Arrow of God Summary and Analysis of Chapters 1-3
Summary
At the beginning of Arrow of God, we find Ezeulu sitting in his compound, watching for the
new moon. When he sees it he beats his ogene to alert the villages, after which he roasts one of
the twelve ceremonial yams set aside at last year’s harvest and prepares to eat it. He contemplates
the real scope of his power as Chief Priest—which makes him the mouthpiece of the divinity Ulu,
in charge of watching and heralding the festival days Ulu chooses and performing important
rituals—and dares himself to consider what would happen if he decided not to announce a festival
in its time.
With his children Edogo, Obiageli, and Nwafo in his hut, Ezeulu takes his ofo and says a prayer
for the people of Umuaro. Yet he feels bitterly toward his people as he does so, thinking about the
discord between the six villages that his enemies blame on him for speaking “the truth before the
white man.”
At the onset of the novel, Achebe depicts the day-to-day life in Ezeulu’s compound and the
dynamics and tensions between him and the different members of his family. His wives and
son Obika arrive home from collecting water at a stream. Ezeulu fumes at his wife, Matefi, for
always bringing him dinner so late, while she in turn fumes about how he finds fault with her but
overlooks how Ugoye, his younger wife, skimps on food and uses her money to buy jewelry.
Ezeulu confides in Nwafo, his youngest and favorite son, who shows an inclination toward Igbo
religion. We learn that in the past, Obika had a vision of Eru, a god of wealth. We also learn that
he is very handsome and resembles Ezeulu physically, and that he is prone to drunkenness and fits
of anger, such as when he nearly killed Ibe, his half-sister’s husband, for beating her.
In Chapter 2, we learn about how Umuaro was founded when the elders of the six villages that
comprise it—Umuachala, Umunneora, Umuagu, Umuezeani, Umuogwuwu and Umuisiuzo—
hired powerful medicine men to install a unifying deity, Ulu, to protect them from the violent raids
of the soldiers of Abam, with one Chef Priest—Ezeulu—for all. The text then recounts the story of
a divisive episode that took place five years before the events of our story—a land dispute with
neighboring Okperi—that led to the present ill-will between Umuaro and Ezeulu, who felt their
claims were illegitimate and testified accordingly to the white man.
Ezeulu counseled against the war, maintaining that his father told him that Okperi initially lent the
land to Umuaro, giving them no rightful claim to it, and that a father’s word to his own son must
be taken as the truth. Yet Umuaro’s elders, especially Nwaka, upstaged him. Nwaka questioned
the veracity of Ezeulu’s father’s story and rallied the elders against him. A diplomatic group was
sent to Okperi carrying a piece of clay symbolizing peace and a palm frond indicating war, but the
mission went awry when one of its members, Akukalia, was insulted by an elder from Okperi and
preceded to break his ikenga, leading the man to murder him.
Led by Nwaka, some wanted to wage war to avenge the killing, but Ezeulu stated such a war
would be morally unjustifiable, not only because the villages had no legitimate claim on the land,
but also because Akukala committed a grave offense. Meanwhile, Nwaka publically insinuated
that Ezeulu was exceeding his role as a religious servant by seeking the power of a king, and
threatened him by reminding the men of a village that simply destroyed a deity who failed them.
Two factions emerged, one siding with Nwaka and one with Ezeulu. In the end, the former won
and a war ensued in which a few men on each side were killed. The British District Officer
quickly stepped in, however, destroying the guns of Umuaro and ruling in favor of Okperi—
thanks, in part, to Ezeulu’s testimony.
In Chapter 3, Captain Winterbottom gazes out from his residence on Government Hill in Okperi.
It is the onset of the rainy season and the veteran colonial officer feels the telltale signs of an
illness coming on.
Tony Clarke, the new Assistant District Officer, visits Winterbottom for dinner. Together the men
discuss a (fictional) book entitled The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower
Niger by George Allen Clarke, which the senior officer lent Clarke. Drinking “Old Coasters” (a
mixed drink of rum and ginger ale), Clarke critiques the author for being dogmatic and smug,
saying he doesn’t allow that there might be anything of value in the local native cultures.
