Things Fall Apart

In chapters 1-3 Okonkwo describes how his father was known to be lazy, improvident, and was quite incapable of thinking about his future. If money ever came toward his father's way (which it hardly ever did) he would go and spend it all on palm-wine and drink with his friends. He was also deep in debt, and he owed all his neighbors money. He was a failure, he was poor and his family and Okonkwo and his siblings had hardly anything to eat. People laughed at him because he was a loafer and no one ever lended him money because he was known that he never paid any one back.

Later on it goes on describing him by saying that he was tall, really thin and had a slight sloop. He wore a haggard and mournful look except when he was drinking or playing the flute. He was really good at playing the flute sometimes he would play with the village musicians. Unoka also loved when the rains stopped and the sun rose every morning with dazzlingly beauty. Because of all this Okonkwo thought his dad was effeminate. And he concluded that because he was effeminate that was why he was in the low social scale and not respected on the contrary he was looked down upon. That is why Okonkwo never liked when Nyowe made an "effeminate" comment, which is also why Okonkwo's whole life he tried so hard to not be like his father. He really hated him, but in the end he wasn't able to escape it.