How does okonkwo react to ikemefunas death

Likewise, Okonkwo challenged the gods by violating the Peace of Ani. Significance of the Chi Okonkwo at various times blames his chi for bad luck, but at other times he claims personal credit for his good luck. When Okonkwo commits suicide at the end of Things Fall Apart, his bad chi could be faulted. He feels guilty for killing him. He visits Obierika. Do you think that ikemefuna suspects that he is going to be killed? Why or why not? Nwoye left as he had become even more scared of his own father.

The reason for this fear is that Okonkwo killed Ikemefuna, who he saw as a son, so what was to stop him from possibly killing Nwoye as well. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Essay What caused Okonkwo to kill himself? Ben Davis May 8, He tells Okonkwo that the Oracle has decreed that Ikemefuna must be killed as part of the retribution for the woman killed three years before in Mbaino. He tells Okonkwo to take no part in the killing since the boy calls him "father.

Later, Okonkwo tells Ikemefuna that he is going home to Mbaino, but the boy does not believe him. When Nwoye hears that his friend is leaving, he bursts into tears and is beaten by his father.

Many men of Umuofia accompany Ikemefuna to the outskirts of the village and into the forest. With Okonkwo walking near him, Ikemefuna loses his fear and thinks about his family in Mbaino.

Suddenly, Okonkwo drops to the rear of the group and Ikemefuna is afraid again. As the boy's back is turned, one of the men strikes the first blow with his machete.

Ikemefuna cries out to Okonkwo, "My father, they have killed me! Afraid to appear weak, Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna with his machete. When Nwoye learns that Ikemefuna is dead, something changes within him. He recalls the feeling that he experienced one day when he heard a baby crying in the forest — a tragic reminder to him of the custom of leaving twins in the forest to die.

With the killing of Ikemefuna, Achebe creates a devastating scene that evokes compassion for the young man and foreshadows the fall of Okonkwo, again in the tradition of the tragic hero. Along the way, the author sets up several scenes that juxtapose with the death scene:.

Okonkwo visits his friend Obierika, hoping to escape thoughts of Ikemefuna. He praises Obierika's son Maduka for his victory in the wrestling match and complains about his own son's wrestling skills and mentally likens him to his own weak father, Unoka. To counter these thoughts with a manly deed of his own, Okonkwo asks his friend why he didn't join the other men in the sacrifice of Ikemefuna.

Obierika replies that he "had something better to do. The act, he says, will upset the Earth, and the earth goddess will get her revenge. A man interrupts them to relay the news of the death of an elder of a neighboring village, a former Umuofia leader. His wife, also later on the same day, complicates the announcement of the elder's death and funeral. The mourners recalled that they "had one mind" and that he could do nothing without telling her. Okonkwo and Obierika disapprove of this lack of manly quality.

They also discuss with regret the loss of prestige of the ozo title. Feeling renewed by the conversation, Okonkwo goes home and returns later to take part in a discussion of the bride-price with the suitor of Obierika's daughter. After the preliminaries, the bride-price is decided using a ritual. Her price is negotiated between the bride's family and the groom's relatives by passing back and forth quantities of sticks that represent numbers.

The men eat and drink for the rest of the evening while ridiculing the customs of the neighboring villages compared to their own.