Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Okonkwo: Victim, Villain, or Hero?
At the end of Things Fall Apart the reader is left with many opinions about the character Okonkwo. What opinion have you formulated about Okonkwo? Use specific examples from the text to support your opinion. Consider Okonkwo's motivations. Is Okonkwo a victim, a villain, or a hero?
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I think that Okonkwo was a coward. He did what he believed was right which I admire him for but then he went and took the easy way out and commited suicide. He also became a disgrace to the clan.
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo is a victim as well as a villian. He was a victim to circumstances in his clan, but turned into the villian by taking his own life and disgracing his clan and his way of life.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Okonkwo is a victim. Yes, I believe that suicide is a cowards way out but he wouldn't have had all these problems if he hadn't been raised the way he did by his father. His whole life he tried to be strong and act exactly the opposite of his father. Then he had things thrust upon him< and the whole time he just wanted to continue working and living on his farm. So, i believe that Okonkwo is a victim.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Crystal about Okonkwo's cowardliness. I was shocked in a way that he committed suicide because he was such a hard worker.
ReplyDeleteI think that Okonkwo was a victim because was raised with certain customs that were unique to his culture that preached loyalty and strength. Early in his life violence was the answer to most problems in the clan. After he was banished the white men changed the beliefs and culture, his lifestyle. The title Things Fall Apart simply says the world is constantly changing. Okonkwo was a victim of change and culture clash and brought violence apon himself
ReplyDeleteI would say his situation is rather tragic and beyond his control, but I would not say Okonkwo is entirely a victim. His situation is tragic in that the Christian handled things very poorly. At first they did alright, promoting peaceful conversion, but they did small unkind thngs such as killing he python and defacing the gods in front of the people. Later though, with the arrival of the second leader, any niceities fell apart. They were cruel and unreasonable with the natives, thus Okonkwo had no chance against their violent tactics.
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo, though, was no hero. Throughtout the book his actions hinted that some kind of retribution was in order. He mistreated his wives and others around him. He was single-inded in his image of manliness and abhored feminity and pacifism. When he was surprised at the guilt he flet after killing his adopted son, I knew he would face karma.
He was not exactly a villian, either. He fought in defense of his people. The later missionaries were more villianous than he was, kidnapping the leaders without provacation and threatening to kill them unless they are paid? Comparatively Okonkwo was a saint. He also treated his daughter well and was sympathetic as a main character.
Okonkwo's situation was unfortunate and he could not help it, but he also was somewhat deserving of it. In the end, he was neither a hero, victim, or villin entirely. He was somewhere in the middle.
I also believe that Okonkwo was a victim. I believe that his actions were reponsive to the actions of his father and his clan. Okonkwo was very unhappy with the actions of others which lead him to suicide. Although suicide does show that he is a coward I think that he is a victim to his clan and family.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with Kyle and Chaz to say that Okonkwo was a victim. His way of life may seem to be violent and savage, but our own way of life has its defects. Okonkwo was a victim to his own ignorance to other cultures. However, his way of life was the only thing he knew and these new ideas and religion that attacked him from all angles was more than any one person could take.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chaz that Okonkwo was also a victim. He tried so hard throughout his life and then the white people come in and destroy his way of life. At the same time though he is also a coward for how he reacted to it.
ReplyDeleteI have to go with victim as my answer to this question. You can argue any of the three roles given, but I think there are the fewest number of arguments that can be made against Okonkwo as a victim. Okonkwo is simply a man that wishes to follow the traditional lifestyle of the tribe, and falls victim to the changing times upon the arrival of the Europeans, and some bad luck. I don't think Okonkwo did enough bad things to be considered a villain, and I don't think he really did anything great to be considered a hero. He was simply a man that got caught in a bad situation. The only thing I can say with complete certainty about Okonkwo is that I felt no sympathy for him while reading this book. Sure, it's sad that he was driven to suicide, but he brought most of his struggles upon himself in one way or another. Okonkwo was just another average dude that fell victim to the misguided attempts of European colonization.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning, Okonkwo acted as a villian. He showed no compassion towards his wives and sons, and I in turn did not care for him as a character. Okonkwo was a man of wealth and strength, and to him sincerety was weakness. However, I did begin to respect him more as he stood true to his word and beliefs with his clan. In the end, when his friend Obierika found him hanging from the tree, I saw him as a victim- and partially a hero, as well. The comment his friend made about Okonkwo being one of the strongest men in the clan, and yet he was driven to suicide, made him seem like a hero. He stood up against the cruel actions of the missionary men, and in the end, took his life to demonstrate he would never take in their ways.
ReplyDeleteIan Long posted: At first, Okonkwo was a hero because he was one of the biggest/strongest people in his clan. When he accidentally killed his own tribe member, he was a victim due to how he had to be ostracized form his land for 7 years but also a villain due to him killing the member. And at the end of the book, he was a villain of killing the white man and a victim of the power the white men would have.
