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Originally Posted by paola
I agree it is difficult to sympathise with Okonkwo, who seems to live of the reflection of his image in others: he is hell bent on shaping people around him in such a way to enhance his standing in the clan (a whiff of the Buddenbrooks here?) and is completely self centred - exile is so bad for him because he knows not being there is what will lose him social status. On the other hand in his mother's village he found what might have made a difference to his entire life: too late know, but Uchedu's "dressing down" of Okonkwo (end of chapter 14) seems to have an effect on him.
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There's another irony there, too. While one's mother's village was supposed to be nurturing, yet the imperial power was headed by a queen, the biggest mother's village of them all, and we can see just how nurturing that was.
When we first meet Okonkwo, we're introduced to him as still living on the laurels of champion wrestler. He starts in power/brute force and ends in violence, no power left to him. He's not a good person, although he has admirable qualities; one has to admire him for having been able to transcend his origins. I thought his end was a good one, even though he was anathema as a suicide; he took the only action left to him after extracting revenge, rather than live in submission. Of course that begs the question of what happens to his wives and children and is not giving sufficient weight to his beliefs and what would happen to his spirit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bookpossum
I keep on thinking about this book, even though I'm cheering myself up with Mapp and Lucia.
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There's a lot of cheer there!
I feel rather sorry for poor Mapp, as unlikable as she is. She's so totally outmanoeuvred.