Okonkwo can easily be seen as an embodiment of Igbo culture. He adheres religiously to the Igbo customs and beliefs, so much so that it is his own downfall, bringing his description of 'Tragic Hero'. Okonkwo's complete belief and faith in the Igbo is created purposefully by Achebe, in order to better help him impact the audience and have them question their beliefs. This comes back to the context of the publication of the novel. Published in 1958, two years before the independence of Nigeria and during the Nigerian 'Verbal Revolution', the character of Okonkwo is used to portray the values of the old, before British rule. The values held by Okonkwo are not modern and the majority will claim that they are backwards and ignorant. The values held by Okonkwo are not written to be respected, instead Achebe writes them to demonstrate the value of British rule, to tell the people of Nigeria that independence should not mean reverting to the Nigeria before British rule.
Okonkwo may not be written as the 'perfect' Igbo man, but he is written as extremely successful in the Igbo culture, that he has thrived in Igbo culture. By writing Okonkwo as the prime example of how a Igbo man should be, Achebe is able to embody the entire Igbo culture in his character. By doing so he can much better explore the relationship between the Igbo and the British. For example, once Okonkwo kills himself, Achebe uses this to demonstrate how the British have completely removed the Igbo's influence on Nigeria. Okonkwo's death can be symbolic of the cultural death of the Igbo people.
Despite this, despite the ignorant and hated values that Okonkwo holds, the audience is still sad at his eventual death. This comes because Achebe has written him holding only the best intentions. By having the audience connect and relate with Okonkwo, Achebe is better able to portray the injustice and oppression felt by the Igbo from the British. By doing so, like I've said before, it's much easier for Achebe to connect with the audience much more than he would've been able to had he written a villain. By putting the Igbo into the hero slot and putting the British into the villain slot, Achebe is able to mirror the events of his Nigeria, of his verbal revolution.
He's written as slightly ignorant to deviating from his values, never once realizing that deviation from the Igbo may be acceptable. This is again written specifically for the supporters of the British rule, to talk them into stepping back from their one single look on Nigeria, to deviate from their 'single story' of Nigeria without British rule.
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