. I don't think he ever understood that; he was definitely more shortsighted than a lot of characters in the novel.
I also think that Okonkwo's downfall stems from his neglect of traditional Igbo values and deities. He doesn't feel the need for help from his chi or the gods/goddesses; he believes that he is self-sufficient to achieve his goals of power and titles. This disregard of deities is evident when Okonkwo beats his third wife during the Week of Peace. Furthermore, he doesn't respect his chi. When things go well, he takes credit: "But the Ibo people have a proverb that when a man says yes his chi says yes also. Okonkwo said yes very strongly; so his chi agreed." But when things go south, he blames his chi: "Clearly his personal god or chi was not made for great things. A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi. The saying of the elders was not true—that if a man said yea his chi also affirmed. Here was a man whose chi said nay despite his own affirmation." I think the reason why Okonkwo is so powerless in defending Umuofia when the missionaries consolidate their power is because he isn't able to defend his own culture, which he neglects. He still thinks that violence will do the trick, but none of the other villagers agree. Thus, Okonkwo dies alone.
To truly understand Okonkwo, I think it's really important to understand the origins of Okonkwo's emotions. As you said, Okonkwo is constantly motivated by his fear to not end up like his father. Although this fear leads to some helpful characteristics such as a strong work ethic, the motivation ultimately derives from a negative source. and thus creates many challenges for Okonkwo. He faces disagreement from his community and a disconnection with his culture. Because his fear is so dominant, he is unable to consider other alternatives. Okonkwo's life is a daily struggle between who he wants to be and who he should be, which is extremely important to note while assessing his life story and his downfall. Emotional factors, stemming from his childhood experiences with his father, trap him.
I don’t think repressing one’s emotions in front of others is really a sign of weakness, per say, but I agree with Margot that only valuing strength and thinking you’re invincible is definitely a flaw. And good point, Jun, about how Okonkwo sees his chi. He wants to blame anyone but himself.
However, at the end of the novel, I think it would have taken a superhuman effort for anyone to unite Umuofia; I don’t think it was just Okonkwo who couldn’t do it. Several others stood up and wanted to unite to fight against the missionaries and Europeans, but none of them succeeded, either.
I also really agree with Elizabeth and Maansi that a large part of Okonkwo’s downfall stemmed from his extreme fear of failure or having anything to do with his father. He can’t even come to terms with his father; he can hardly dwell on the man without totally freaking out. On the other hand, although Okonkwo despises qualities of his father such as “gentleness,” I don’t think that makes him incapable of forming any connections. One example, in my opinion, is Ekwefi, who seems to really trust Okonkwo, even with her daughter’s life. Another is Ezinma herself, who can’t stand to be around anyone except Okonkwo when she’s having one of her moods. Finally, a last example is Ikemefuma, who grows to love Okonkwo and whom Okonkwo grows to love. Yet he literally cuts down this connection due to his fear of being thought weak; so I agree that that’s probably the main reason for his downfall.
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