Is_Okonkwo_Resposible_for_His_Own_Demise_

Okonkwo is responsible for his demise because he had chosen to remain as a static character throughout the book while around him, his village, friends, and family modernized. Okonkwo’s ignorance to adapt to the nature around him was chiefly the effect of his father. He is determined not to be like his father, who was considered weak and cowardly. This is a huge motivating factor in everything Okonkwo does. Okonkwo mistreats his children and his wives, and he kills Ikemefuna even though he has been warned by the tribal elders not to have anything to do with this killing. Okonkwo does not want to appear weak to his tribesman, so he kills a boy he has come to love more than his own son. He beats his wife and accidentally shoots the son of a tribal elder, resulting in exile for 7 years. While Okonkwo is banished, he continues to make poor choices, and when he returns to his native village after his banishment, he is the primary cause for his son converting to Christianity and finally, he beheads a court messenger and commits suicide. Okonkwo committed one of the greatest sins in his culture. His tribesmen couldn't even touch his body when they saw him hanging there. Okonkwo can certainly blame his father for instilling a certain feeling of inadequacy, but it was Okonkwo himself who turned that inadequacy into anger, murder, and eventually suicide. Okonkwo is referred to as a tragic hero, someone whose rise to power and fall is based on his character. Okonkwo gained fame when he was young due to his unyielding character. However it was the same character that eventually causes him his downfall. In conclusion, Okonkwo is responsible for his own demise because he made poor decision throughout the book chiefly due to his ignorance to adapt to the nature around him.