To be a man in the Ibo tribe one must have at least three attributes: Strength, Wisdom and Wealth. A great example of a man in the Ibo tribe is Okonkwo.

    “How can a man who has killed five men in battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to their number?”(Page 65). A main feature of manliness is strength, usually portrayed in warfare, as in how many people you kill. Okonkwo has killed five men in battle at a very young age which is viewed very manly. Okonkwo has added a boy he has taken care of and took a liking in to that number of men. Okonkwo was not asked to contribute in the death of Ikemfuna, but in fear of being a woman he gave the boy the final blow of death. Okonkwo’s weak spot of strength is his feat of being unmanly.

    “Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had”(Page 16). In the Ibo tribe, to make it to the top, you must not only be strong enough to do so, but also be wise enough. Okonkwo was in the state of poverty because his father died with no titles and a whole bunch of debts, completely humiliating Okonkwo. Okonkwo was wise enough to survive in his condition. He lacked some wisdom because he judged every one by success, in addition to that he basically beat his whole family.

    “He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of Yams, and had just married his third wife”(page 8). In the Ibo tribe wealth was thought of how many barns you had and how good they were and how many wives you had and how good of a job were you doing in supporting them. Being wealthy was a characteristic of manliness because wealthiness contributed to the earning of titles and becoming more and more famous around the area, depending on how wealthy you were.

    Strength, Wealth and Wisdom will remain the key factors to being a man for years to come, not only for the Ibo tribe.

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