Winterbottom dismisses Clarke as naïve, asserting the inherent savagery of the natives. He
critiques the British policy of “indirect rule.” Changing the subject, Clarke asks Winterbottom
about a collection of guns on display, leading the latter to tell the story of the land dispute between
Okperi and Umuaro. Winterbottom describes the noble-looking Chief Priest who, when
questioned, told the truth about the land against the interests of his own people, thus gaining
esteem in Winterbottom’s eyes.
Arrow of God Summary and Analysis of Chapters 4-6
Summary
In Chapter 4 we learn about Idemili, the personal deity of Ummuneora and Ezidemili, and his
priest, as well as learning about the time that Nwaka of Ummuneora, friend of Ezidemili,
challenged Ulu during a ceremonial performance.
Ezeulu is interrupted in his compound by his wives and children shouting. They are screaming at
a small wooden box belonging to Oduche that has begun to move on its own, and wonder what
dark Christian magic is making the box shake. Finally, Ezeulu takes a spear and pries open the
lock to discover a royal python—the sacred animal of Idemili—trapped inside. Everyone gathered
is shocked by this sacrilege, and news of it spreads throughout the villages and to Ezidemili
himself.
Providing us with the backstory that led up to the event, the narrator recalls when Ezeulu selected
Oduche to attend the missionary school after promising the British he would send one of his sons
to the church. Upon doing so he explains to his son that, while he doesn’t like the idea, he feels his
spirit telling him “that those who do not befriend the white man today will be saying had we
known tomorrow.”
Oduche excels and is deeply impressed by the white man’s knowledge. He wins the favoritism
of John Goodcountry by supporting him in an argument he has with Moses Unachukwu
over whether or not sacred Igbo animals such as the python and the iguana should be killed. In the
course of the argument, Unachukwu taunts Oduche, saying he wouldn’t dare kill a python, which
leads the young man to resolve to do just that. Upon capturing the snake, however, Oduche
becomes afraid, and settles for leaving it locked in the box.
Edogo, who is carving a new mask for the upcoming Festival of the Pumpkin Leaves in the spirithouse in the Nkwo market place, overhears what happened at his compound and rushes home to
confront his father. Ezeulu chides him for not defending the family against the slanderous news,
and Edogo responds by blaming Ezeulu for sending Oduche to worship the white man’s god.
The next day, Ezeulu is visited by a messenger of Ezidemili who asks what the Chief Priest plans
on doing to redress the abomination that transpired in his home. Ezeulu sends him away curtly.
Winterbottom receives a reprimand from the Lieutenant-Governor for not furthering indirect rule
by appointing Africans to the role of Paramount Chief. He recalls a warrant chief he selected who
became corrupt and power-drunk and extorted from his own people, concluding that there is a
unique cruelty “which Africa alone produced.” He decides that, rather than some “mission-
educated smart alec,” he will appoint as warrant officer that “impressive-looking fetish priest who
alone of all the witnesses who came before him in the Okperi versus Umuaro land case spoke the
truth.”
Oduche returns to the compound in Chapter 6 and Ezeulu considers that the crime isn’t so grave,
since his son only entrapped the snake without killing it. His daughter Akueke’s husband and his
relatives come to ask if they can take her back to their home after. Ezeulu is secretly happy to be
relieved of the extra burden of caring for his daughter, who left her new home after her husband
beat her. He concedes after Ibe, the husband, promises not to hurt her again.
Ezeulu tells his messengers to announce that the Festival of Pumpkin Leaves, during which the
Chief absolves the sins of the six villages before the planting of the crops, will take place the
following Nkwo (one of the four Igbo weekdays). The “GOME GOME GOME” of the
crier’s ogene rings throughout Umuaro. Ugoye’s family hears it in their hut, where the children
tell stories and quarrel while their mother cooks.
Arrow of God Summary and Analysis of Chapters 7-9
Summary
The Festival of Pumpkin Leaves begins. The villages gather as they always have, momentarily
setting aside the tension between Umunneora and Umuachala. Ugoye goes with the special
intention of asking for Oduche’s absolution.
Dressed in ceremonial garb, Ezeulu performs a ritual that involves reenacting the First Coming
of Ulu. The women of Umuaro hurl their pumpkin leaves at his feet as a symbol of their sins and
the sins of their household.
