Fear

One of Okonkwo’s main fears is of becoming a failure like his father. A probable reason for this is that when Okonkwo first took over the responsibility of providing for his family he had few resources at his disposal. When Okonkwo’s father died he left very little for his family due to his laziness in life, it is probable that one of the reasons that he was so afraid of failing is that he didn’t want his family to struggle as he did when he took on the responsibility of caring for others. Okonkwo seems to want to be able to pass on more to his sons than just possessions though he also tries to instill a good work ethic in his sons, sometimes by force. What other reasons could there be for Okonkwo’s fierce determination to not become his father?