Okonkwo, the novel’s main character, is a tragic hero whose strengths become weaknesses. When Okonkwo is introduced in the novel, he is described as being famous for his personal achievements and holding many titles. He is known to have been a great wrestler in his youth, and in his adulthood, he is known to be a hard-working and successful farmer. His successes make him a very popular and respected member of his clan. Okonkwo works hard to be the opposite of his father, who he believes was feminine and cowardly. Okonkwo’s role in his familial relationship proves that he rules his household with a heavy hand: “Okonkwo’s prosperity was visible in his household” (Pg. 14).
With his desire to not be anything like his own father, Okonkwo is both verbally and physically abusive to his wives and children, showing little to no affection. The fifteen-year-old boy‚ Ikemefuna‚ is forced to leave his homeland and his parents to live with Okonkwo’s family. The young boy “…could not understand what was happening to him or what he had done” that would cause such a drastic change in his life (Pg. 15). During his time with Okonkwo's family, Ikemefuna personally experiences Okonkwo's "heavy hand." In chapter 4 it is stated,
When Okonkwo heard that he would not eat any food he came into the hut with a big stick in his hand and stood over him while he swallowed his yams, trembling.
Eventually, Okonkwo and his oldest son, Nwoye, become fond of Ikemefuna, but Okonkwo does not show this fondness on the outside. He keeps most emotions, except for anger, hidden deep down. However, he does treat Ikemefuna like his own son. The novel states, "Sometimes when he went to big village meetings...he allowed Ikemefuna to accompany him, like a son... Ikemefuna called him father."
Eventually, members of the Ibo tribe kill Ikemefuna. Okonkwo tries to demonstrate his manliness (and prove that he is not like his own father) by participating in Ikemefuna’s death. Okonkwo’s pride takes the form of anger, which causes his family and tribe to lose respect for him. Nwoye, having discovered that his father helped kill Ikemefuna, loses all respect for his father and distances himself from his family. Nwoye eventually joins the missionaries ("the white man") and leaves his clan against his father's wishes. After the killing of Ikemefuna, Okonkwo does feel some depression but does not go through any sudden changes in behavior or mindset. Okonkwo, whose sense of pride and dignity continues until the end, chooses to live and die on his own terms rather than submit to the white man. For Okonkwo, giving in to the missionaries would be against so much of what he has stood for: courage, tradition, and manliness.
His main change occurs at the end of the novel, when he makes the decision to break one of the clan's rules and hangs himself. Okonkwo tries too hard to be the opposite of his own father. Ultimately, the outcome of the killing of Ikemefuna caused Okonkwo to lose the respect of his family and clansmen, much of his masculinity, and his life.
The character of Okonkwo in the book Things Fall Apart changes dramatically after the killing of Ikemefuna. Before the killing, Okonkwo is known for being a strong, upstanding, masculine man and a strong provider for his family. Okonkwo wishes to be the opposite of his father (who was known throughout the tribe for being lazy and cowardly). After Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna and is exiled, a downward spiral begins for Okonkwo, and his world truly does begin to fall apart. Where once Okonkwo was a successful provider, now his crops shrivel in the field, and he cannot even provide for his own family. He is haunted by the fear of becoming his father and feels that his inability to provide for his family shows he is weak and "feminine," as in his tribe, weakness is a characteristic associated with women.
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