“Like father, like daughter” can be said to be true about Okonkwo and Ezinma’s relationship. One just has to consider both personalities to realize that their personalities are very similar. Like her father, Ezinma displays confidence, brazenness that is unlike other girls and also has a temper similar to that of her father. She is bolder than the typical Umuofia woman. Although Okonkwo time and time again adheres strongly, and sometimes harshly, to traditional norms, he is pleased by the way his daughter acts. This is due to the fact that his daughter displays masculine qualities such as confidence and boldness, which to him, are the very essence of a man. He wishes she had been born a man as this would have resulted in an heir that could follow closely in his footsteps unlike his son Nwoye.
On the other hand, his son Nwoye seems to be the complete opposite. Unlike a traditional man, he is timid and does not conform to his father’s traditional values. Nwoye is especially empathetic, even to the point of being more so than a woman. For this, his father constantly criticizes and demeans him. Unlike Ezinma who is a man save for her physical makeup, Nwoye is the complete opposite, and in Okonkwo’s eyes, a failure. The sad reality about Nwoye and Okonkwo’s relationship is their failure to see eye to eye, or at the very least, to try and see where the other is coming from. They are always at loggerheads, failing to understand each other and this breakdown in communication, trust and understanding, results in Nwoye getting back at his father for killing his adoptive brother by becoming a Christian, something he knew would hurt his father.
In conclusion, Okonkwo loves his daughter Ezinma and feels she epitomizes everything he would have loved in a son. Nwoye, on the other hand, does not and is rather viewed as very feminine. This is a problem because Okonkwo believes men should be bold and fearless. As such, he gravitates towards Ezinma and alienates himself from Nwoye.
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