Seeing that none of his clansmen support him in his violent action, Okonkwo walks away and hangs himself. In a flash, Okonkwo strikes down the messenger with his machete.
#ACHEBE THINGS FALL APART FULL#
Full of hate, Okonkwo confronts the leader, who says that the white man commands the meeting to stop. The morning after their release, the clan leaders speak of war before they are interrupted by the arrival of court messengers. The clan leaders, including Okonkwo, suffer insults and beatings before they are released once the village pays the fine. Reverend Smith reports this transgression, and the District Commissioner tricks the clan's leaders into meeting with him before handcuffing them. When Enoch, a fanatical convert, rips the mask off of one of the clan's masked egwugwu during a ceremony, the clan retaliates by burning down the church. Reverend Smith is uncompromising, encouraging acts among the converted clan members that provoke the rest of the clan.
Brown leaves the country due to health reasons, and Reverend Smith replaces him. However, soon after Okonkwo's return, Mr. Brown, a white missionary who is popular for his patience and understanding approach, has built a school and hospital, and many clan members are enrolling their children in the school so that they can one day become clerks or teachers. When Okonkwo finally returns to Umuofia, the white men have changed his clan as well. Nwoye, however, is captivated by the hymn he hears on the first day, and soon joins the Christians to get away from his father, who is outraged. When they finally arrive in Mbanta though, the clan is fascinated but finds their religion ridiculous. While he works in Mbanta, the white men begin to appear among neighboring clans, causing stories to spread about their power and destruction. He plans for the day he can return to his rightful place in Umuofia. His mother's kinsmen treat them kindly, but Okonkwo is extremely discouraged by the circumstances. Because the crime is a “female,” or accidental, crime, they may return in seven years.ĭuring their time in exile, Okonkwo and his family work hard to start a new farm in Okonkwo's motherland, Mbanta. Having killed a fellow clansman, Okonkwo has no choice but to flee the clan with his family.
During the burial, Okonkwo's gun explodes, killing Ezeudu's 16-year-old son. Soon, Ezeudu passes away, and his funeral celebration draws the entire clan. Ikemefuna soon starts to call Okonkwo “father.”Īfter three years, when the oldest man of the tribe, Ezeudu, informs Okonkwo that Ikemefuna must be killed, he advises him not to participate in the killing, since “the boy calls you father.” Okonkwo ignores this advice, fearing that others will find him weak or effeminate, and he proceeds to strike the killing blow when they take Ikemefuna out to be killed the next day. Okonkwo approves of his influence on Nwoye and grows fond of Ikemefuna himself. While living with Okonkwo's family, Ikemefuna becomes very close to Nwoye, sharing folktales and encouraging him to enjoy masculine tasks. One day, the clan settles an argument with a neighboring village by demanding the sacrifice of a virgin and a 15-year-old boy named Ikemefuna, who lives with Okonkwo's family for the next three years. Okonkwo is particularly worried about his eldest son, Nwoye, in whom he sees signs of laziness reminiscent of Unoka. He treats his family with a heavy hand, believing that the only emotion worth showing is anger.
Okonkwo's wealth and status within the tribe grow, and he becomes one of the greatest men in the land, with three wives and a large stock of yams. Okonkwo values strength and aggression, traits he believes are masculine, and his worst fear is to be thought of as feminine or weak, like his father, Unoka. As a young man, Okonkwo becomes one of the greatest wrestlers in the clan.
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