Ikemefuna- A boy given to Okonkwo by a neighboring village. Ikemefuna lives in the hut of Okonkwo’s first wife and quickly becomes popular with Okonkwo’s children. He develops an especially close relationship with Nwoye, Okonkwo’s oldest son, who looks up to him. Okonkwo too becomes very…
In chapter 7, when Ikemefuna was killed, Okonkwo did not think of it as a mistake but it was more along the lines of his stubbornness taking over. He thought about how he would look in front of the men rather than keep the one he cared about close to him. The fact that he does not want to let go of his father’s image of being weak and turning out to be similar to Unoka is what drove him to kill Ikemefuna. Even though Okonkwo and Alfred Jodl share these similarities, they both have their differences too. Alfred Jodl was not a man of action. He actually liked to work behind the scenes. For example, he would not physically kill people or hostages during the war. Alfred was more prone to sentencing and signing orders for a person’s death. On the contrary, Okonkwo liked taking action and was much more extreme. At the end of chapter 22, the people of Umuofia had burned down the church. Continuing onto the beginning of chapter 23, Okonkwo was described as being happy for the first time in many years. Even though his idea was more extreme, like killing the missionaries, he was satisfied for now with the destruction of the…
The passage above gives us insight into the character of Ikemefuna. The men, using a simile, agreed that he was “as sharp as razor,” implying that he was always on top of things and takes things very seriously. With that, Ikemefuna displays some of the same characteristics as Okonkwo. According to Obierika, he “hardly ever walks,” and is, “always in a hurry.” Ikemefuna, no matter what the errand was, would do it as if he was in a hurry. Obierika also says that, “he flies away before he has heard half the message,” showing that Ikemefuna was a fast paced boy. This passage gives us insight into the character of Ikemefuna by giving us the information that he was a smart boy, as well as fast paced. He would do what he was told and would do it…
Whenever Ezeudu, a regarded senior in Umuofia, educated Okonkwo that the town Oracle required the slaughtering of Okonkwo's received child Ikemefuna, he requested that Okonkwo not partake. Be that as it may, Okonkwo went with them, as well as he struck the murdering blow as Ikemefuna gotten out for his insurance. At the point when Okonkwo is later addressed by his companion, Obierika, about not taking an interest, Okonkwo wound up noticeably guarded saying, " You sound as if you question the authority and decision of the Oracle, who said he should…
Although believed solely to represent his fall to weakness, Okonkwo’s suicide has far-reaching consequences for his tribe and culture.…
During the week of peace, “He walked back to his obi to await Ojiugo’s return. And when she returned he beat her very heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace. His first two wives ran out in great alarm pleading with him that it was the sacred week. But Okonkwo was not the man to stop beating somebody half-way through, not even for fear of a goddess”(29-30). Okonkwo rampages during the week of peace and beats his wife painfully. He does not want to appear weak in front of the other men and so he beats his wives and acts impulsively. Due to his fear of being seen as weak, Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna "Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak." (61). The way he kills Ikemefuna shows that reputation is more important than a child’s life. Okonkwo's actions depict how anxiety has overtaken him. Rather than coping with his fear, he allows it to dominate him and drive his actions. Okonkwo's apprehension permits him to acquire respect from the Igbo society, simply because it persuades him to show improvement over any other…
Okonkwo believes that not following orders is a sign of weakness and that one should do whatever it takes to not display weakness. When Okonkwo is told that Ikemefuna must die to no display weakness, Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna, and this is shown when “ Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak”(61). This shows how Okonkwo would go to the extreme to not be displayed as weak. When Okonkwo confronts Obeirka about not coming to Ikemefuna’s death he says, “ you sound as if your question the authority and the decision of the Oracle, who said he should die”, to which Obeirka replied by saying “I do not, why should I? But the Oracle did not ask me to carry out this decision”(66). This shows Okonkwo confronts others…
Throughout Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo's actions take place because he is afraid of becoming "A Woman" like his father. Not only does he act masculine to appear manly to the villagers, he does it to satisfy his own conscious. Okonkwo portrays a short temper in this book. Small things such as his supper being late and remarks about his hunting anger him, and lead to his beating of his wives and his son Nwoya. His desire to appear manly often fogged his judgment. When the time came to kill Ikemefuna, the boy who called him father, he was told by his best friend that he should not take part in this because the boy looked up to him. Okonkwo knew his friend was right. When he, Ikemefuna and other leaders of the tribe went to the woods to carry out the task, Okonkwo did not want the other men to think that he was weak so he cut down his own son. Okonkwo's actions were also motivated by the fear that his whole village would become weak. After returning from his exile in Mbanta, Okonkwo realized that the Christians were taking over. Unlike the rest of his tribe he wanted to go to war with them and drive them out. Soon he realized that during his seven years in exile Umuofia had changed and no longer was feared tribe it used to be. Okonkwo continued to fight the inevitable. His actions were never able to help his village; his worst fear had come true, they had become weak.…
