"female" virtues

Okonkwo ignores or refuses to acknowledge the
"female" virtues in himself and other by being mean to his wives and
children. When he lived in Umuofia he was viewed as one of the leaders of the
village and was very strong. At that point, he thought that it would mean that
he would not be viewed as a strong man anymore, but as a weak man. So, instead
of showing any emotion, Okonkwo would hurt his wives and children by beating
them. Towards the end of part one, he started to show his emotions towards
Ezinma and Ekwefi. This was a little bit after he talked to his friend about
how the man that had died, loved his wife very much even though he was one of
the strongest men in the village. He was a great warrior, but when it came to
his wife, he showed a lot of love for her. Once Okonkwo and his family were
banned from Umuofia for seven years and he had to go to his motherland of
Mbanta, he started to show even more feelings. Uchendu had given him a talk
about how Okonkwo and others should never hurt or take for granted a mother. A
mother is there to comfort you and care for you when you are sad or ill. A
mother is also helpful with others. The female virtues of a woman are based on
emotions, which, Okonkwo has a hard time with showing his emotions. He still is
stuck on the idea of that a man is looking out mainly for himself only. So,
when Uchendu talks to Okonkwo about a mother, Okonkwo doesn’t quite take to
heart what Uchendu has said. Although Okonkwo has been showing his feelings
more, he still is holding on to the thought of not being like his father. And
since Okonkwo is trying not to be like his father, he cannot really show his
emotions. This is creating problems in his life, because if he cannot show love
for his family, then he might one day lose them and not have anything.