ReplyDeleteIan Long posted:I agree with Crystal that Okonkwo was a coward. He killed a man because he believed they did his village wrong. He made a cowardly decision by taking his own life and not facing the rest of the men.
ReplyDeleteBrittany Suchanek posted: I think that Okonkwo was a vitcim because he became accostomed to a certain style of life with traditional beliefs and this life was taken away from him. Everything he knew and worked for vanished over time, not only because of his exile, but also because of the growing power of the Christians. They took control over all that was dear to him and this untimately made him the victim.
ReplyDeleteMitchell Harger posted: I believe Okonkwo is intended to be a victim in the story. The first part of the book we learn of his personal life and begin to make connections with him and his culture on a personal level. In the second and third parts of the book the Europeans begin to "civilize" the Ibo people and we see the point of view of the unfortunate African people. They are all "victims" of European influence but Okonkwo was just the extreme example that really stood out in our minds at the end of the book. Okonkwo's toughness, mental and physical, at the beginning of the book gave off the impression that he was almost invincible, but at the end of the book we realize that no one is safe from the hand of the white man. Okonkwo's death happened in order to give the reader a sense of pity for him and consequently the African people. Okonkwo was a victim of European "civilizing" that gave the reader a true point of view of the African people.
ReplyDeleteConnor Frederick posted: I dont believe he is a hero or a victim, he stood up to what he believed in yet when there was gonna repercussions for his actions he took his own life. I expected him to fight until the end and when he didnt I thought of him as a coward, not as a hero.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading other post I could understand how you could consider Okonkwo a victim. After he was banished from the tribe after a accidental murder and he had no control in which direction the clan would take after his leave had to be difficult. When he finally came back to the tribe the New Church ahd already gained control over the clan, with the church controlling the tribe he was unable to return to his old ranked and beable to lead the clan back to the top.
Okonkwo was a man raised on one belief and no diversity. He was ignorant, but how could he know any better? His way of life was simple and he had simple wants and needs. However, as his world began to crumble around him he lost sight of everything himself and those around him. His life became a struggle and as much as he fought the changes he knew nothing could change, it was too late. So he took the easy way out.Okonkwo was a victim of change and of ignorance.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say that i disagree with Rosie in saying that Okonowo is not a villian by committing suicide. Yes, its a cowards way out, but not a villianous act. In some cultures suicide is even honorable when done because soemone feels at fault for something.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Rosie and agree with chaz on the issue that Okonowo is not a villian by commiting suicide. He is more a victim of change without a villian. The settlers from Europe can be seen a villian towards the tribes. But the real message I believe is an easy one, things fall apart and there is nothing you can do about it. Okonowo could not deal with change
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ReplyDeleteI disagree with Crystal and Rebecca about Okonkwo being a "coward" for killing himself. I don't believe suicide is a "coward's way out" at all. If he doesn't want to live, that's his choice. What can anyone else do about it? If he has the determination to kill himself, more power to him. The basic instincts of all living things drive them to live and fear death. It's simply the nature of all things living. Unless you're a lemming. If you're a lemming, then you could pretty much negate my entire argument.
ReplyDeleteI would disagree with Crystal's analysis. I believe she has judged him a bit too harshly. Okonkwo was never a coward. If one were to take that mentality that suicide is cowardly and that Okonkwo should have been a 'real man' to the end, I think much was overlooked. Okonkwo certainly made his mark before his death. He took a man down with him before he left. I think Okownkwo was brutally manly in everything he did all throughout his life. Even his way out was a statement to insult the 'womanly' and 'weak' way the tribe was handling things. I believe it was as if to say 'If suicide is dishonorable to a tribe of these cowards, idiots, and women, then I will gladly dishonor them all!' That being said, I reassert my belief that the main character is no single label. He was a mix of everything. Certainly, though, I do not view him a coward.
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo was partially a tragic hero too. Not just any hero.
ReplyDeleteOK this made alot of sense to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
I do not view Okonkwo as a coward. There is this saying in Vietnamese that "thà làm ngọc nát còn hơn ngói lành" (a crushed pearl is better than an intact brick) and "chết vinh còn hơn sống nhục" (dying gloriously is better than living in infamy). I view his decision as wanting to die in his own hands rather than in his enemies'. I viewed that as bravery and Okonkwo is a hero because he kept his beliefs, regardless of whether they are wrong or not. People said Okonkwo is a victim of change but I say he is a hero of resistance.
ReplyDeleteOkonkwo is a hero but tragic hero,whose anger and fear of failure and weakness leads him to commit suicide at the end because he was unable to adapt the change in his society and he did not want to become miserable in front of British missionary.And i think we should accommodate with change if we want to survive.
ReplyDeleteI also think okonkwo is indeed a avictim of circumstanc because,he realise his clan was no more war concera and no one was ready to support him during war after killing one of the messengers and for that matter,commited suicide because he thought he cannot live to see umofia being transformed by the whites.
ReplyDelete