Thoughts:

Nwoye

• reminds me of Caleb in East of Eden when Caleb was trying so hard to be like his father, but his father never saw it.
• Okonkwo wants Nwoye to be a certain type of person, and will not settle until he is that way. He cannot see Nwoye's true intentions (i.e. to make his father proud of him)

Ikemefuna

• the "Golden Boy"
• Okonkwo loves having him around because he is an older boy who is helping Nwoye become more of a man
• he has totally assimilated into the household, barely even remembering his own family
• I feel that as a character he is very important because I feel that his death is the catalyst for Okonkwo's fall
• why did Okonkwo have a part in his death?
• his death symbolizes Okonkwo destroying the very thing he strived for most
• symbolizes the destruction of what Okonkwo's well being and lifestyle by his fear

Ezinma

• is the fact that she is ogbanje attributed to the circumstance of her gender, or is that a bit of a stretch?
• i feel that she will die, only because Okonkwo loves her so much more than he should
• she is the perfect child, if only she were a boy
• she will die because of something that Okonkwo will/has do/done.

Writing exercise:

"As the man who had cleared his throat drew up and raised his matchet, Okonkwo looked away. He heard the blow. The pot fell and broke in the sand. He heard Ikemefuna cry, 'My father, they have killed me!' as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his matchet and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak." (page 57)

When I first read this passage, for some reason, it was not apparent to me that Okonkwo had delivered the killing blow. As I read the passage out to type, I realized that in his fear, Ikemefuna ran toward Okonkwo. For me, this changes the whole connotation of the excerpt. My impressions of the first reading were that Okonkwo had acted out of fear, and that he had run forward to see if Ikemefuna could be saved, and then in order to not look weak, drew his matchet and killed him. I think this passage is significant because it demonstrates that Okonkwo's fear is so powerful, that it overrides his paternal instincts. His "son" calls out for him and runs towards him for help, and yet Okonkwo cuts him down. Because he is so afraid of being thought weak. I think no matter how attached we are to Ikemefuna and all of the positivity he brought into Okonkwo's household, the real significance of his death is not that we have lost a central character, but that it signals the turning point of the novel.

It is also interesting how, in his fear, Okonkwo completely disregards the warning of an elder. On the top of page 54, Ogbuefi Ezeudu says, "'That boy calls you father. Do not bear a hand in his death.'" And yet Okonkwo delivers the fatal blow. Because of this, I feel that the "fall" of Okonkwo is very near.