Things Fall Apart Okonkwo's Life

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A loss of a child has a very negative impact on a family. Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, tells a story of the Igbo people in fictional, pre-colonial Nigeria.The protagonist Okonkwo is a respected warrior in the village of Umuofia, and the book narrates how his life plays out in a series of dramatic events in the village. Profound events impacts Okonkwo's life, one such event is when Ikemefuna, a boy, is given from his homeland Mbaino as an offering for a crime committed in Umuofia. Okonkwo was given the burden of taking care of Ikemefuna which was a considerable responsibility. After a certain period of time Ikemefuna spent with Okonkwo Okonkwo was told that the Oracle had decreed that Ikemefuna must be killed.Okonkwo is told to take no part in his death by Ezeudu and Obierika, a friend and an elder who were highly respected in the village. Okonkwo ignores the requests and participates in the killing of Ikemefuna anyways. Okonkwo’s decision to …show more content…
He had become a son to Okonkwo. Furthermore,Okonkwo participating in the death of Ikemefuna is the equivalence of helping killing his own son,which has a negative impact on his family. Ezeudu says to Okonkwo, “ That boy calls you father.”(49)This shows that Ikemefuna treats Okonkwo as he was his father. A father helping killing a son would negatively impacted the family because a father should take care of his son and not be a part of his death. A family would be even more deeply saddened and disconnected if the man who took care of the boy helped kill him. Achebe states, “Nwoye overheard it and bursted into tears.” This shows the negativity being shown in the family of Ikemefuna being taken away. Okonkwo’s decision to take part in the killing of Ikemefuna would cause much sadness in the killing. If Okonkwo hadn’t partook, there would have been less negativity in the family and they would “grieve”but Okonkwo partook in the

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