In a budgetary pinch, John Wright requests unpaid labor from Umuaro to supplement that of
African workers from Okperi who are building his road from Okperi to Umuaro. It is decided that
two age groups of young Umuaroan men will alternate working for him. Obika and his ne’er-dowell friend Oduefu get into a bet that results in them getting drunk on powerful palm wine and
arriving late for work on the road one day. Wright is in a foul mood and whips Obika, who runs at
him in anger and subsequently receives twelve lashes.
The young men meet to discuss their response to the offense. They contemplate refusing to work,
but, drawing on the brutalities he witnessed against the Abame, Moses Unachukwa (who serves as
their translator) warns that there is no escaping the white man. Heeding him, the men decide they
must deal cautiously with the white man (“the white man is like hot soup, and we must take him
slowly from the edges of the bowl…” 86). They decide that Unachukwu should ask Wright why
they must work for free while the gang from Okperi receives a wage.
Ezeulu recovers from the festival ceremony. When he hears of what happened in Okpeiri, his first
reaction is to chide Obika and to reassert the dangers of palm wine.
While carving a mask Edogo thinks about his father's unequal affections for his sons. He
wonders whether Ezeulu chose Oduche to send to the church as a means of proactively
disqualifying him from becoming his successor as Chief Priest, and contemplates his father’s
favoritism of Nwafo. He claims that neither he nor Obika have a desire to become Chief Priest,
but realizes that Ulu could still choose him, or Oduche, despite Ezeulu’s possible meddling.
Ezeulu’s friend and contemporary, Ogbuefi Akuebue, visits the Chief Priest. They discuss the
matter of Obika’s whipping, and debate whether or not he struck the first blow. Edogo remarks
that his father did not wait to hear Obika’s side of the story before drawing conclusions. Ezeulu
laments the state of affairs in which his own sons think they are wiser than their father, but
Akuebue tells his friend he thinks he is too harsh on Obika.
Arrow of God Summary and Analysis of Chapters 1012
Summary
Clarke dines with Winterbottom. He reminisces about a past dinner with Wright, who portrayed
Winterbottom as a pitiable figure (wife stolen by another man during the War, always passed over
for promotion) and feels sorry for his superior. During their dinner, Winterbottom speaks of the
corrupt appointed African leader, and tells Clarke of his plans to name Ezeulu the Paramount
Chief of Umuaro. Winterbottom also discusses a report Clarke wrote, which covered up Wright’s
tendency to sleep with native women. In an attempt to ingratiate himself to his superior with his
analysis, Clarke critiques what he sees as a confused and inconsistent British colonial policy,
questioning its overreliance on “facts,” and praising the more direct French rule. However, his
attempts to impress his superior fall flat: Winterbottom maintains the importance of facts, and
identifies the problem as the appointment of inexperienced officers over veterans like himself.
Ezeulu visits Akuebue, who is preparing to plant his yams. They hear gunshots in the distance.
Akuebue tells Ezeulu that his neighbor, Ogbuefi Amalu, is very ill and his relatives are using
gunshots to scare away the spirits. Ezeulu stops by the compound of the sick man, who is near
death and being treated by a medicine man.
Obika’s bride Okuata and her family come for the wedding ceremony. Like him, she is very tall
and beautiful. They perform a sacrifice at the crossroads ritual, but the medicine man takes the
chicken Obika offers home with him to eat rather than burying it alongside the other offerings as
the ritual demands. Obika wonders whether this is wrong but decides not to question him.
Obika is pleased and relieved to finds his new wife a virgin. The next day, the children go to the
stream with the new bride. Ugoye sweeps Ezeulu’s compound because Nwafo, whose job it
usually is, has also gone to the stream. Ezeulu feels that his house is descending into chaos around
him.
Akuebue visits Ezeulu and expresses concern that people are talking about Oduche and Ezeulu’s
failure to respond to the python incident. We learn that Edogo visited Akuebue to ask him to
speak with his father about the matter, expressing his suspicion that Ezeulu sent Oduche to the
church intentionally to disqualify him from becoming his successor.
