The point I would like to establish is that fact that being born into poverty does not necessarily mean that you will be less fortunate for the rest of your life. I will support this statement by disproving the proverb which goes to say “like father like son” where in “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe we see the struggle of Okonkwo to surpass his early age poverty stricken conditions. Unlike his father, Okonkwo was very determined to be successful; he was a man of action, which at times got him into trouble because of his arrogance. Okonkwo’s father Unoka, was often described as very lazy and laidback. He was someone who owed large amounts of money to almost everyone in his neighbor yet he was talented enough with words and managed to borrow even more. They were poor, since he had no steady occupation. He didn’t have any land to farm like almost every other person in the neighborhood. Growing up and experiencing this, one will expect Okonkwo to be like his dad, but, he was exactly the opposite. And his experiences definitely motivated him to be stronger and brave unlike his dad. He’s especially showed this when he criticizes his sons for being lazy despite their age. He says “I will not have a son who cannot hold up his head in the gathering of the clan. I would sooner strangle him with my own hands” (Achebe 33).   Here he is instilling in his children the qualities that they need to be strong and successful like he is. He wants to give them what he himself never got from his father.