Things Fall Apart - Unoka

“Unoka, the grown up, was a failure. He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat”

This blunt description establishes Unoka’s failure in providing for his family, a central shame in a society that values wealth and provision. Achebe highlights how Unoka’s poverty becomes not just a personal problem but a social stain.

“Unoka loved the good hire and the good fellowship” and “He was very good on his flute, and his happiest moments were the two or three moons after the harvest when the village musicians brought down their instruments”

Here, Achebe presents Unoka’s joy and artistry, suggesting that while society judges him a failure, he has a rich inner life. This creates a tension between societal success and personal happiness.

It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.

Unoka haunts Okonkwo’s mind. Achebe shows that Okonkwo’s greatest struggle is internal — his fear of becoming like the weak, lazy Unoka — shaping his harshness and overcompensation.

“He mourned for the clan, which he saw breaking up and falling apart, and he mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women.”

Though Unoka isn’t named, Okonkwo’s contempt for softness reflects his lifelong rejection of his father’s gentle, artistic traits. Achebe shows that Okonkwo’s idea of strength is shaped against Unoka, leading him to despise compromise or change.

Obeirika said to district commissioner - "That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself and now he will be buried like a dog..."

Okonkwo’s tragic end — dying in shame — ironically mirrors Unoka’s disgraceful death. Achebe draws a sharp parallel: despite all Okonkwo’s efforts to avoid his father’s fate, he ends up similarly dishonoured, questioning the value of his rigid rejection.