On the way to the stream, Oduche overhears his sister Ojiugo telling the new bride about the
python incident. Angry, he hits his sister, leading to fighting at Ezeulu’s compound when Matefi,
Ojiugo’s mother, gets mad at Ugoye, Oduche’s mother. Peeved by the strife, Ezeulu
tells Akueke his belief that Ezidemili is only pushing for redress for the python incident because
he is jealous of Ezeulu’s power. Akueke tells Ezeulu that, in his judgment to send his son to the
church, Ezeulu is completely alone.
Winterbottom’s chief messenger, John Nwodika from Ummunneora, and another man come
from Okperi to take Ezeulu back with them. Ezeulu says that if Winterbottom wants to talk with
him he can visit him at his compound. Akuebue believes such a defiant response to be risky and
tries to reason with him, but Ezeulu holds firm and sends the messengers away.
Arrow of God Summary and Analysis of Chapters 1315
Summary
Ezeulu calls a meeting of the important men of Umuaro to tell them he’s been summoned to
Okperi. Nwaka teases him, claiming that he wanted to be the white man’s friend six years ago,
when he testified against his own people in the Okperi land dispute. Ezeulu retorts he has called
the gathering not to ask for advice but to tell them what he plans to do, since his mind is already
made up.
Winterbottom is planning a visit to headquarters, but is feeling unwell. He puts Clarke in charge in
his absence. He is incensed by Ezeulu’s failure to comply with his messengers, and puts out a
warrant for his arrest. He instructs Clarke to leave the Chief Priest locked up until he returns from
his trip, but before he can leave he falls into a feverish delirium and is taken to the hospital.
Two policemen travel to Umachala to Ezeulu’s compound only to discover that he set off that
morning for Okperi with his son. They make a show of intimidating the people of the village and
the household, taking food and palm wine and staying the night before they return.
Meanwhile, rumor spreads around Government Hill and Okperi that the Igbo Chef Priest
vindictively caused Winterbottom’s illness. Ezeulu and Obika arrive in Okperi, where Clarke
sends them to the guardroom for the night. John Nwodika and his wife bring food, but Ezeulu
refuses to eat. The policemen who went to Umuaro to arrest Ezeulu are afraid the Chief Priest will
curse them as well, and, on the advice of a medicine man, they leave an elaborate sacrifice along
the highway.
Ezeulu has a nightmare vision in which the people of Umuaro are accusing his grandfather of
being unable to defeat the white man. They call for the burning of Ulu, just as the people of Anita
once dispensed with their god, Ogba (an incident that is brought up as a cautionary tale for Ezeulu
a number of times throughout the text). Ezeulu eventually becomes his grandfather and is jostled
and spit at by his people. He awakes shaken and vows to take revenge on his people, who, he
reasserts, are the real problem—not the white man.
Clarke and Wade find the policemen’s sacrifice on the way to the hospital to visit Winterbottom,
and Wade desecrates it by removing the English florin they have used. Clarke is shocked that
anyone would disrespect such an elaborate ritual arrangement.
Obika returns to Umuaro and reports on the situation in Okperi. Akuebue is concerned to learn
that Nodikwa, from the antagonistic Umunneora, is feeding Ezeulu, and insists on going to Okperi
himself. He sets out with Ugoye, who brings food, as well as Edogo and others. Akuebue also
worries that Ezeulu might orchestrate a situation harmful to himself out of pure spite for his
people.
The caravan arrives. Nodikwa tells the story of how he came to work for the white man,
describing how his opportunistic friend told him he would be foolish to miss out on the race for
the white man’s money. He describes his plans to establish a tobacco trading post, and also details
his shame at the people of Umuaro, who are failing to take advantage of the opportunities colonial
presence offers.
After roughly two months, Clarke finally summons Ezeulu. He confuses and insults him by
repeatedly asking him if he is indeed Ezeulu (an interrogative formulation very strange to the Igbo
man), before telling him they intend to make him Paramount Chief. To Clarke’s shock and offense,
Ezeulu is irreverent and says he is no one’s chief but Ulu’s. Clarke is incensed and sends Ezeulu
back to detention.
Arrow of God Summary and Analysis of Chapters 1619
Summary
Clarke finally releases Ezeulu, since, while offended by the Chief Priest’s ungrateful insolence, he
is troubled by the prospect of keeping him detained when he has committed no real offense.
When Ezeulu returns home, he is greeted and tended to by members of his compound. He
receives many visitors over the days subsequent to his return, and, though he largely remains
silent and detached, the attention makes him contemplate whether or not he really wants to punish
the entirety of his people.
