things fall apart

Unoka was Okonkwo's father. He died when Okonkwo was very young, and he was a failure. Shame for Unoka drives Okonkwo to work tirelessly. Unoka died in debt and humiliation; the memory of him gives Okonkwo a terrible fear of failure. Thus, Unoka was the reason Okonkwo worked as har as he did and was so concerned with his reputation. He did not want to be like his father or compared to his father in anyway.