“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe is the story of a man named Okonkwo who is successful and physically strong. However, Okonkwo is emotionally unavailable and fears being seen as weak and others comparing him to his father. The climax of the book is when Okonkwo does something considered immoral by killing a boy he had taken in and raised as his own for three years, because he did not want to be seen as weak. Okonkwo is governed by an obsession: hating everything his father loved. Okonkwo's birthright was fear, the fear of becoming like his father. His whole life was dominated by fear, fear of failure and weakness. The irony of the story is that Okonkwo's life ends much like his father's. Both father and son died in a manner considered gruesome, with Unoka dying of swelling and Okonkwo committing suicide. Okonkwo struggles with doing everything differently from his father, resulting in Okonkwo causing his family to suffer, becoming an arrogant person, and ending his life in a way that is considered an abomination to the tribe. Okonkwo was ashamed of his father for never taking any title or having wealth during his life. Okonkwo's father, Unoka, was idle and carefree, but he was also poetic and sensitive. Unoka never thought about the future, he just thought about living in the moment. Music is what brought Unoka to life, he loved playing his flute and when he did, his face would radiate blessing and peace. Unoka was a lover of beauty and an admirer of joy, but he knew well the sorrow and contempt of his clan members (Scheub, 2003.) Even as a child, Okonkwo resented his father for being lazy and that he was borrowing money. middle of paper he looks down on those who have not yet achieved the same success. He was so afraid of failure and weakness that it destroyed his life. He ended his life because he no longer had the will to live in a tribe that he found weak and feminine and committed suicide because for him everything had collapsed. Works Cited Cobham R. (2002). Modern Critical Interpretations: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Retrieved from http://www.humanities.wisc.edu/programs/great-texts/things-fall-apart/center-resources.html Iyasere S. (1998). Understanding Things Fall Apart: Selected Essays and Reviews. Retrieved from http://www.humanities.wisc.edu/programs/great-texts/things-fall-apart/center-resources.htmlScheub H. (2003). Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: A Casebook. Retrieved from http://www.humanities.wisc.edu/programs/great-texts/things-fall-apart/center-resources.html