What Is Okonkwo's Role In Things Fall Apart

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Okonkwo’s character is a very unique and interesting one that is easily differentiated from other well-known heroes. Due to his lack of a proper upbringing, he sought to achieve greatness through other means, rather relying on inheritance. In his culture, reputation is achieved through the amount of possessions owned. The number of wives and children, the size of farms and land, are all symbols of one’s wealth and eminence. War accomplishments as well as brute strength is also revered in his clan. For example, Okonkwo is a respected and well-known man in his community due to success with farming and growing crops and power at wrestling. Additionally, he has three wives and many children, a large family that requires a fair amount of prosperity …show more content…
He did this so that the readers could see from the perspective of the Africans, and understand the thought process, as well as the mindset of those Africans when faced with foreign missionaries and invaders. Most novels about the conquest of Africa are written from the white man’s point of view, and it usually portrays the conquistadors are glorious and superior. In this novel, readers are able to understand the horrors that really happened, such as the massacre of the Abame. The African clans are terrified and mystified by their white invaders and their singular, omniscient God. The founding of the church in Mbanta led to many Christian converts that deserted their beliefs of their old African gods and goddesses. It led to growing tension between the clansmen and the converts. Finally, the numerous misunderstandings between the Europeans and the Africans that led to conflict include the language barrier and cultural differences. A mutual understanding or compromise cannot be reached because one race cannot understand the other. As for cultural differences, the Africans scorn the practices of the white men, like the hanging of Aneto, and similarly, the missionaries and converts mock and rudely deprecate the Africans’ gods when they state, “...all the gods were dead and impotent” (154). The cultural clashes prevent each side from attaining
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