Things fall apart Chapter 14 This is what Okonkwo feels at this stage of his life:

I think Okonkwo's energy is bad which, despite his determination, ultimately leads to his failure. Okonkwo, so proud of manhood and obsessed with masculinity, is being asked to accept a mother's comfort. He is also asked by Uchendu to be a source of tenderness and comfort to his wives; Okonkwo has always associated such behavior with weakness. It is this belief, that anything gentle leads to weakness, which leads to his undoing.