What Is Okonkwo true morals?

        The world is make up with different kinds of culture from all over the world. And in the world full of different cultures there’s so many different morals. Moral is the principle in which someone believes in. So what one moral mean to one person and can be completely wrong or right in someone’s mind. Almost having a double meaning. Okonkwo wants to be respected by his fellow clan, seems to be uncertain of what his morals seems to be.

         During the scene when they took Ikemefuna to the forest to kill him, the others suggested that Okonkwo should not be present when the killing took place. But yet he still showed up and even took part in the killing. But when he returned to his home, he felt immensely guilty about it. The one thing in the world Okonkwo strongly didn’t want to be was just like his father was. Weak. So killing Ikemefuna was just another way to prove to his clan he wasn’t weak like his father. Later on in the book, Okonkwo kills the messenger and feeling shame, he later kills himself.

   Both of these situations show that Okonkwo desires to be prove the member of his clan that he is unlike is father. But after the killings, he felt extreme remorse in the end. Thinking that he is “weak”, he commits suicide in the end. His morals did not match up to what he expected. His efforts into trying to prove one thing, had the opposite reaction than what he had expected. So technically speaking, was his actual morals is what other thinks about him, than what he thinks about himself?

-Samantha Pubien

What Does "The Horror" mean?

In the scene when Marlow is holding a dying Mr. Kurtz…he barely utter the words “the horror…the horror” to Marlow. It is one of the most famous lines in the book is when Mr. Kurtz last words were “the horror...the horror”. But as soon as Marlow heard those words, Marlow just flees. As if he is trying to pretend that she did not hear it. Maybe, Marlow probably think that it that it is Mr. Kurtz madness trying to take over him. It can mean a million things but no one really knows what the answer to it is. I have come up with a thought think that those words mean to Marlow is that he is trying to scare him. He probably knew that Marlow came all this way to see Mr. Kurtz trying to take his job and had said those words to him to try to scare him out of taking position. But another theory is that he is finally realizing of what he had done. Finally seeing what was actually going on in the Congo and he probably try warn Marlow that this is not he wants. I believe that Conrad put that in the scene in trying to get us to think. In order to figure out what Mr. Kurtz was saying, we first must break down what “horror” means itself. Based on that, our interpretation of what it means, is what we think of horror means to us.

-Samantha Pubien

Why did Okonkwo commit suicide?

Okonkwo took his own life in result of all of the changes that had occurred in his society, Ibo. Throughout the entire novel he struggles to become accustomed to all of the changes taking place in his tribe of course. Okonkwo was always known to have initially a reputation as one of the most mighty, honorable tribesmen. 

As the white men begin to arrive, the other tribe members start to change as a result, especially his son Nwyoe. Okonkwo thinks that the other clansmen are weak just like his lazy father. As we all know weakness is his biggest fear. He attempted to remain strong and bold against the tide of change, but he soon figures out he is solitary. 

In act of rebellion Okonkwo kills the colonial official in attempt to "save" his tribe from the weak white men. Sadly, no one else stepped up and supported his beliefs. He becomes desperate, only to choose the worst way to die, suicide. Instead of allowing himself to be found and handed over to the "weak" white men. -Melenny Gallardo

Ibo culture and Christianity clashing?

This collision of cultures occurs at the individual and societal levels, the Ibo tribe initially is very critical towards the Christians and labels them as "foolish” for their way of going through life. The Africans' misperceptions of themselves and of Europeans need realignment as much as do the misperceptions of Africans by the West. With the example of the evil forest, in Umuofia putting twins inside a jar and leaving them in the forest to die is what they believe is the right to do in their beliefs, “Nneka had had four previous pregnancies and child-births. But each time she had borne twins, and they had been immediately thrown away. Her husband and his family were already becoming highly critical of such a woman and were not unduly perturbed when they found she had fled to join the Christians. “ although, with Christianity that would be against Christian beliefs and morals.

