Okonkwo

Pg 94 Comentary

Question: In essay form, explain what this paragraph reveals about Okonkwo. Work specifically with the language proceeding through in an organized fashion.

Structure of section

* Achievement

o What he wanted out of life

o Becoming a clan leader

 Fear - didn't want to be weak

 Shame of childhood

 Affirmation of his masculinity

 Harsh self judgment

* Loss (fish)

o

* Loss (chi)

In the paragraph on page 94 near the bottom, Achebe reveals the desperation that Okonkwo has fallen into because of his banishment. Okonkwo up to this point in the book has proven to be warrior-like in his approach to all things in life, but now we see that he has lost the battle of achieving the greatness, leaving him with a broken spirit.

In the first section of the paragraph it is made known that Okonkwo was "...ruled by a great passion - to become one of the lords of the clan." This was evident at the very beginning of the book by his fear of failure. The loathing he had for his father and what he stood for had driven Okonkwo to work hard through his entire life. This commitment help confirm the manliness that he had be seeking for, the one thing that could separate him from the shame of his childhood. However his strong will and determination has left him with a very egomaniacal self-image that leaves Okonkwo helpless when he actually fails in something. His banishment to Mbantu was a very hard blow to his self-image, leaving him weak and broken while trying to live there.

The way Okonkwo refers to his banishment was that he "...had been cast out of his clan like a fish on to a dry, sandy beach, panting." This pitiful image shows Okonkwo's personal disgust, comparing himself to a lowly creature like a fish. The image of the fish out of water shows his suffrage, that a fish cannot live without water as Okonkwo