Nwoye (pronounced Nuh-woah-yeh), the eldest son of Okonkwo, is the inevitable result of his father’s machinations and values. He is constantly under pressure to be like his father and fill the shoes of his success in the tribe, as is the typical role of the eldest son. However, Okonkwo’s link between masculinity and violence negatively impacts Nwoye as he views Okonkwo’s beating of him as the result of said masculinity and therefore moves to emulate values as far away from that as he can. This is partially alleviated by Ikemefuna, who bridges the gap between masculinity and violence and shows him there can be a middle ground. This relaxes Okonkwo’s pressure and Nwoye begins to emulate more of Okonkwo’s behaviour. However, with Ikemefuna’s death, there is no chance for Nwoye to become the man his father so harshly commands of him.
