The Power of Feeling: Emotional Repression Led to the Downfall of Okonkwo (Essay Sample)

During the 1880’s and early 1900’s many white settlers set out to colonize Africa.  With the Europeans' advanced technology thousands of Africans lost their lives and societies crumbled under the new ideals of the European invaders.  Not only did societies collapse but citizens repressed their feelings and emotions during the conflict.  In Chinua Achebe's book, “Things Fall Apart”, Achabe develops a character that demonstrates many of the negative effects of repressing emotions.  Okonkwo is an African man who is born to a family with debt.  Okonkwo's father, Unoka, is considered a failure by the rest of the tribe due to not following the cultural ideals of the clan.  Okonkwo decides to avoid becoming a failure like his father by becoming the opposite of him.  Okonkwo forms a strong sense of masculinity that is driven by repressing his emotions.  This causes Okonkwo to spiral down a self-created whirlpool of failure, the one thing he wishes to avoid.  Okonkwo's thoughts and actions reveal his strong emotional repression which causes his health to take a rapid decline, feel separated from society, and make impulsive decisions that haven't been thought out. 

Okonkwo's thoughts and actions reveal his strong emotional repression.  After killing Ikemefuna, Okonkwo decides to repress all his emotions, for fear of looking weak.  His health also takes a rapid decline.  He distances himself mentally from his friends and family.  Okonkwo is said to not “taste any food for two days after the death of Ikemefuna.”  He tries to avoid thinking about Ikemefuna, but the harder Okonkwo tries “the more he thought about [Ikemefuna].”  Okonkwo is reported pacing “about his compound” but being “so weak that his legs could hardly carry him.” (Achebe 61).  Okonkwo’s decline in health and his inability to successfully repress his emotions shows the guilt that Okonkwo feels for murdering his son.  Okonkwo being unable to taste food for two days after his son's death is a direct result of him keeping his emotions internal.  His health takes a quick decline Because Okonkwo Keeps his emotions internal and can't stop thinking about Ikemefuna . Okonkwo attempts to walk around his compound, but finds himself almost too weak to stand.  This is ironic because Okonkwo suppresses emotions so he can be “strong” but in doing so he has had the exact opposite effect causing Okonkwo to be incredibly weak.  Later in the novel Okonkwo continues to show repressed emotion therefore causing a rapid decline in his decision making ability and inclusion in society.  When Okonkwo is exiled from his homeland and sent to live in his motherland he represses his true feelings.  He avoids talking to his friends and family about what he is feeling and going through.  Instead Okonkwo attempts to busy himself working and preparing for his return to his homeland.   This causes Okonkwo to feel isolated and alone.  When Okonkwo is received by his kinsman he doesn’t immediately share what he is feeling.  Instead “It was not until the following day”(125) that Okonkwo shares his tale of why he was exiled.  Okonkwo decided to work hard to start anew, but “Work no longer had for him the pleasure it used to have” and when he wasn't working “he sat in a silent half-sleep.”(127).  Okonkwo displays a sense of loneliness after being exiled by his clan.  Once arriving at his motherland he doesn't immediately tell his family about his exile.  This shows that he decides to repress his emotions so his family doesn't feel pity on him.  He attempts to distract himself by working, but work no longer has the same pleasure for him.  Okonkwo enters a mental state that causes him to isolate himself from his family.  Okonkwo's actions after being exiled clearly display a negative effect of emotional repression.  During the end of the book Okonkwo's actions and feelings show that his repressed emotions cause him to make irrational and impulsive decisions.In the end of the novel Okonkwo and the other clan leaders are deciding whether to start a war with the Europeans or not.  Okonkwo decides on his own that he will fight no matter what the clan leaders think.  When the Europeans come to stop the meeting, Okonkwo kills a messenger hoping that all his clanmates will help him fight.  When no one does, Okonkwo walks home and kills himself by the next day.  Okonkwo decides that he “shall fight alone if I choose”(186) even if the clan leaders decide not to go to war.  The white men's messengers arrive ordering the meeting to stop.  Okonkwo “drew his machete” killing the messenger and leaving his head “beside his uniformed body.”(189).  Okonkwo realizes that “Umuofia would not go to war” so Okonkwo “wiped his machete on the sand and went away.”(189).  Later the district commissioner arrives at “the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was dangling, and they stopped dead.”(191).  Okonkwo's decision making skills shows the instability of his character when repressing his emotions.  First Okonkwo decides that he will fight alone because of all the built up anger against the colonists that he has not expressed.  Okonkwo decides to release his repressed anger by killing the messenger and hoping to start a war.  When none of the clansmen join him to kill the other messengers the feeling of betrayal and humiliation overwhelms him.  However, instead of displaying any emotion Okonkwo promptly wipes his machete on the ground and goes home.  Later, Okonkwo is found at home hanging from a tree.  We can infer that Okonkwo was unable to repress the feeling of humiliation therefore causing him to kill himself.  

Throughout the story “Things Fall Apart” Achebe shows many negative impacts of emotional repression through the actions and thoughts of Okonkwo.  His health takes a rapid decline when he kills his son, when he is exiled from his homeland he separates himself mentally from his friends and family, and when he is fearful of the new settlers he causes harm and death to himself and others.  Many people display emotional repression throughout their lives.  “Things Fall Apart” teaches us that it is important to avoid repressing your emotions because it can be devastating.  The results of repressing one's emotions may not be as extreme as Okonkwo’s, but it is still just as important to open up to trusted friends and family.