When did Okonkwo kill the messenger?
When Okonkwo kills the court messenger, his fellow clansmen almost back away from him in fear; in fact, his violent action is questioned. When he realizes that no one supports him, Okonkwo finally knows that he can’t save his village and its traditions no matter how fiercely he tries.
How does Okonkwo kill the court messenger?
In the middle of the speech, five court messengers approach the crowd. Their leader orders the meeting to end. No sooner have the words left the messenger’s mouth than Okonkwo kills him with two strokes of his machete. Understanding that his clan will not go to war, Okonkwo wipes his machete free of blood and departs.
Who does Okonkwo accidentally kill?
Okonkwo’s gun accidentally goes off and kills Ezeudu’s sixteen-year-old son. Killing a clansman is a crime against the earth goddess, so Okonkwo must atone by taking his family into exile for seven years.
Who is Okonkwo’s favorite wife?
Ekwefi
Who was Okonkwo’s lazy son?
Nwoye
Why is Ezinma so special to Okonkwo?
Ezinma is the only child of Okonkwo’s second wife, Ekwefi, and she is also Okonkwo’s favorite daughter. Okonkwo feels drawn to Ezinma for her precocious intelligence and her strong will.
What did Okonkwo often say about Ezinma?
Who was Okonkwo’s favorite child, and what did he often say about the child? His favorite child was Ezinma, daughter of Ekwefi (second wife). He often said it was a shame she wasn’t a boy. He beat his second wife, Ekwefi, then fired his gun at her.
Why did nwoye convert to Christianity?
Nwoye converts to Christianity largely to reject the excessive standard of masculinity his father wants him up to uphold. Nwoye is not at all like his father, and Okonkwo constantly punishes him for being different. Stifled by his father’s expectations, Nwoye runs away and joins the European church.
What does Ezinma symbolize?
Ezinma is the main bridge that connects the reader to Okonkwos compassion throughout the story and by doing so she becomes a symbol of hope. Chi: A personal god, who was connected to an individual’s good fortunes, or lack of.
How does Okonkwo show his love for Ezinma?
Okonkwo and Ekwefi treat Ezinma as their equal. She is favored and gets away with more things than the other children. Okonkwo and Ekwefi treat Ezinma like she is their equal rather than their child. They permit her privileges that other family and tribal children are not granted.
Who decided that ikemefuna should be killed?
As Okonkwo, Nwoye, and Ikemefuna are happily eating the rare food, Ogbuefi Ezeudu, the oldest man of the village, calls on Okonkwo to speak to him privately. 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.
Who feels a snapping inside upon learning that ikemefuna has been killed?
As soon as his father walked in, that night, Nwoye knew that Ikemefuna had been killed, and something seemed to give way inside him, like the snapping of a tightened bow.
Why does Okonkwo not like nwoye?
Okonkwo is frustrated by Nwoye because he reminds him so much of his own father, Unoka. Okonkwo is disappointed that Nwoye resembles Unoka in that he’s sensitive and often lazy. Okonkwo views these as signs of femininity which he believes is one of the most disgraceful traits an Ibo man can display.
Why does Okonkwo beat his second wife and then try to shoot her?
Lesson Summary In the fifth chapter of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo once again shows how he is different from his father Unoka; he beats and then nearly shoots his wife because of his own insecurity and anxiousness about not working during the Feast of the New Yam.
What does he do to his second wife after she cuts a few leaves from the banana tree?
Okonkwo finds an outlet for his anger, accusing his second wife of killing the banana tree—even though she only cut a few leaves off to wrap food. He beats her, leaving her and her daughter weeping.
Did Okonkwo beat his wives?
Ikemefuna soon begins to call Okonkwo “father.” During the Week of Peace, Okonkwo notices that his youngest wife, Ojiugo, has left her hut to have her hair braided without having cooked dinner. He beats her for her negligence, shamefully breaking the peace of the sacred week in a transgression known as nso-ani.