Opinion of Okonkwo

I have mixed feelings about Okonkwo.  I don't hate him, but I don't like him lots either.  The reason I don't like him is because I hate how he treats his family.  I know that's how everyone does it around where he lives, but he could be different.  He could handle situations differently than everyone else.  I think he is too harsh on his family and needs to cut them a bit of slack sometimes.  I feel bad that Okonkwo had to have Unoka as a father.  I would hate to have a man like that as my father.  Okonkwo didn't deserve such a thing, and he might have turned out to be a different kind of person if he didn't have Unoka as a dad.  He would be less stressful probably if he didn't have to pay off his father's debts.  Okonkwo has been doing that for so long and has had that weight on his shoulders for so long.  Maybe if he was free of paying debts all the time and making money for his own family, he would be a little more jovial!  But, the reason I like Okonkwo is because he has good intentions.  He tries hard in life.  For example planting the yams, he wants them to grow so he is going to try hard until that happens!  Even though he did hit his child for being lazy he has a good reason for doing so.  He doesn't want his son to end up like his father, so he is going to do anything possible to help him not be so.