Anna Maynard

Unreachable Expectations
Anna Maynard

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Unreachable Expectations Formatted: Centered

Manliness is a necessary quality to maintain when striving to have any influence or

prestige in Umuofia society. Okonkwo has much influence in Umuofia due to his expression of

that exact characteristic; his strong physique and his success in war are great traits to maintain

when striving to have prestige and value in Umuofia. Okonkwo heavily tries to force his legacy

upon his son, Nwoye, who is constantly unable to meet his father high expectations. After living

a life of constant down put, when the Christian church arrives, their view on life completely

contradicts that of Okonkwo and intrigues Nwoye greatly. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua

Achebe, Okonkwo’s overwhelming need for Nwoye to express the commonly sought-after this

highly valued characteristic of manliness ultimately encourages Nwoye to convert to

Christianity.

Okonkwo uses brute force to scare both Nwoye and his wives when they do not succeed

or please him. Okonkwo holds very high standards as to which characteristics his family

members should have, Nwoye, being a boy must be strong and masculine, and this is enforced

through physical and verbal abuse. When the conversation of Ikemefuna’s death arises “Nwoye

overheard it and burst into tears, whereupon his father beat him heavily” (57). Okonkwo does

not believe that men should show emotions because it shows weakness and feminine qualities.

Nwoye perceives losing a brother, and in his father’s eyes, it is not acceptable to show any kind

of emotion. Nwoye is never enough in his father’s eyes, because he didn’t have to fight out of
Anna Maynard
Unreachable Expectations
poverty; the only way that Nwoye would ever please Okonkwo would be to have the same, or

larger accomplished than he had. Nwoye doesn’t measure up to Okonkwo’s view of manliness,

which leads to constant scrutiny under the hand of his father which ultimately leads to his

conversion to Christianity, further disappointing and disgusting Okonkwo.

Throughout his life, Okonkwo constantly demolishes lowers Nwoye’s confidence and

feelings of value. The Ibo people value strong, masculine men throughout society both

religiously and secularly. Okonkwo tells stories of war and death to instill toughness inside of

Nwoye, and “Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to be violent, but somehow he

still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell,” (53). Nwoye knows that his father needs

him to be strong and masculine, and constant reminders come in the form of beatings and verbal

abuse. The mindset that Okonkwo ingrains in his son, forces him to think that the only possible

mold he can fit is that of a tough man who is capable of ruling the household. Nwoye fears his

father, so he cowers to Okonkwo’s demands and hides his true self. When Nwoye begins to fit

the mold his father’s wishes for him to fill, he “saw that his father was pleased, and no loinger

rebuked him or beat him” (54). Nwoye pretends to be interested in masculine stories to avoid

beatings; however, the childhood love for reassuring, calming stories never leaves him forever.

Okonkwo forces Nwoye to embrace a certain characteristic that is not his own, and when the

Christians, with their reassuring hymns arrive, Nwoye’s captivation of the new religion makes

him convert to the religion with comforting poetry.

The fear that Okonkwo implants into his eldest son converts Nwoye to a depressed

adolescent who has no capability of pleasing his father. Okonkwo views his son’s fear as laziness

which leads to more abuse in an attempt to try to take the laziness out of his son. Okonkwo

“sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating. And so Nwoye was developing into a
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Unreachable Expectations
sad-faced youth” (14). His inability to please his father hurt Nwoyes mental health, growing up

constantly striving to please his father, and failing put a damper on his happiness and feeling of

self-worth. Okonkwo is a terrible father to Nwoye, he doesn’t try to form a bond with his son, he

constantly puts Nwoye down for trying his best to please him. Nwoye is enable to be the manly

person Okonkwo wants him to be, and Okonkwo abuses him for this, when the Christian arrives,

Nwoye is attracted to the Christians lovingness and acceptance to everyone.

The role that Okonkwo plays as his father, makes Nwoye want to rebel to a more

comfortable place. Growing up with constant fear of his father’s opinion, the ideas of

Christianity comfort Nwoye. Okonkwo’s bad fathering and constant lowering of his sons self-

esteem makes Nwoye fear and dislike him, and when a way out appears, Nwoye goes against his

father to create his own ideas and beliefs. Fathers should not force their sons to be a certain

person, fathers should help the child grow and learn about their own interest. In a world where

children can be anything, a father should can help his son grow and flourish into an individual

with his own ideas and interest rather than forcing him to conform to his ideas of a perfect man.
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Unreachable Expectations

Work Cited Page

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Penguin Books, 2017. Print.

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