Father & Son

"Okonkwo was a very strong man and rarely felt fatigue. But his wives and children were not as strong, and so they suffered. But they dared not complain openly. Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness. At any rate, that was how it looked to his father, and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating. And so Nwoye was developing into a sad-faced youth."  (Chapter 2)

As the head of his household, Okonkwo is free to  drive his wives and children to serve him. Okonkwo is a very stern and rough man, and treats his children in a way that he thinks will make them stronger. Okonkwo hates laziness, thanks to his father, and this causes him to lash out on anyone who seems the slightest bit idle, including his own son, Nwoye. By abusing his young son, it seems that Okonkwo is turning father-hating into a new trend in his family. Okonkwo hated his own father for his laziness, and though he is trying to do right by his own son, he is in fact pushing him away. I think Chinua Achebe uses Okonkwo and Nwoye to symbolize the father and son relationship issues of today. A lot of teenage boys either do not have a father in their life or have a pathetic relationship with him; such as being abused and mistreated. Some boys have father figures who are too hard on them and want them to be perfect; this pressure can turn on the father, causing the son to hate him. Father-hating is an issue that can be stopped when the father and son just accept each other for who they are.