make his grandfather's mistakes, while actuating his son to make his father's mistakes: a two generation pattern of dysfunction that can continue indefinitely.

Unoka exerts a powerful and entirely negative influence on his son's life. Okonkwo sets out to be everything that his father was not: rich, strong, fierce, respected, a great warrior, and a pillar of the tribe. He even takes care to avoid Unoka's positive qualities: his musical virtuosity and his skill as a storyteller. He despises everything about his father, but particularly his cowardice.

Ironically, however, Okonkwo's life is ruled by fear, including the fear of resembling his father. He even dies by his own hand while Unoka, despite a grisly and painful death, at least avoided suicide. In this, Okonkwo probably resembles his father more than he would like to admit. Indeed, of the two of them, Okonkwo is probably the more influenced by fear.

One of Unoka's most obvious areas of negative influence is evident in Okonkwo's conduct as a father. Nwoye is more like Unoka than Okonkwo, who does not reflect that he, a fierce warrior, was produced by Unoka's laissez-faire style of parenting—so the opposite style, which he himself adopts, is more likely to produce a second Unoka than a second Okonkwo.

In addition to the information in the previous posts, Unoka was known for borrowing money from everyone and not paying them back. One of the traits that Unoka had was that he was very persuasive. He was able to repeatedly borrow money from the same people because he kept convincing them he would reimburse them. One day when Okoye came to ask for his money, Unoka laughs and points to his wall where he marks all of the debts he owes. He explains to Okoye that he plans to pay off his biggest debts first. Of course, Unoka never repays his debts and dies in debt and disgrace. Okonkwo determines from a young age that he will work hard and have plenty of money for his family. He first grows yams as a sharecropper until he earns enough money to produce his own yams. Eventually, he is able to give his own yam seeds to other sharecroppers.

As was mentioned in the previous post, Okonkwo was driven to become successful out of fear that he would die without attaining any titles, just as Unoka died. Unoka was a lazy man who never paid people back for their financial assistance. He also enjoyed playing music and was not a competitive individual. Unoka was not physically intimidating, nor was he respected throughout his tribe. In Okonkwo's mind, Unoka was associated with being unsuccessful and feminine. Okonkwo grew up wanting to become everything his father was not. Okonkwo was afraid to become like Unoka and willed himself to succeed in life. In Okonkwo's effort to disassociate himself from his father, he became a callous, competitive individual. However, Okonkwo earned titles and respect throughout his tribe until he made several devastating life decisions that led to his downfall.

In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo's father Unoka has a tremendous impact on the trajectory of Okonkwo's life. Unoka never obtains titles or any level of success within the clan. Indeed, Unoka's laziness and inability to provide for his family leaves Okonkwo determined to surpass his father's embarrassing legacy. Achebe acknowledges the influence that Unoka has on driving Okonkwo toward the brutal masculinity that marks his reputation:

"Even as a little boy he had resented his father's failure and weakness.... And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion-- to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was gentleness and another was idleness" (13).

Okonkwo becomes the exact opposite of his father. Unoka was afraid of war and violence, so Okonkwo becomes the fiercest warrior in Umuofia. Okonkwo confines himself to a narrow definition of brutal masculinity, and this stems directly from his strained relationship with his father:

"When Unoka died he had taken no title at all and he was heavily in debt. Any wonder then that his son Okonkwo was so ashamed of him? Fortunately, among these people a man was judged according to his worth and not according to the worth of his father" (8).

Thus, despite his marginal status in the novel, Unoka has a major influence on Okonkwo.

Despite the fact that Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, has a relatively minor role in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, he has a considerable impact on the novel. Obviously, Unoka deeply affects his son Okonkwo, as Okonkwo devotes his entire life to being the stark opposite of his father. Unoka was a lazy individual who amassed a tremendous amount of debt and put his entire family into a disadvantaged, marginalized position. Thus, Okonkwo throws himself into attaining titles and achieving success:

“With a father like Unoka, Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men had.... But in spite of these disadvantages, he had begun even in his father's lifetime to lay the foundations of a prosperous future. It was slow and painful. But he threw himself into it like one possessed. And indeed he was possessed by the fear of his father's contemptible life and shameful death” (18).

Unoka also indirectly affects Okonkwo’s son Nwoye. Okonkwo perceives his son’s disposition as similar to his ill-fated father, and he strives to beat his son to instill his own manly qualities upon Nwoye. He is especially hard on Nwoye because he can see Unoka’s qualities in him. Indeed, when Nwoye rebukes his father and joins the Christian church, Okonkwo compares Nwoye to Unoka:

“But Nwoye resembled his grandfather, Unoka, who was Okonkwo's father. He pushed the thought out of his mind. How could he have begotten a woman for a son? At Nwoye's age Okonkwo had already become famous throughout Umuofia for his wrestling and his fearlessness” (153).

These are the two characters Unoka affects the most.

The text describes Unoka as lazy and improvident and says that he lacked the ability to plan ahead. He was a prodigal and spent whatever money he (seldom) had on buying wine and having parties. He was always in debt and owed money to every one of his neighbors.

Physically, he was a tall, thin man with a slight stoop. We learn that he presented an unhealthy image and always looked sorrowful, except, of course, when he was drinking or playing his flute. Unoka was a skilled musician and loved playing in a band. He was at his happiest when he and his group were invited to play music in other villages, usually on market days.

