describe okonkwo

Okonkwo is the protagonist in Things Fall Apart whose actions are dictated by the fear of failure. At the beginning of the novel, Okonkwo is portrayed as a powerful wrestler in his village. His fame grew like a bush-fire in the Harmattan after he threw Amalinze the Cat in a wrestling match. Okonkwo is a hardworking and successful man. Besides, he has won many titles in Umuofia unlike his lazy father, Unoka. Also, he despises feminine characteristics and considers his own father weak. It is out of Okonkwo's fear of being deemed weak that he resorts to unnecessary and ultimately destructive actions. For instance, Okonkwo rules his household with a heavy hand and assists in the murder of Ikemefuna. Okonkwo’s fall in Things Fall Apart is inevitable. Things start to get worse when he accidentally kills the dead elder's son at Ezeudu’s funeral and is banished from Umuofia.
While Okonkwo is in Mbanta, the missionaries in Umuofia become quite influential, and several people—including his son, Nwoye—lose faith in the Igbo tradition. There is a significant change in the village by the time Okonkwo returns from exile. He is offended by this transformation and disowns his son who has been Christianized by the white missionaries. Throughout the remaining part of the novel, Okonkwo constantly opposes the white man’s administration. Ultimately, his attempts to salvage the Igbo culture are fruitless and he commits suicide.

Okonkwo is the protagonist of Things Fall Apart, and some might even call him a tragic hero. Okonkwo values masculinity and strength and is loyal to the traditions of his tribe (for the most part). His father was poor and a musician; Okonkwo is ashamed of his father, so he tries to be nothing like him. Instead, Okonkwo wins a famous wrestling match and is a successful yam farmer. He values hard work, and in his tribe, having a thriving yam crop is seen as manly. He is one of the leaders of his tribe at the start of the novel, and he is well-respected. He takes a couple of actions near the beginning of the book, though, that are criticized by other men in the tribe. For one, he beats one of his wives during the Week of Peace. Even though the other men agree that he was justified in beating his wife, it is not permitted to do so during that week. Furthermore, he is the one who strikes the deadly machete blow that kills Ikemefuna, a boy being held hostage from another tribe but who lived with Okonkwo's family and befriended his son. Other tribal leaders believe it was not right for him to go along on the journey during which Ikemefuna would be killed (as decreed by the gods), let alone be the one to actually kill him. Okonkwo's personal bias toward masculinity affects his relationships with his children. His son is not manly enough for Okonkwo, so they are not close, while his daughter Ezinma is Okonkwo's favorite. Unfortunately for Okonkwo, though, he can only lament that she was not born his son. 
The pivotal moment in Okonkwo's life comes when he accidentally kills the son of an elder tribesman at the elder's funeral. Because it was accidental, it is termed a "female crime." He is exiled for seven years to his mother's village. While he is away, missionaries come to his home village and exert their influence. By the time he returns, the tribe and village are no longer the people nor place he once knew. He and a few other characters stand for tradition and resist the missionaries, but this is to no avail. At the end of the novel, Okonkwo kills himself because he does not think he can live in his village in its current state. He believes the tribe has abandoned its roots, and he cannot bear to participate in it nor witness it any further.