Yet as Ezeulu contemplates whether or not to move forward with his retribution when the time for
the New Yam feast comes, Ulu “barks in his ear” not to hinder his quarrel with Idemili “who
seeks to destroy me that his Python may again come to power” (191). Ezeulu realizes he is but an
“arrow of god.” He marvels at the extent to which everything that happened leading to the tension
among the villages and his own absence—Oduche’s actions, his detention by the white man—may
have merely been part of Ulu’s plans.
The time finally arrives for Ezeulu to put the plans he’s been mulling over for months into action.
The titled men of the villages come to see Ezeulu to ask him why he has yet to call the day of the
New Yam Feast despite the fact that it’s almost time for the harvest. Ezeulu replies that it can’t yet
be time for the harvest since he still has left two of the twelve sacred yams that he eats at every
new moon. Realizing he could not eat the yams because of his two-month detention in Okperi and
blindsided the predicament, they argue that Ulu can’t want their destruction, and offer that if he
eats the yams they will assume responsibility and suffer the consequences. Ezeulu remains firm,
though he agrees to consult Ulu. When he goes into the sacred compound he hears no reply from
the god. He reports this to the men.
News of Ezeulu’s refusal to announce the date of the New Yam Feast spreads. The weeks draw on
with the full-grown yams still buried under the soil that is hardening in as the dry season advances.
Village members resort to secretly digging them up, or, if they have means, to buying yams from
neighboring villages. Ezeulu’s own house suffers without this diet staple. Moreover, his entire
compound—including his wife and children—become pariahs, subject to the village people’s
resentment, scorn, and abuse.
Akuebue and Ogbuefi Ofoka debate whether Ezeulu’s actions stem from madness, pride so great
he’s willing to harm to his own compound just to make a point, or true adherence to Ulu’s
instructions. Meanwhile, John Goodcountry announces that anyone who wants to harvest their
yams without fear of repercussion from Ulu should bring an offering to the Christian god.
Stonewalled by his people, Ezeulu feels extremely isolated, and suffers more than anyone else
during this time. Akuebue informs his of Goodcountry’s proposal, and Oduche confirms it.
Ezeulu has a disturbing dream in which he hears mourners passing behind his compound. When
he goes to look for his family to confront the trespassers, he finds his compound deserted. Then he
hears the voice of lizards singing of their power and divinity, and of how it has been compromised
by the Christians.
Despite running a fever, Obika agrees to run ogbazulobfo—a funerary rite—for the funeral of a
wealthy man (he calculates that he cannot refuse, since his father’s decision has already ruined the
funeral feast). He performs the ritual, running madly through the town in the darkness and reciting
the customary lines. When he arrives back at the ilo he collapses dead on the floor.
More than the loss of his son, Ezeulu is broken by this seeming punishment from Ulu, when he
thought he was doing everything at Ulu’s behest. The events trigger Ezeulu’s descent into
madness. Meanwhile, the people of Umuaro flock to give yams and other offerings at the church.
In publically abandoning his priest and self-destructing, Ulu thus instigates a religious crisis.
Arrow of God Symbols, Allegory and Motifs
church bells (symbol)
The bells from the new church that toll throughout Umuaro on Sunday are a symbol of the lurking
specter of Christianity in the novel that threatens the Igbo religion governing all aspects of Igbo
life. Ezeulu even notes that the bells sound louder when he’s in the most sacred chamber of his
compound.
yam leaves (symbol)
The yam leaves the women of the village throw at Ezeulu during the New Yam Feast are a
religious symbol within the text, symbolizing the sins of the people.
python (symbol)
For John Goodcountry, the sacred python is a symbol of Igbo heathenism, and thus must be killed
in an act of symbolic violence.
the story of the Nza (allegory)
The oft-invoked story of the Nza, or little bird, that ate and drank to such a state of intoxication
that he challenged his own chi, is an allegory that, from Ezeulu’s perspective, describes the people
of Umuaro’s insolence and, from an objective perspective, might symbolize Ezeulu’s own hubris
Arrow of God Metaphors and Similes
World as a dancing mask (simile)
Explaining to Oduche why he must go and spend time with the British, Ezeulu says that "the
world is like a Mask, dancing. If you want to see it well you do not stand in one place." Like
Shakespeare's famous "all the world's a stage," this image depicts the world as a vast performance.
