Chapter Three Summary

Okonkwo did not inherit anything from his father, except ignominy. He had to build his own barn and wealth. His father Unoka once consulted the village oracle, agbala, to find out why he always had a miserable harvest—a story told widely in Umuofia.

At the time, the priestess was Chika. Unoka told her that he made all the right sacrifices before his plantations and harvests and yet, was unsuccessful. He was interrupted by Chika, who informed him that he had not offended his gods or ancestors. He was unsuccessful because of his physical weakness and hesitation toward hard labor. He was told to “go home and work like a man.”

Unoka’s ill fate followed him to his death too. He died of a swelling of the limbs—considered an abomination in the village. If one was afflicted with this disease, they were taken to the forest and left there to die—never buried or given the respect due to ancestors. When Unoka was carried away, he had taken his flute with him.

Okonkwo, always a witness to his father’s failures and sad death, began to build the foundations of his own success at an early age. He did not want the same fate as his father. He began by working for one of the wealthiest men in the village, Nwakibie.

By practicing share-cropping, Okonkwo began to build his own wealth. This was a painful, slow, and very toiling process but he had no choice—having received nothing from his father. He had to support his father and his family too, since they had nothing to eat. This meant that Okonkwo’s wealth grew far slower than it should have, given his hard labors.

The year that Okonkwo borrowed eight hundred seed-yams from Nwakibie, was a year of drought and floods. Even though he worked hard and intelligently, there was no fruition in the fields. It was the worst year of his life and it came, most unfortunately, in the year that he began to build a life for himself. Looking back, it gave him tremendous strength and hope that since he was able to survive that, he could survive anything.

At the time, Unoka, now an ailing, dying man, had tried to inspire his son with a positive attitude and words of wisdom which only served to annoy an impatient Okonkwo.

Chapter Three Analysis

This chapter is devoted to an understanding of Okonkwo and his keen desire for success. His ambition is driven, primarily, by his father Unoka’s failures. Since he has nothing to inherit and build his wealth on, Okonkwo borrows from the richest man in the village—a big risk to take.

His diligence and tenacity have helped Okonkwo overcome the most difficult situations and misfortune. He is plagued by floods, drought, and poverty and yet, by his mid-twenties, he is a successful and well-respected man.

Okonkwo is radically different from his father Unoka who is not a man of the world. The latter only cares about creativity—in music and nature; even when he is banished to the forest for an infectious disease, he takes just his flute. Music is enough to sustain him, even in his last days. Okonkwo’s happiness, on the other hand, comes from validation from the society he lives in.