Okonkwo's Pride

When I first started reading the novel and considering the thesis of my essay, I placed Okonkwo's pride as the beast in Yeat's poem. I knew that as I kept reading, I would name the beast something else, but Okonkwo's pride always stuck out to me. Pride can be destructive. I believe it had an influence in the weakening of the Igbo culture and Oknonwo's unshakable will. For example, if you hold something too tightly, you will suffocate it. Pride forced Okonkwo to hold onto tradition. His grip on tradition became so firm that it began to cloud his mind and prevent him from thinking through his situation clearly. His society began to crumble under the weight of his standards and expectations. Pride is not necessarily bad. Pride could have united the clan, however, Okonkwo's was too intense. Pride overran Okonkwo's ability to unite, compromise and appreciate what he had.