To see it all, to get the full effect and understand the meaning, you have to move around. Here, he
is asking Oduche to be his "eyes" with the British so that their community can gain a better
understanding of the colonial power and thus learn how to adapt to living with them.
You call this wrestling? (metaphor)
When Nwodika praises Ezeulu for having pinned the white man to the ground, Ezeulu replies,
"You call this wrestling? No, my clansman. We have not wrestled. We have merely studied each
other's hand." Here, Nwodika and Ezeulu are offering different metaphors for the conflict with the
white man. While Nwodika sees it as a simple physical contest and thinks the match has already
been fought and won, Ezeulu implies that the contest is much more strategic and subtle—and that
it is still at an early stage, as in a card game where one tries to guess what the other player is
holding. The different metaphors reflect views of the same process.
Arrow of God Irony
Ezeulu's downfall (situatonal irony)
The book’s conclusion is an instance of situational irony. Though we perhaps recognize the tragic
nature of Ezeulu’s pride and anticipate that he will be humbled by the unfolding of events, we are
nonetheless surprised by the swiftness and scope of his downfall at the end of the book.
The New Yam Feast that never happens (dramatic
irony)
Because we are partially privy to Ezeulu’s scheming from an early stage, especially his increased
decisiveness during his detention in Okperi, there is an element of dramatic irony that unfolds as
we watch the people of Umuaro realize that Ezeulu will refuse to announce the date of the New
Yam Feast due to his absence and failure to eat two of the sacred yams that mark the passing of
the new moon. While the community is stunned, we are not so surprised.
Arrow of God Achebe and the English Language
In 1965, Achebe published an essay in the journal Transitions in which he discusses English as
the predominant language of Nigerian—and much other African—literature. Achebe concedes
that such a claim might seem controversial—why capitulate to a colonial tongue when, within
Nigeria and across the continent, tribal groups speak many different languages with different
dialects?—but he goes on to enumerate the benefits of this reality. Like Nigeria itself, that
“arbitrary creation” of the British, English has the capacity to bridge different ethnic groups,
enabling them to develop a shared consciousness. English also helps bring African literature to an
international audience. Yet Achebe also describes the particular way the African author should use
this non-native tongue. He argues that the African author must fashion an English that “is at once
universal and capable of carrying his peculiar experience.” In a remarkable exercise, he rewrites a
segment of Arrow of God in Anglicized English, juxtaposing it with the symbol-rich prose of the
novel that is so shot through with Ibgo logic and aphorism, asking the reader to note the difference:
“I want one of my sons to join these people and be my eyes there. If there is nothing in it you will
come back. But if there is something there you will bring home my share. The world is like a
Mask, dancing. If you want to see it well you do not stand in one place. My spirit tells me that
those who do not befriend the white man today will be saying had we known tomorrow.”
“I am sending you as my representative among these people—just to be on the safe side in case
the new religion develops. One has to move with the times or else one is left behind. I have a
hunch that those who fail to come to terms with the white man may well regret their lack of
foresight” (Achebe, "The African Writer and the English Language").
Arrow of God Literary Elements
Genre
Novel; Historical novel; post-colonial novel
Setting and Context
Igboland, Nigeria, 1920s
Narrator and Point of View
Arrow of God Literary Elements
Genre
Novel; Historical novel; post-colonial novel
Setting and Context
Igboland, Nigeria, 1920s
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person omniscient
Tone and Mood
Prophetic, mythical
Protagonist and Antagonist
Ezeulu is the protagonist; Nwaka is the antagonist
Major Conflict
Nwaka's challenge to Ulu pits him against Ezeulu, setting up a conflict between the villages.
Climax
The climax occurs when Clarke detains Ezeulu.
Foreshadowing
When Akuebue’s neighbor becomes ill, and the medicine man takes Obika’s chicken sacrifice
home to eat instead of burying it, we see omens of future troubles to come.