Clearly, Unoka loved the good things in life and enjoyed nature. As a young boy he would sing at length to the kite when it returned after its sojourn in another clime. Because he loved all of this so much, he neglected what was important and this made him a failure as an adult. He was poor and could not provide for his family. He was laughed at because he was a loafer and nobody was prepared to lend him money for he never paid his debts. However, he had the charisma to always persuade someone to lend him money, which added to his burden. 

We also read that Unoka was a coward and that he hated the sight of blood. He would always avoid the topic of war. When he died he had taken no title and was heavily in debt. His family obviously had to carry the brunt of the shame that he had brought.

Okonkwo, because of who and what his father had been, lived a life dominated by fear--the fear to fail and of being weak. This fear was deeper and closer to him than any other he may have had. He feared mostly the possibility that he might be found wanting, that it might be said that he resembled his father. It was this fear that drove Okonkwo's entire being. He learnt to hate everything that his father represented, such as idleness and gentleness. 

Okonkwo remembered the hurtful remarks others had made of his father by referring to him as an agbala--a woman--and so he had to constantly prove that he was better than any man. This is why he gained so much respect as a wrestler: he would never give up and would give everything to defeat an opponent. His fame, in this regard, spread far and wide. He was a respected warrior and was always called upon to intervene in disputes between villages. This was part of the reason why he was also asked to take care of the boy, Ikemefuna, who had been given to his village in recompense for a crime that Ikemefuna's village had committed.

His own homestead was an epitome of hard work and prosperity. Okonkwo made sure that he worked long hours to ensure great harvests from his crops. He could maintain three wives as a result and provide for his family. His property was well developed and maintained and catered for every need of his and his extended family of eight children.

As far as discipline went, Okonkwo expected the best from his family. He imposed authoritarian rule on them and was sanctioned, for example, when he beat his youngest wife during the Week of Peace for neglecting her chores. He was especially harsh with his son, Nwoye, who he feared displayed too many of his own father's despicable traits. It was this that turned his eldest son into a sad-looking youth (ironically, much like his grandfather had been).

Okonkwo's harsh and uncompromising attitude was reflected in his regard for other men who he deemed weak. He was seen as arrogant in this regard for he could not stand seeing ineptitude in other men. It is also his fear of seeming weak that drove him to kill Ikemefuna, the boy in his care, when it was decided that he should be executed. This act widened the gap between himself and Nwoye, who came to love Ikemefuna as a brother and guide. Nwoye later relinquished his culture and turned to Christianity.

It was his great fear that also made Okonkwo take a stand against the colonialists and their religion and resulted in him killing one of their messengers. Ultimately, Okonkwo, in a supreme act of defiance, performed what was deemed in his culture as taboo. He took his own life rather than submit to the punishment of the imperialists.

Unoka is Okonkwo's father, and he serves as the guiding force for Okonkwo's life, in that Okonkwo is determined to never resemble him. Unoka possesses everything that Okonkwo hates-gentleness, lack of ambition, and sensitivity to people and nature. Unoka is also a gifted musician who loves fellowship, the change of the seasons, and children. Although Unoka is tall, his stooped posture bears the weight of the tribe's scorn. While the the tribe rejects him as well, it is more due to his perceived laziness and inability to carry through, than his sensitive nature. When he borrows money, he does not pay it back. He does not plant crops, leaving Okonkwo to take care of the entire family. These traits influence Okonkwo to entirely abandon his feminine side and live the other extreme, as a brutal, abusive tyrant.

Unoka is truly happy only when making music on his flute, or when drinking palm wine. This could be a result of his status within the tribe-his isolation leading him to drink. Tribal customs hold no interest for him, since he hates war and is sickened by the sight of blood. thus he carries no souvenirs of his battles: he has had none. He dies in disgrace, fittingly by a disease that denies him burial, and forces his body to be left in the Evil Forest. This ultimate shame drives Okonkwo to overcompensate for his father's weaknesses.

Unoka is Okonkwo's father, who is a notorious alcoholic and debtor. Unlike Okonkwo, Unoka is depicted as feminine and lazy. He enjoys spending his time indulging in palm wine and playing the flute. Unoka never attains any titles and amasses a significant amount of debts owed to his neighbors. Although Unoka is a lazy debtor, he is a charismatic, peaceful man. Unoka is not a controversial, resolute individual and refuses to fight in battle. Unfortunately, Unoka is inflicted with swelling of the abdomen and limbs, which is considered an abomination to the earth goddess and left to die in the Evil Forest.

Okonkwo feared growing up to become like Unoka and was determined from a young age to be a success. Unlike his lazy, unaccomplished father, Okonkwo develops into a strong, masculine, successful man. Okonkwo is an accomplished wrestler and revered throughout Umuofia for his performance in battle. Okonkwo is also a successful farmer and even earns two titles.

Unoka is Okonkwo's father, the cause of Okonkwo's fear and problems. Unoka represents everything that Okonkwo's tribe, the Ibo, hate—gentleness, lack of ambition, and sensitivity to people and nature. He would rather make music than grow crops. As a result, his family is often hungry, and he borrows constantly from fellow tribesmen. He dies in disgrace, owing everyone and holding no titles. Okonkwo is determined not to be like is father, and as a result, he commits several acts, including killing Ikemefuna, which bring severe consequences to his own family and himself.