The Father, The Son and The Lizard

Pride and self-respect are traits that go hand in hand. Even though Okonkwo fought hard to gain these characteristics on a daily basis to be at peace with himself, he found it quite hard. Okonkwo’s craving of being the opposite of his father helps us see the disgrace he brought to the family. I could personally not imagine having any self-respect if I do not fully respect my parents. However, Okonkwo is not fond of his father for he was lazy and unsuccessful. The author tells us how even though his father, Unoka, left earth with huge debts to be sorted; he also left his son contacts and many friends who would be useful to Okonkwo in the future. Nevertheless, Unoka’s young was not proud of him and felt somewhat ashamed of him. It seems like Okonkwo walked through life attempting to prove himself and demonstrate that he was a better person than his father. On the other hand, Unoka was proud of his son and hoped he would rise to be the man he never was. And so he did. Okonkwo started out with nothing in his possession for he had inherited nothing from his father. Okonkwo contacted some of his father’s friend and in spite of his father’s failure; it was thanks to his father that Okonkwo could plant his first seed yams that were given to him by Unoka’s friends. Though don’t get me wrong, Unoka was not a role model of a man which lead Okonkwo to grow as a sturdy man, mentally and physically; one of his father’s friends even commented about Okonkwo’s character while he was asking his father’s friend for seed yams : “The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did.” (pg. 21)