Understatement
Allusions
Imagery
Paradox
Parallelism
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The different colonial officers in Okperi can be seen as metonymically representing different
colonial attitudes and archetypes. Winterbottom is the veteran and the pragmatist; Clarke, the
assistant district officer, is idealistic; and Wright, overseer of the Public Works Department, is
overtly sadistic.
Personification
Arrow of God Essay Questions
.
1
Choose three important Igbo sayings that appear throughout the text, and
explain how they relate to the novel’s major themes.
.
1. “When a handshake goes beyond the elbow we know it has turned to another thing.”
Ezeulu uses this saying, which refers to a seemingly friendly or innocuous interaction that has
become an existential threat, to describe Oduche’s increasing investment in the church. In
general, it speaks to the growing stranglehold of the British in Igboland.
.
2. “The man who brings ant-infested faggots into his hut should not grumble when lizards
begin to pay him a visit.” Perhaps the tagline of the entire novel, this saying roughly
resembles the familiar one in English that says, “you reap what you sow.” Though Ezeulu
uses it to chide his own people, saying they brought the white man, who stepped in when they
went to war with Okperi, ironically it perhaps best describes Ezeulu’s own demise at the end
of the book.
.
3. “When Suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat left for him, he tells you
not to worry because he has brought his own stool.” Spoken by Moses Unachukwu, the
anthropomorphized “Suffering” in this sober saying is the white man and his colonialism. It
shows the helplessness of the Igbos against the entrenchment of this unwanted guest.
.
.
2
Talk about the masculine and the feminine spheres in Arrow of God. How is
gender depicted throughout the book?
.
Achebe depicts the paternalism of Igbo culture. Ezeulu’s compound revolves around the Chief
Priest, with his wives and children attending to him (married daughters move to the
compounds of their husbands’ families, while married sons move into huts around their
father’s compound.) The women’s sphere consists of domestic duties—cooking, cleaning,
childrearing—and is distinct from the political, religious, and economic domain of men, who
must keep their household in order. In Ezeulu’s love for Obika—despite his hotheadedness
and insolence—over the thoughtful, brooding Edogo, we see the valorization of a strong
masculine ideal that the Chief Priest himself embodies.
.
.
3
In Arrow of God, there are a few characters that in various ways function as
foils for Ezeulu. Who are they and how do they offset the figure of the Chief
Priest?
.
1. Ezeulu’s rival, Nwaka of Ummuneora, is a powerful man of worldly, rather than religious
title. He supports war with Okperi, and believes Ezeulu is wrong to “befriend” the white man
in that affair. He serves as a counterforce to Ezeulu’s power, backed by Ezidemili and Idemili,
a god in competition with Ulu.
.
2. Ogbuefi Akuebue is Ezeulu’s contemporary and friend. He is more mild-mannered,
diplomatic, and reasonable that the Chief Priest, who confides in him and with whom he
discusses the latter’s affairs.
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3. Though a servant on Government Hill, John Nwodika strikes up a friendship with Ezeulu.
They find common ground in their strategic approaches to the white man’s power.
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4
Describe two omens that appear throughout the book. What mood do they
create? How might they function in the overall trajectory of the plot?
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1. In Chapter Six Akuebue breaks Ezeulu’s kolanut in a traditional gesture of receiving
hospitality, and the nut splits into six lobes. The two men marvel at this high number. While it
is unclear whether this is an auspicious or an ominous sign, it creates the sense that something
momentous is on the horizon.
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2. When the medicine man who officiates Obika and Okuata’s wedding takes the chicken
offering home with him, it casts a slight pall over the union, foreshadowing the tragedy of
Obika’s death.
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5
Describe two changes, large or small, that colonialism affects in Igboland
throughout the text. Speculate as to what consequences these changes might
have in the future.
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1. At the onset of the story, the newly established church in Umuaro is still small, and
Goodcountry is struggling to find converts. His ingenious intervention during the yam crisis
designed by Ezeulu leads to many from Umuaro making offerings to the Christian god, a plot
point that testifies to the reality of eventual mass conversion in Igboland.
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2. Wright is completing a road between Okperi and Umuaro. Though only a few miles apart,
previously, we learn, the two locations had seemed very far away—just as many tribal
enclaves in Igboland possessed their own gods, markets, festivals, and rituals. We expect that
the roads will lead to more cultural migration and integration, as well as facilitate economic
and administrative incursions by the British.