They_Lived_a_Life

They Lived a Life By: Clarizza Mae Braza How does a man live his life' Is it based on strength, wealth, intellect or power' What makes him weak or what makes him strong' We were born to live just one life. And these two men lived their lives according to their wills. Okonkwo, a major character of Things Fall Apart and T.S. Garp from the World according to Garp lived their lives with goals. Manliness is one the characteristics these two men share. Okonkwo is portrayed as a respected individual in many ways. He was a well known person through out their villages and beyond. His successes were based wholly on his personal achievements. For example, he was a warrior and wrestler who gained respect through his athletics. On the other hand, Garp also became a champion wrestler proving himself to be manly. They wanted to show they are fearless (especially Okonkwo). Both Garp and Okonkwo lived in the shadows of their parents even though it is different ways. Okonkwo was determined to be unlike his father. He wanted to show that he was not like his father in any way. Since childhood, Okonkwo has been ashamed of his father, because according to the clansmen Okonkwo's father did not meet the standards that the men of that time should have met. He wanted to be strong and fearless bacause his father was a coward. He wanted to be rich because his father was poor and the list goes on. When it comes to Garp and his mother Jenny, we can say that he loved and hated his mother at the same time. Jenny was loving, dangerously straightforward, and an independent mother above all. He wanted to be as successful as her but his works keeps on being in her mother’s shadows. Throughout his life he had troubles with her mother and is irritated by her attitude towards men and lust. However, in many ways, Garp is much like his mother. He shares her love for children; he is a good nurturer. He is also stubborn and fearlessly opinionated. Okonkwo and Garp also shared this characteristic- they lived in the shadows of their parents. When it comes to their own families, they also share similarities and differences as well. Garp and Okonkwo both had many relationship. Okonkwo’s relationship were legal since they can marry more than one woman in the village. Okonkwo was one of the richest persons in their clan that is why he can support his family. He was not that fond of his wives or his children.He even beats his son. He needed to work and work harder and that’s what placed a gap between him and his family. Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. But Garp’s was a different story. Firsrt, he cheated on his wife. And for the first five years of his marriage it was his mother who paid there bills. His wife works and he stays at home to take care of their children. He loved his family dearly and was not afraid to show it to them (very much unlike Okonkwo). He wanted them to be safe - If Garp could have been granted one vast and naíve wish, it would have been that he could make the world safe. For children and for grownups. When it comes to emotion these two fathers could be very different. Both their lives had been faced with challenges. Garp has affairs with babysitters and Helen takes a graduate student as a lover. Finally, their marriage faces the ultimate test when a tragic car accident kills one child and permanently disfigures another. They spend months physically and mentally healing at Garp's mother's home at Dog's Head Harbor.On the other hand, Okonkwo had been exiled from their village. When Okonkwo returned to the village after his exile, he was expecting things to be the same. But to his surprise the whole village underwent drastic changes. The first was the change that was made was the change from Muslim beliefs to Christian beliefs. And the second change that Okonkwo was most astonished about was the whites and their system of government. But it was how they faced it that made a difference. Garp and Helen finally forgave each other, and Garp purges the horror of the accident by writing The World According to Bensenhaver, a disturbing and violent novel. He also continued har mothers works when she died therefore takinng care of the Field’s institution. But he was also murdered not so long after his mother’s death. Okonkwo on the contrary was reluctant to succumb to the new way of life like his fellow villagers and clansmen. Because Okonkwo couldn't function is this type of society because of his fear and unwillingness to change, he ended his life. These two brave at the same time weak characters shared similarities and differences in the way they lived their lives and how it ended. But nonetheless they were determined and wanted to show what they can do. They shared their lives with the people their family, friends and others they have met throughout their lives.