Okonkwo was the raging fire that burned bright with pride and fear, and burned all things that stood in his way. The Umuofia clan upheld this eternal flame of commitment. Okonkwo's life depended on a structured journey to fame. It was the roaring flame that drew people closer to him. But in reality, every single moment consumed him. When Okonkwo wanted to do something, he did it. The fear of being fragile like his father was at the origin of his impulsiveness. While his father was “lazy and improvident” (Achebe, Ch.4), Okonkwo was a “man of action, a man of war” (Achebe, Ch.2.Pg.4). If he “couldn't get the words out fast enough, he would use his fists.” (Achebe, page 4) He walked on tiptoe and was ready to “pounce on someone”. And he pounced on people quite often. (Achebe, page 4). His whole life was based on trying to be the opposite of his father and he did this by trying to have different personalities. This impetuosity surrounded him with foresight as he was completely incapable of thinking about the consequences of his actions. For example, he walked aimlessly around the compound with “pent-up anger, [and] suddenly found an outlet.” (Achebe, Pg.34) Outraged, he beat his young wife and left the children crying, only to return again - this time with a gun - and almost kill her! On another occasion, during Peace Week, his impulsive anger led him to severely beat his wife. In his anger, he forgot that it was Peace Week, but "Okonkwo was not the man to stop beating someone halfway, not even for… a goddess." (Achebe, pg.26) Note that his impulsive rage of manliness was more important than his beliefs. Okonkwo lacked the ability to think before acting and this will be l...... middle of paper ......his fear of being weak and his resistance to change made him lower the two shots, and “ the man's head lay next to his uniformed body” (Achebe, page 180). When Okonkwo killed Ikemefuna, he burned himself slightly. When Nwoye converted to Christianity, it stung a little. Gradually, Okonkwo's recklessness and manly actions backfire on himself. Now, it seemed that Umuofia was the only powerful thing that would give true meaning to Okonkwo's life. But when he realized that “Umuofia would not go to war… they had broken out in turmoil instead of action” (Achebe, p.180), he was faced with two choices: kill himself or be hanged by white men. All the things he had worked so hard on had fallen apart. Okonkwo was the roaring flame and Umuofia was the only fire left where he burned brightly. Without Umuofia, Okonkwo's flame burned out and ultimately destroyed him.