This relates to Things Fall Apart, in Chapter 2 because you can see that Okonkwo pressures his son, Nwoye, to be just like him. Okonkwo then finds Nwoye, to be very lazy and starts to beat him to “man him up” and make him tough like a man should be. Nwoye then becomes more attached to Ikemefuna, who shows care and comfort and becomes very distant and shows no interest in his father Okonkwo anymore.…
Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, was extremely lazy and sickly, while Okonkwo was constantly active and seen with respect throughout the tribe. Unoka had one wife and no title, which showed his lowly importance in the tribe. Unoka was weak and couldn’t support his family, which causes Okonkwo to start working at a young age, so he could take care his family. “Unoka, the grown-up, was a failure. He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat.” Okonkwo lived in constant fear of failure. Okonkwo didn’t like showing emotions, unless it was anger. He ruled his household with a heavy hand and with constant threats to his many wives. “His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children.…
The Oracle of Hills and the Caves had pronounced Ikemefuna’s death. Okonkwo did not listen though. He had to prove his manliness/ strength by showing he was not afraid of blood. He dealt the last blow thereby killing Ikemefuna. Even Obeirika admonished him for the part he played in the killing. Obeirika said that “if I were you I would have stayed at home. What you have done will not please the Earth. It is the kind of action for which the goddess wipes out whole…
First, one of Okonkwo’s major weak points was his family. He tried not to let it show, but he cared deeply for his family. For example, when Ikemefuna was introduced into Okonkwo’s life, Okonkwo immediately grew a stronger bond with Ikemefuna than he had with his real children. After raising Ikemefuna for three years, Okonkwo was told Ikemefuna must be killed. Not only did he agree to it but he took part in the brutal murder. On page 61, Achebe writes, “Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak.” Although he loved Ikemefuna like his own son, he killed Ikemefuna to avoid being thought of as weak by his fellow clansmen. Another example of Okonkwo’s weakness when it came to his family was when he followed Ekwefi, Enzima and Chielo to the shrine. He wanted to ensure his daughter and wife’s safety. On page 112, Achebe says, “He allowed what he regarded as a reasonable and manly interval to pass and then gone with his machete to the shrine.”…
Ikemefuna was a teenage boy that Okonkwo took temporary possession of after a settlement with a neighboring clan. Okonkwo and his family created a close bond with the boy, which is significant because Okonkwo rarely ever has an attachment to people. One day it is determined that one of the local gods wants the foreign boy killed. Despite urgings from his neighbor, Okonkwo went with the men to kill Ikemefuna to avoid appearing unmanly. When the village men began to attack the unsuspecting boy he ran towards Okonkwo for help, Okonkwo instead cuts down the boy, once again to avoid appearing weak. Although Okonkwo appears stoic at first, he falls into a deep depression when he returns home saying to himself, "'When did you become a shivering old woman, you, who are known in all the nine villages for your valor in war? How can a man who has killed five men in battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to their number? Okonkwo, you have become a woman indeed.'" Although Okonkwo's actions seem unforgivable, especially by western standards, he is clearly suffering a deep moral conflict as a result of those…
Since he is very high ranked in his village and is known for his strength, he believes that violence is the only way to get respect. “’He (okonkwo) was not afraid of war. He was a man of action, a man of war. Unlike his father, he could not stand the look a blood. In Umofia’s latest war he was the first to bring home a human head”’(2) Okonkwo was very well-known and important in his village. He had no fear of violence. Fearlessness in war is a highly respected quality in Umofia. When Ikemefuna was brought into Okonkwo’s family, Okonkwo was very fond of him, but that wouldn’t stop him from beating him. “’When Okonkwo heard that he (Ikemefuna) would not eat any food he came into the hut with a big stick in his hand and stood over him as he swallowed the yams, trembling. A few moments later he went being the hut and began to vomit painfully.”’(45) Okonkwo is the ruler of his household based on fear. Not only does he scare Ikemufuna into eating, but his wives are scared of being beaten. He always needs to make sure that his family knows who is in charge because he does not want to be compared to his…
This relates to Things Fall Apart because in chapter 2 you can see that Okonkwo pressures his son, Nwoye, to be just like him. Okonkwo find Nwoye to be lazy and not manly enough so he beats and nags at him constantly. Nwoye then becomes more attached to Ikemefuna who is shows care and comfort and becomes less attached to his father who is far more heavy-handed and intimidating.…