Ikemfuna Quotes

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a historical fiction novel set in the 1890s. The protagonist, Okonkwo, has to deal with the impact of trying to save his family while also protecting his tribe against British colonizers. Okonkwo goes through a lot of struggles and hardships trying to find himself in this new, colonized community. Although Okonkwo does not succeed, he displayed moral courage by fighting for his tribe, following his values, and protecting his family.
Okonkwo fights for his tribe with every action he made. Okonkwo’s fear of being like his father heavily benefited his tribe. Throughout the novel, his hatred for his father is displayed often by statements like, “Even as a little boy he had resented his father’s failure and weakness….” (Achebe 13). If Okonkwo was not so driven from the start, his tribe would have lacked one

Okonkwo was always a good man. Even though Okonkwo beats his wife, she is still immediately flooded with a feeling of safety as he arrives at Chielo’s cave. Although Okonkwo has to break a boundary or two, he is still an immensely trustworthy and honorable character. The sadness Okonkwo felt after killing Ikemfuna is a direct relation to his values. After the death of Ikemfuna, Okonkwo did not eat for two nights nor sleep for weeks. Okonkwo strongly values the people of his community, which Ikemfuna had become a part of, and so even though his death was inevitably coming Okoknwo still felt it inside of him to care for his newfound family member. In the end, Okonkwo’s silence displayed power. On the walk back to their village there was silence, “Their manly voices were not heard on the village paths as they went to visit their friends and loves.” (196). Although silence can be seen as weak, the way Okonkwo held silence at the end shows how he values power and does not want the white men to forget that. Through his hard moments, Okonkwo always kept hold of the ideals and people he valued