“Broken Family”
Families continuously become broken due to the negative influence and unrighteous persuasiveness of parents in developing and raising children (Modest p.7). Many studies have shown the effect that a parent can have on a child when they are raised either ethically correct or morally wrong. In the book “Things Fall Apart,” written by Chinua Achebe, these studies are supported by the actions and events that arise within this novel. A young village warrior by the name of Okonkwo is represented as both the victim and the oppressor within this novel. Okonkwo is the result of unmotivated parenting and later establishes his own characteristics to become better than his father. Okonkwo becomes a victim of oppression from the continuous battle of control and mental manipulation of government and “white men” doctrine. Okonkwo is also the oppressor for discipline and physical abuse to his children and family. In the novel, Okonkwo learns and adapts to the lonely journey of becoming a father, husband and great warrior within his clan (Achebe chap 1-10). Furthermore, Okonkwo is faced with the challenges of parenting children, maintaining respect and order in the household, and structuring the image of masculinity upon his village members.
Okonkwo is born in a village named Umuofia. In Umoufia, Okonkwo’s father is known to be lazy and unworthy to be called a man in his village. Unoka, Okonkow’s father, is mostly known in the village for his great masses of debt and womanlike characteristics. Okonkwo grows up as a great warrior who despises his father and hates his father’s characteristics. He then orients strong responsibility towards his children. Much of Okonkwo’s leadership and disciplinarian action is forced upon his household as he tries to mold his children and family into an image stronger than his previous father molded. Whenever Okonkwo’s’ children demonstrated weakness and laziness he corrected them with disciplinarian actions (chap. 1-5). He...