Spit in the wind and it blows back in your face
Question: do you agree that Okonkwo’s behaviour in the novel “Things fall apart” comes as a reaction against his father? Why is this ironic?

Chinua Achebe through his eloquent use of tension and irony displays how his main character Okonkwo an influential clan leader in Umuofian meets his tragic demise under the pressure of his own personal demons. Okonkwo is a product of the years of suffering he endured with his father Unoka. Unoka has a strong and influential role contributing to why Okonkwo’s tenacious behaviour and unpremeditated actions lead to his downfall in the novel, “things fall apart”. This downfall happens as he tries not to become like his father which is ultimately ironic.
Okonkwo is a fierce worrier who rules his household with an iron fist, his word is deemed final and he is revered by many in his clan. Okonkwo’s is said to “had had no patience with unsuccessful men” and Unoka was a very unsuccessful man. He died without title and in debt. To the majority of the clan of Umuofia, he “was a failure”. Okonkwo “was ashamed of him” and due to this he tried with every fibre of his being to be the exact opposite of his father, he was determined not to be a failure. Achebe then introduces irony with Okonkwo’s eldest son Noweye, who is said to be feminine, weak, and lazy. Infect he has traits like Okonkwo’s father. This situation is very ironic because the person Okonkwo tries to be in stark contrast, the man who he is said to be “ashamed” of, his son resembles the most of any of his children. It is almost as if Unoka is reincarnated in Nwoye. Nwoye however does begin to display masculine qualities, but converts to Christianity which Okonkwo sees as the ultimate act of betrayal. To some readers Noweye may not seem feminine or weak at all, we see at this point the themes of varying interpretation of