Things Fall Apart Thoughts #2

The tragic death of the Umofia clan member Okonkwo, in Things Fall Apart surprised me. Since Okonkwo was dominated by the fear of being lazy and unsuccessful as his father was, I did not expect such a man to take his own life out of shame or embarrassment. Things must have been harsh on him since his return was never as grand as he expected, and almost the opposite. This makes me feel bad for Okonkwo because even though he may have done many bad things, he always strives to help his clan and family by respecting their traditions, and pressing Nwoye or others in his family to be a good person. Another thing that made me sad about Okonkwo's death was that he had to leave Umofia just because something he couldn't control happened, the death of the 16 year old boy. This means that Okonkwo ended up wasting 7 years of his life, which could have been spent, protecting his people from disregarding their traditions, strengthening the clan, keeping Nwoye, and lastly making futures for his sons and daughters such as having his daughters marry prosperous men. Therefore I feel bad for Okonkwo because he led such a prosperous life many would love to follow, only to have him take his own life, and prevent him from earning more titles, or being with his family.