Everybody in the world is affected by the environment that they are placed in. The environment can affect a person in small ways and large ways. Wearing a jacket in cold weather is a smaller effect of the environment. In African writer Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the main character Okonkwo is affected by his environment. He is constantly afraid that people will think he is like his father, who was weak and lazy before he died. This is a much larger effect, because it completely changes Okonkwo's personality. Because of his weak father, Okonkwo is pressured to act mean and heartless for fear of being thought weak. .
Okonkwo's father, Unoka, is a lazy and weak man. He has no title in the village of Umofia, and his only real skill is playing the flute, which is almost worthless. The skill that is really necessary in Umofia is farming, and Unoka is terrible at this. He is lazy and does not work as hard as other men. Unoka is also deeply in debt, and he owes more than he can ever make in the rest of his life. Although he is Oknonkwo's father, these characteristics rubbed Okonkwo the wrong way, and he condemned him at an early age. Even though Unoka is lazy and weak, he is well liked throughout the village, and Okonkwo is one of the only villagers that does not like him. Many years later, Okonkwo has become a successful yam .
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farmer, and Unoka is getting old. Unoka dies of a stomach swelling, and has to be thrown into the woods due to a tribal tradition. This causes Okonkwo to be even more hateful to Unoka - he represents everything that Okonkwo wants to avoid. In short, Unoka's weakness causes Okonkwo to be hateful to him and avoid being like him.
This hatred towards Unoka causes Okonkwo to be very afraid of seeming weak. Although this might seem like it is a good thing, it goes too far with Okonkwo. Being strong and having good work ethic are two things most men look up to, but Okonkwo is so afraid of seeming weak, he becomes cruel and shows no emotions.
