In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo's fear of being seen as weak like his father, Unoka, is best described as

Okonkwo's deep-seated fear of resembling his father Unoka, whom he considered weak and unsuccessful, is the primary psychological motivation that drives virtually all his actions throughout the novel. This fear explains his harshness, his obsession with masculinity, and ultimately his tragic downfall. It is not a subplot, not solely about colonialism, and is not an instance of dramatic irony.