Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Ikemefunaââ¬â¢s Death in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay -- Things
Ikemefunaââ¬â¢s Death in Things Fall Apart Okonkwoââ¬â¢s participation in the slaying of his adopted son, Ikemefuna is a pivotal moment in Things Fall Apart. It is a moment of horror that cannot please Ani, the great earth goddess, the center of community, the ultimate judge of morality for the clan. It is a moment that changes the course of events, a moment eerily paralleled in the death of Ezeuduââ¬â¢s son. It is a moment that ultimately causes Okonkwoââ¬â¢s son, Nwoyeââ¬â¢s to abandon his ancestors and become a Christian. It is a moment when the center of community life, the need to honor blood ties and the need to respect the earth goddess, can no longer hold. It is a moment when things fall apart. "That boy calls you father. Do not bear a hand in his death," advises Ezeudu, the oldest and most respected man in the village (Achebe 57). Although he treats the boy as a son (28), Okonkwoââ¬â¢s greatest fear is to be thought effeminate. He ignores Ezeuduââ¬â¢s advice and accompanies the party that takes Ikemefuna to his death. Ikemefuna feels safe, not believing that harm will come to him while his fos...
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