Okonkwo, a wealthy, respected warrior, is a member of the Umuofia clan, a lower Nigerian tribe. In his youth, he brought honor to his village when he defeated Amalinze the Cat in a wrestling contest.

support three wives and eight children. Each wife has her own hut, and his barn is full of yams. Okonkwo has his own hut in addition to a shrine for his ancestors. Okonkwo built his fortune alone as a sharecropper. He asked a wealthy clansman, Nwakibie, to give him some seed- yams to start a farm. Nwakibie admired Okonkwo's hard- working nature, so he gave him eight hundred. A friend of his father gave him another four hundred. Okonkwo could keep only one third of the harvest. That year, the harvest was terrible. The village first suffered a bad drought and then a relentless downpour of rain. Okonkwo has a fierce contempt for less successful men. Ikemefuna becomes very popular with Okonkwo's children. Nwoye becomes his close friend. Okonkwo himself becomes very fond of him, but he does not show affection because he considers it a sign of weakness. Ikemefuna begins to call him "father." During the Week of Peace, Okonkwo notices his youngest wife, Ojiugo, left her hut to visit a friend without cooking dinner. He beats her for her negligence, breaking the peace of the sacred week. The priest demands that Okonkwo sacrifice a nanny goat and a hen, and pay a fine of one length of cloth and one hundred cowries. Okonkwo does everything he says because he truly repents his sin. After the Week of Peace, the people begin to clear the land in preparation for planting their farms. Nwoye and Ikemefuna help Okonkwo prepare the seed-yams, but he finds fault with their work. He wishes his criticism to drive his son to be a great man and a great farmer. Ikemefuna settles into Okonkwo's family, and he shares his large stock of folk tales with them. Achebe's representation of indigenous Ibo culture contradicts stereotypical, often oversimplified European representations. The Ibo are not mindless savages. Rather, we can detect a serious commitment to harmonious relations. Visitors and hosts often share kola nuts and palm-wine. Not only does this practice demonstrate a strong commitment to sharing, it serves as a way to diffuse tensions that could otherwise turn violent or ugly. When a neighbor visits Unoka to collect a debt, he has good reason to resent Unoka's bad financial planning. He needs his money to purchase a clan title. However, when he enters Unoka's hut, he does not immediately address the debt. Instead, he and Unoka share a kola nut and pray to their ancestral spirits. Afterwards, they converse about community affairs at great length. Moreover, Unoka's neighbor introduces the subject of debt through a series of Ibo proverbs. The customs regulating social relations emphasize their common interests and culture, diffusing possible tension. Unoka's neighbor diffuses it further by introducing the matter through a shared oral tradition. When Okonkwo goes to Nwakibie to ask for some seed-yams, he takes palm-wine and a kola nut. Again, asking for a favor might cause tension. Although Nwakibie keeps two- thirds of the harvest, he still takes a financial risk in giving Okonkwo seed-yams. A bad farmer will produce less than Nwakibie himself could produce with his seed-yams. Okonkwo's gifts demonstrate respect. Moreover, he does not immediately address the purpose of his visit. First, he and Nwakibie share the kola nut, and everyone drinks the palm-wine. Afterwards, they engage in conversation about the community. These customs diffuse possible tensions by emphasizing the value of community relations through sharing and conversation. Although everyone drinks in order of his status and rank, everyone still has a share. The religious values of the Ibo also emphasize the shared benefits of peaceful, harmonious relations. The Week of Peace honors the earth goddess in the hopes that she will favor them with a good harvest. The Ibo always consult their Oracle before declaring war. They fear punishment from their gods if they declare war without just cause. Their religion emphasizes the individual's obligation to the community. When Okonkwo breaks the peace during the sacred week, the priest chastises him for endangering the entire community by risking the earth deity's wrath. He refuses Okonkwo's offer of a kola nut, expressing disagreement peacefully. Moreover, the religious belief in the chi, an individual's personal god also smoothes possible tensions in the Ibo community. During a meeting, Okonkwo insults a titleless man. The other men remind Okonkwo that he has a favorable chi. The chi allows individuals to attribute some portion of the failures and successes to divine influence, so it lessens the shame and pride of both. The belief encourages respect between individuals. The men settle the dispute between Okonkwo and the insulted man without resorting to personal attacks, but rather through their religious belief system. Moreover, the meeting demonstrates an emphasis on community cohesion. Even men without titles can take part in community decisions and discussions. Generally, pre-colonial Ibo culture is rather democratic in function. However, traditional Ibo culture is profoundly patriarchal. Wife-beating is an accepted practice. Moreover, femininity is associated with weakness while masculinity is associated with strength. It is no coincidence that the word that refers to a titleless man also means "woman." A man is not a man if he cannot control his women. However, Achebe often makes an effort to show that Ibo women are indeed strong, brave, and extremely important to Ibo society. Social mobility is more possible in Ibo society than it is in nineteenth century European society. A man's worth is determined by his own actions, not by his father's. Okonkwo's father died of a shameful illness, penniless and titleless. However, Okonkwo rose to a position of wealth and prestige through his own efforts. However, this does not mean that the Ibo do not care about kinship relations. Rather, kinship forms the very basis of their society. Clans are organizations based on family relations. Although Okonkwo hated his father, he still supported his household with his early attempts to build his own farm. When he visits Nwakibie, he addresses him as "our father." The use of kinship establishes mutual respect and commitment. Okonkwo's tragic flaw is his hatred of his father. His "ruling passion" is to avoid resembling Unoka. Unoka's words also foreshadow Okonkwo's sad end. After Okonkwo's first, terribly disappointing harvest, Unoka tells him that he has a proud, manly heart. He states that such a heart can withstand a general failure whereas it is much worse when a man fails alone. Hidden within Unoka's words is an emphasis in shared suffering. The entire community had a bad harvest, so Okonkwo's failure is no reflection in his character. However, failing alone through one's individual action is a reflection on his character, so it is a cause for despair. Okonkwo fails to heed the wisdom of Unoka's words. To avoid resembling Unoka, Okonkwo acts violently without thinking, often provoking avoidable fights. He has a bad temper, and he rules his household with fear. Okonkwo believes his behavior constitutes masculinity. However, it leads him to sin against the Week of Peace, and it strains his relationship with Nwoye. His rash behavior also causes tension within the community because he expresses disdain for less successful men. Ikemefuna demonstrates that masculinity need not preclude kindness, gentleness, and affection. Nwoye responds far more positively to Ikemefuna's influence than he does to Okonkwo's heavy-handedness. Although Okonkwo is very fond of Ikemefuna, he doe not express his affection because he fears that it will make him look weak. Ikemefuna even makes flutes, Unoka's favorite instrument.        Resources                                 Resources