Character Analysis: Nwoye

            Nwoye is Okwonko’s oldest son. Although, Nwoye is not given affection or attention by his father, Ikemefuna takes part in the family and compensates by standing a role model to Nwoye; Nwoye frequently strived to approach equality with Ikemefuna and this was of pleasure to Okwonkwo. The narrator stated, "Okonkwo was inwardly pleased with his son's development, and he knew it was due to Ikemefuna. He wanted Nwoye to grow into a tough man capable of running his father's household when he was dead and gone to join his ancestors." Overall, however Okwonkwo considered his son as “lazy,” therefore he characterizes him as feminine and takes for granted Nwoye is just like his father, Unoka.

            Nwoye is inoffensive to his surroundings but unfortunately, he has to tolerate an environment in which only violence and cruelty takes place. Nwoye possesses the distinctiveness of the rest of the clan members by being insightful with his feelings. These traits that Nwoye owns, seen as positive to modern society were seen as irrevocably inacceptable to Okwonko. A show of Nwoye’s sensitivity is when he is filled with puzzlement at the beginning of the book when he prefers to hear feminine oriented stories such as the tortoise or the bird Eneke, rather than the masculine stories involving aggression and carnage.

            When Okwonko broke one of the Igbo society laws which was taking part in the murder of Ikemefuna, Nwoye not only lost all respect and any feeling he had towards his father but also, he broke his commitment with the Igbo society and turned to the missionaries, taking part in the Christian religion. Due to this act of impulse that took place upon Nwoye, Okwonkwo disowned him by saying "you have all see the great abomination of your brother. Now he is no longer my son or your brother. I will only have a son who is a man, who will hold his head up among my people". Nwoye had lost all respect towards his father with the murder of Ikemefuna and vise versa, Okwonkwo lost the last bit of anything he felt for his son when he found out he had turned to the missionaries, transforming into Christianity. In one of the many conversations Obierika had with Nwoye, Nwoye told him “I am one of them.” He added, “He is not my father,” referring to Okwonkwo, of course. This section demonstrates the lack of affection and respect Nwoye has towards his father. Although, he once was startled by the sound of his father, now he was rebelling against him.

           Okwonko’s ideology remains strict throughout the story line; as he has no doubts upon the laws of the Igbo society, the superstitions and the traditions that ensue, characters such as Nwoye and Obierika do question this mythical tradition.