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Unoka's failure as a man causes Okonkwo to grow a hatred for many things his father loved. He does this to avoid becoming like Unoka.
Okonkwo helps kill Ikemefuna.
"Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down" (Achebe 61).
Okonkwo didn't want to seem weak so he ignored Ezeudu's advice and betrayed Ikemefuna. This significantly changes his family.
The bad weather causes Okonkwo's crops to fail.
"That year the harvest was sad, like a funeral" (Achebe 24).
"'Since I survived that year,' he always said, 'I shall survive anything'" (Achebe 24).
The poor harvest is an event which brought Okonkwo chills many years later. The poor harvest strengthened his will to the point where he believes nothing will be able to stop him.
Okonkwo beats his wife during the Week of Peace.
"And when she returned he beat her heavily. In his anger he had forgotten it was the Week of Peace" (Achebe 29).
This allows us to understand the extent of his anger. The Week of Peace is so sacred to them that people barely even talk about one another, and this event helps us understand that he can be rash when angry.
"But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness... It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father" (Achebe 13).
Okonkwo goes to the caves to make sure his wife and Ezinma are okay.
"It was only on his fourth trip that he had found Ekwefi, and by then he had become gravely worried" (Achebe 112).
This shows that despite his gruff and cruel appearance (he beat one of his wives during a sacred week for not bringing him some food, how can we not assume they think he's cruel?) he actually cares deeply for at least Ekwefi.
This quote shows that his father's weakness causes him to fear seeming weak. This fear later causes him to do things he regrets, such as helping kill Ikemefuna.
I chose a fire to represent this event because the crops were described as being scorched by the sun and heat.
I chose a machete to represent this event because it says he killed Ikemefuna with a machete.
I chose a fist to represent this event because it involves violence
Event 4
Okonkwo defeats Amalinze the Cat in a wrestling match.
"As a young man of 18, he had brought great honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the cat" (Achebe 3).
His victory in this wrestling match secured his fame throughout all of the villages. It brings him respect throughout most of the book.
Okonkwo commits manslaughter and must flee the clan for at least seven years.
" It was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman, and a man who committed it must flee from the land" (Achebe 124).
This event is Okonkwo's complete fall from grace. He has lost everything he had in the clan and must return to where his mother lived until he can return. This event begins the second part of the book.
Through context clues we are told that Okonkwo is one of the egwugwu.
"Okonkwo's wives, and perhaps other women as well, may have noticed that the second egwugwu had the springy step of Okonkwo... Okonkwo was not among the titled men and elders who sat behind the row of egwugwu" (Achebe 89-90).
The fact that Okonkwo is of the egwugwu shows that he has even more respect than originally told. This means that expectations for him around the village are probably a lot higher.
Okonkwo teaches Nwoye and Ikemefuna how to prepare seed-yams in order to make sure they don't become lazy.
"Sometimes Okonkwo gave them a few yams each to prepare... He would stamp out the disquieting signs of laziness which he thought he already saw in him" (Achebe 32-33).
This event helps us understand that he wants his son to become successful, showing he does care about his son but doesn't want to show it in a gentle way.
Okonkwo goes to Nwakibie for seed yams and tells him he plans to work hard because he has done so from a young age.
"'I have cleared a farm but have no yams to sow... If you give me some yam seeds I shall not fail you'" (Achebe 21).
Okonkwo has to ask for help because his father has no yam seeds to plant. This causes him to dislike Unoka even more and also helps us understand that he has a strong work ethic.
I chose a plant to represent this event because Okonkwo plans on planting yams.