Things Fall Apart [2]

Having read through both the first and second parts of Things Fall Apart, it's seems rational to assume Okonkwo is likely a static character, particularly due to the lack of change in his personal beliefs and motivations, even after having been kept from his fatherland—a land characterized by skilled and fearsome warriors—for seven years.  His motherland is inhabited by a much more peaceful population, and even their behavior and habits fail to change his scornful perspective on such things as gentleness and mercy.  Because of his static nature, it is understandable why Okonkwo detests Christian influence in African society in addition to Nwoye's conversion to the religion, even if such matters as straying from tradition are not considered to be a part of this equation.  The omnipotent figure worshiped by adherents of the Christian religion is himself characterized by boundless love and inclusiveness, even in spite of one's sinful nature.  The gods of traditional African religion, however, are commonly depicted in this novel as merciless and unyielding, and these traits often also associated with our protagonist and perhaps explaining his preference for such deities.  Yet, these traits seem to be what push Nwoye to abandon his family in the first place, the lack of general support from his father—even in everyday endeavors—undoubtedly contributing to the culmination of Nwoye's eventual desire to escape this sort of disapproval and thus find a new purpose in life.