Friday, September 18, 2009
Nyowe.
One of the most upsetting things for me in HoD was Nwoye and his pathetic relationship with his father. It was so sad to see a father with such little love and compassion towards his son. The only thing Okonkwo cared about was structure, being strong, and being his own idea of success. I don't believe that Nwoye was any less of a man then his father, I don't believe that he was lazy or anything else. I think that Okonwo's standards for his son were incredibly high, and he was made to jump through all of these hoops just for a chance of some recognition from his father which he very rarely got. Even the glimmer of hope that he had from the kid from the other village was killed in an instant. Poor Nwoye eventually had to find the love and the nourishment that he needed from another family which he found in the white man's church. Okonkwo thought that this was a disgrace, but in all actuality it was his own lack and selfishness that drove his son away from him.
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Interesting observation - I wanted to hear more! I know you have it in you...
ReplyDeleteHey Amy! Ok, so I am totally on the same page! But Okankwo wasn't just horrible to his son--he also thought his daughters were useless, and even wished on at least 2 occassions that his daughter had been born a boy. He's not happy with the son he has, he has only a little favor on his one daughter. . . what is up with this man as a father?
ReplyDeleteMy only conclusion that I can come to is that the traditions concerning loyalty tribal values etc. are so engrained in their culture that it is the only thing that really matters, and even the inter-family relationships fall short.
I also had a hard time with this, it was sad. Again, I think we can relate it back to Achebe trying to prove a point - that black people aren't different from white people, even though they may have different cultures and expectations.
ReplyDeleteI work with kids and their parents a lot and what I've noticed is that, in general, boys are treated more roughly than girls. It's kind of a given - boys have to toughen up, shouldn't cry when they get hurt, they like to wrestle around with their friends, siblings, and/or their dad. Girls are seen as being more sensitive, reserved, and they are treated more gentle than boys. I don't think Okonkwo necessarily treated Ezinma well, but he liked her and went to the cave to protect her. Would he have done that for Nwoye? I would venture to say probably not, because he would see it as an opportunity for Nwoye to toughen up.
Long story short: good job, and I agree. :)