Many things happened to Okonkwo's father.
Okonkwo's father Unoka was an agbala. The primary definition of agbala was woman, but it could also be used to describe a man with no titles, derisively. As Unoka had no titles, he was an agbala. Some children are mean or thoughtless.
Okonkwo is Unoka's son. Okonkwo does not respect Unoka, as Unoka is looked down upon by the villagers.
Okonkwo is more a typical man in the Igbo sense.Okonkwo is a better farmer; Unoka is lazy.Okonkwo is arrogant, whereas Unoka is meeker.Okonkwo does not ask for many favours, whereas Unoka is in debt to anyone who will lend money to him.Unoka is a drunkard, whereas Okonkwo seems to enjoy wine responsiblyOkonkwo hates not having anything to do, whereas Unoka is more able to relax.Unoka is more talented musicallyOkonkwo is a better wrestler.Okonkwo is a reknowned warrior, where Unoka is afraid of blood.Okonkwo cares more about what people think of him. He is concerned about position within the tribeOkonkwo occasionally acts as egwugwu. Unoka would never be accorded this privilege.Okonkwo takes two titles. Unoka has none.Okonkwo kills himself. Unoka dies of disease.
Unoka's failures served as a source of shame for Okonkwo, pushing him to strive for success and distance himself from his father's reputation. Okonkwo's drive to succeed was fueled by a desire to overcome his father's shortcomings and establish himself as a respected and successful member of the community. Ultimately, Unoka's failures influenced Okonkwo's fierce determination to achieve greatness and avoid the same fate as his father.
The Oracle Agbala told Unoka that his crops were failing because he was lazy and had poor work ethic. Unoka was advised to work harder and take farming more seriously in order to achieve success.
Okonkwo is ashamed of his father Unoka. He feels his father is weak, effeminate, and made fun of by other members of the tribe. Okonkwo feels a man should be strong like a warrior, but his father is shy of blood. Okonkwo feels a man should be hard working and provide for his family, but Unoka is lazy, and a very poor farmer. Okonkwo ends up inheriting nothing from his father.
Toni Unoka has written: 'Motherhood'
Unoka claimed that he had to pay his largest debts first, and that Okoye's loan to Unoka was small in comparison.
Okonkwo was ashamed of his father Unoka, whom other villagers laughed at and did not respect.
His father Unoka was a lazy debtor, a poor farmer, a coward in war, and an agbala, a man who has taken no titles. Children make fun of him for being an agbala. He is a huge debtor because of his drinking debts, and will never pay back the money. He can barely afford to support his family, and yet when he borrows money he almost immediately spends it on wine. Instead of working hard to succeed, he wastes his time playing the flute. People from the village looked down upon him, and Okonkwo felt ashamed by proxy. Okonkwo tries to rise from this inferiority complex by becoming everything his father is not. Finally, at the end of his days, Unoka is afflicted with swelling of the limbs and is carried to the Evil Forest to die instead of being given a burial.
Unoka became poor by being lazy, a drunkard, and constantly borrowing money from neighbours and friends.
Unoka found the answer to why his crops were not successful.