Why does Okonkwo kill himself in things fall apart?
Ultimately, Okonkwo kills himself because he is unable to adapt to the new society. As a practical matter, Okonkwo knows that he will be executed by the English colonists for killing their messenger. He is a proud man and prefers to take action into his own hands as opposed to having violence inflicting upon him.
What does Okonkwo’s death symbolize?
Okonkwo’s death is symbolic of the death of a culture. So he dies, and with him dies one of the last great men of the old ways — he is the epitome of the Ibo people, and his death symbolizes the end of the Ibo as they were.
How is Okonkwo’s death ironic?
Okonkwo’s death is especially ironic when we consider one major event at the beginning of the novel: the terrible harvest. Okonkwo’s first harvest is one of the worst harvest years in clan history. ‘ It is doubly ironic, then, that it is his inflexible will that eventually leads to his downfall and suicide.
Did Okonkwo kill nwoye?
He helps Nwoye act more like a man, and Okonkwo is pleased. * Okonkwo tells them masculine stories about violence and bloodshed, but Nwoye prefers his mother’s stories of Earth and Sky. * The men strike Ikemefuna with machetes. He turns to Okonkwo for help, but Okonkwo kills him with his machete.
Why must ikemefuna be killed?
Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna because he doesn’t want to appear weak in front of his fellow clansmen. Ogbuefi Ezeudu, a village elder, informs Okonkwo that the Oracle has decreed that Ikemefuna must be killed but that Okonkwo should not be the one to kill him, since Ikemefuna regards Okonkwo as a father.
Why did Okonkwo kill the court messenger?
Okonkwo kills the District Commissioner’s messenger to rebel against the Commissioner and the missionaries. Prior to this event, the Commissioner tricked the clansmen and put them in jail for burning down his church.
Why does uchendu call Okonkwo a child?
He asks his nephew why a common name for children is Nneka, meaning “Mother is supreme” when only men can be the head of a family. Okonkwo answers that he doesn’t know. Uchendu uses Okonkwo’s ignorance to call him a child and then proceeds to answer the questions himself.
Did Ezinma die?
In Chapter 9 of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo and Ekwefi’s daughter Ezinma falls ill. Ekwefi’s sad history with her past nine children before Ezinma, all of whom died, is recounted.
What is wrong Ezinma?
Ezinma falls sick from a fever. She’s given a steam treatment with boiled herbs that her father has prepared. The narrator tells about how Ezinma has always been a sickly child. The town considers her to be an ogbanje child – one who goes through many cycles of being born, dying, and reentering her mother’s womb.
Why does Ezinma cry when Chielo calls her my daughter?
Why does Ezinma cry when Chielo calls her “my daughter”? Ezinma cries because Chielo’s voice is different and everything seems strange.