Father Son Relationships - Things Fall Apart

One of the things Achebe stresses from the beginning of his novel is the father-son relationship of Okonkwo and his father, as well as Okonkwo's relationship with his own son, Nwoye. What is interesting to me is how ashamed Okonkwo feels of his father's characteristics, and the extremes he goes to just to avoid being anything like him. He feels this strong anger and hatred towards his father, and is just as angry at Nwoye for not displaying the characteristics he believes men should exhibit. When Okonkwo finally gets the son he wants in Ikemefuna it is especially interesting that Nwoye begins to look up to him, and Ikemefuna is the perfect clansman and man in general. Still, you would think that once Okonkwo was able to have this connection with the son he always wanted he would treat him differently, but he remains restrained and reserved in voicing his appreciation for Ikemefuna, and in the end he manages to find the will to kill him!

Then, once again, Okonkwo finds a way to have a "perfect son" - except this time it is his daughter. Continually he says things that express he wishes she was a son because of how well she would behave as his heir, and he is saddened that since she is a woman she will have to leave the house for another. The one time he truly expresses his feelings for her is when she falls sick, and he goes into a craze of sorts because he doesn't want her to die. Now, of course, we hope that he would react this way for any of his children, but I think Achebe chose to have his daughter fall sick so that he could express the intense emotion Okonkwo feels for her.