Okonkwo is not all he seems; because there is more than what meets the eye. Okonkwo is the main protagonist of the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo is a cruel but kind man who has everything but has nothing, which creates a sympathetic character. A character like Okonkwo has many facets; or masks if you prefer. Then we have its many influences: Ibo culture; his father Unoka and of course his own personality. Then there is an impressive list of accomplishments. Okonkwo is a strong character, but he only thinks inwardly – ​​especially towards his father – which will be discussed in more detail in this essay. As a child, Okonkwo was neglected by his father and even later in life he did not speak to him - until, of course, his father was on his deathbed - this made him very angry . Okonkwo always considered his father Unoka to be lazy. Okonkwo worked hard to eliminate all traces of laziness from his personality. He is an extremely persistent man and a hard worker. He is given yam seeds and even when heavy rains cause the yams to rot, he does not give up and keeps trying. He internally shows emotion and is extremely temperamental. As the following quote shows, Okonkwo always prefers boys to girls and men to women. This is because they perform “male” tasks. “…If Ezinma had been a boy, I would have been happier. She has a good mind” (Achebe, 66); Okonkwo kept saying that he wished Ezinma was a "boy" and that she "had the right mind", which shows that he loves her but won't show those emotions, that choice and well others that Okonkwo does are due to cultural influences. Despite good feelings, cultural influences ultimately betrayed him. “Stunned by fear, Okonkwo took out his machete and cut him down. He was... middle of paper... a rat when he was grabbed by the tail and rushed to the ground” (Achebe, 63). He refused to eat for two days straight and only drank palm wine. This shows that he felt like he had done something horrible and knew it was wrong, but only because society and culture dictated that he kill Ikemefuna. Thus, Okonkwo arouses sympathy in the reader because he is not just a product of society. In the essence of his character, Okonkwo evokes sympathy in the reader solely because of his many cultural and personal influences. These influences make him a product of society. Thanks to this, he lost a lot but also gained a lot. Okonkwo also thinks he is doing something to help when he might actually be harming others. He has a conscience and regrets certain actions. He punished himself after killing Ikemefuna. Therefore, Okonkwo is a cruel but kind man who arouses sympathy in the reader..