Since Ibo culture and Christianity have many different beliefs and morals it is very difficult to have the two join together. The Ibo are always careful to avoid committing sins against the fear of vengeance that might wipe out the entire generation. Sins to the Ibo gods is defined as a crime against the gods, if sins are performed, punishment is taken into actions; “Some of these prisoners had thrown away their twins and some had molested the Christians.” for example animal sacrifice, exile, or even death. The Igbo lifestyle is very straight-forward and highly stylized, as well as spiritual. Respect and knowledge of one’s role in their society is an important feature. Christianity is also a spiritual lifestyle but it is not as stylized and strict such as the Ibo but sinning in Christianity is a normal thing and is not that bad of an act and it is okay to do.

                           -Rebecca Jones

Is language a barrier between people?

Language acts as a barrier between two groups of people. Without proper communication, it is nearly impossible to fully learn every detail about a culture or religion. Like when the Missionaries came to spread Christianity, the Ibo people had converted only because they wanted to be more powerful. Not having a full understanding of the religion because the missionaries only spoke English. Later, when Mr. Brown goes to the neighboring clan to teach about Christianity, and interpreter was used to make communication easier. Even then there were still misunderstandings about the clan’s cultures and Christianity. The use of an interpreter gets rid of the true communication between the two men, because the conversation wasn’t directly between them, it was altered through translation.

“How can he when he doesn’t even speak our tongue? But he says our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion say that our customs are bad.”  This quote leads me to believe that there is major separation within the two groups, because different languages are spoken between them. With the missionaries not being able to speak the native tongue of the Ibo clan, they don’t even bother to learn some aspects of their culture. As seen with the land dispute that had included Nnama’s family, which lead Okonkwo to say “does the white man understand our custom about land?” Therefore, different languages that are spoken by two groups of people, separates them rather than bringing them together because of miscommunications and misunderstanding of the others culture and religion.-Jaya Jugmohan

Was it an act of weakness for Okonkwo to kill Ikemefuna?

Okonkwo treated Ikemefuna with love and in several occasions even thought of him as being superior than his birth son, Okonkwo unfortunately participates in the death of Ikemefuna. He was basically forced to take action in his murder due to the fact that it had been decreed by the oracle himself. Okonkwo lives in fear of being seen as a weak link by the other men. This insecurity he holds within him has a lot to do with who he is and has become as a person. It all traces back to his deceased father, who was indeed lazy and known to be an enormous disappointment in Umuofia. Through his fathers past characteristics Okonkwo be holds the major aspects of setting himself to being entirely opposite from his father. He was alleged to be feminine, weak, and a drunk.


Okonkwo is assertedly driven by his fear when he acts out and kills Ikemefuna but if he had acted otherwise it would of been portrayed as an act of weakness. Sadly his tremendous angst lead him to take the life of an innocent boy that looked upon him as a father figure. Okonkwo's strict paranoia towards the opinion the other men might of had of him and the rumors that would have spread if he had acted indifferent triggered him into taking away Ikemefuna's life. Only to secretly haunt him for some time; little does he know that by killing the innocent boy he actually did fulfill his father's weak trait because he acted upon cowardliness. -Melenny Gallardo

Why is Ezinma the favorite?

There is irony with Ezinma being Okonkwos favorite child. Okonkwo believes that being masculine is superior to being feminine. Okonkwo does not have any respect for his father because he was lazy, which caused him to be poor and live off of other people. He saw is father to be weak and described as feminine.  To rid of the reputation that Unoka created, Okonkwo developed aggressive masculine characteristics, and hides his affectionate side. This gives him great power and status in his clan.

Okonkwo treats femininity as a sin. As he sees his father in Nwoye, lazy and female like,  leads Okonkwo to disrespect Nwoye. When Nwoye converts to Christianity, Oknokwo views Nwoye as a disgrace to the family and weak, and threatens his other sons not to follow in Nwoye’s footsteps.

So if Okonkwo thinks showing feminine characteristics is a weakness, then why is Ezinma his favorite child? Shouldn’t it be one of his sons who are the opposite of Nwoye? He is being the father he wishes he had to his sons, trying to raise them to be strong willed and hardworking just like he is, and teaching them how to plant and handle yams properly at a young age, which he never had. If he is raising his sons to be strong willed like him, shouldn’t there be one son to reflect him and his values. Therefore I don’t get why his favorite child is his daughter. Although she listens to him, she holds no characteristic to make her seem masculine. –Jaya Jugmohan