Things Fall Apart - Angle 2

 Ex-O-Level literature students gather here.

Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart unfolded his goat skin and sat on it along ‘the Autistic spectrum’.

He had personal traits that resembled neurodivergent characteristics, traits such as hyperactivity, obsession with routine, extreme focus, poor emotional regulation, and low empathy and it helped to explain both his success and his downfall.

His intense focus, physical energy, tolerance for repetition, and training were put to good use in wrestling, where he successfully defeated Amalinze the Cat. And these same traits caused success in the military, where training, discipline, and courage were needed, and also in farming, where the daily routine of waking up early and working hard all day caused him to rise from poverty to wealth. Okonkwo's poor emotional intelligence and rigid thinking damaged his relationships.

He viewed his eldest son Nwoye as weak and lazy because even at 12 years old, he expected him to display aggressive masculinity.

Periods of structured rest frustrated him as he could not relax due to hyperactivity. During the week of peace between the harvest and the new planting season, Okonkwo beat his youngest wife Ojuigo for neglecting to cook his meal, despite other wives having food that he could have eaten.

Later on, during the feast of the new year festival, he beats the second wife Ekwefi for cutting banana leaves. He choose domestic violence over peace due to his hatred of boredom.

When he finally decided to go out and hunt, his wife mocked his hunting skills for his dyspraxia meant he had poor fine motor control and was a poor shot. He had never killed anything substantial throughout his years of hunting. Ekwefi’s ridicule of his gun, which has never killed game hunters his pride. He rushed in a fit of rage to shoot at her. Unfortunately, his dyspraxia made him miss his target.

Overall, Okonkwo thrived on solitary, repetitive, physically demanding roles. But failed as a communal and emotional participant in society. He didn’t care for non verbal cues.

His strengths became weaknesses, contributing to his tragic downfall.

Signed

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