One of the first things that I noticed when I began to read Things Fall Apart, was the role of Okonkwo as a father. In the first five chapters, the reader is given a glimpse into Okonkwo’s past and the impact that his father had on him, as well as the impact that he himself is having in the present on his children and Ikemefuna. Although it is obvious that Okonkwo has a deep love for his family, he rarely shows his true emotions for fear of being weak. As a reader, I fear that not showing emotion in order to preserve the image of strength just hurts those around you. In particular, Nwoye suffers from the wrath of his father. This brings up the fact that Okonkwo, in my opinion, tries too hard to escape his past, and this results in him hurting those around him more. Just because his father was lazy, does not mean that he has to punish Nwoye for perceived laziness. I hope that by the end of the novel, Okonkwo will look deep inside himself and realize that his desire to maintain an appearance of strength and his battle to escape the past are hurting those around in incalculable ways.
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