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Things Fall Apart Chapter Seven
Introduction
Things Fall Apart was written in 1959 by Chinua Achebe, who is a Nigerian novelist. This
book givers a much better understanding of an African culture, the Igbo, and Chinua Achebe
denounces colonisation by the British.
The story takes place in the Igbo village, where the author was raised, in South Nigeria.
The passage we will study, happens just after Ogbuefi Ezeudu informs Okonkwo that the
Oracle has decreed Ikemefuna’s death. This last, who is considered as a brother by Nwoye,
must be killed.
Okonkwo has been warned: he should not take part in the killing of Ikemefuna. He has
feelings for Ikemefuna, who considers him like a true father.
This passage shows how all of the characters feel about the situation: Ikemefuna’s feelings,
for example completely change throughout this extract. Indeed, at the beginning, Ikemefuna is
jubilant as everyone tells him that they are bringing him to his mother, but at the end he
realises that his father has betrayed him so he is extremely sad, and definitely angry at him.
Okonwko is seen as a coward by the reader: he lies to Ikemefuna, and kills him in front of
everyone, in order to look proud and strong. Conversely, Nwoye cannot say a word, to explain
how much he is suffering because of Ikemefuna’s death.
Consequently, this passage highlights the importance of the relationship between the two
boys, and the relationship which is felt differently from Okonkwo’s point of view, and from
Ikemefuna’s feelings.
Moreover, this text also illustrates the cruelty of a society where people cannot challenge the
rules of the Oracle; even a father has to let his son be killed.
Commentary
At the very beginning of the passage, the fact that “Ikemefuna felt like a child” shows his
happiness to go home to see his mother. This emphasizes his naivety, and he is sure that this
is what is going happen.
However, afterwards, Ikemefuna’s gesture emphasizes confusion and fear. Indeed, this is
clearly shown when “he looked back”. In addition, the atmosphere around him, such as the
men who “cleared his throat” makes his fear increase. Indeed, the men “sent cold fear down
Ikemefuna’s back”.
Then the increase of his fear is illustrated again through his gestures. Verbs such as
“trembled”, “felt his legs melting” suggest that he understands that something is going wrong,
as everyone’s behaviour is quite unusual.
Consequently, later on he simply “is afraid to look back”. This means, he does not want to tell
himself that he will not see his mother anymore and that he should believe in the men around
him.
This metaphor of him looking back may also represent him looking at his father and realising
that in fact he may not be a good man. Therefore, this feeling which would destroy him scares
him which is why maybe he cannot “look back”.
When Ikemefuna is about to be killed, when the man “drew up and raised his matchet”,
Okonkwo “looked away”. This attitude shows his treachery, and what a cowardly character he
truly is, in contrast with what everyone thought of him; that he was proud, strong, and a good
person.
Afterwards, the fact that Ikemefuna “ran towards him”, illustrates the love he feels for his
father who is the only person he trusts. However, Okonkwo is “dazed with fear”. This
highlights the fact that he is as scared as Ikemefuna, not that the latter may die, but that if he
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helps him, he thinks he will be seen as a coward. Indeed, as he “was afraid of being thought
weak”, he “raised his matchet and cut him down”. This underlines the fact that Okonkwo is
truly weak, and that he does not understand the meaning of being courageous. More
importantly, the fact that Ikemefuna cries directly to Okonkwo “father, they have killed me”,
implies that Okonkwo is responsible for his death, and therefore, this sentence could be
replaced by “father, you have killed me” in the reader’s mind.
The word « night » on the first line of the 2nd paragraph which is surrounded by two commas
is clearly emphasized. This means that we need to focus on this precise night, because it is
during this night that everything happened. Although this 2nd chapter begins with “as soon as
his father walked in”, which seems normal, Nwoye pays attention to the strange behavior of
his father, which makes him understand that something special happened: Ikemefuna has been
killed.
This shows that Nwoye knows his father’s way of acting really well. Therefore, a tension this
night awoke his suspicions. The image used afterwards, of the thing “which seems to give
way inside” Nwoye, is compared to the snapping of “a tightened bow”. This metaphor
demonstrates the importance of the relationship between Ikemefuna and Nwoye. It suggests
that for Nwoye, things have changed forever and cannot be repaired; this is a turning point for
him.Both of them are more than good friends; they are instead like two brothers. But Nwoye
“did not even cry” and express his feelings, which are too strong to be shared with someone.
This fear paralyses him.
Mixed Feelings
Although Nwoye is disgusted by what his father has done to Ikemefuna, he thinks back to
some happy memories he has of Igbo culture. This is shown through the use of a flashback to
the harvest season. He remembers it positively: “Every child loved the harvest season”.
However, at the same time it reminds him of another Igbo custom which is the fact that twins
are left to die in the Evil Forest. In another flashback he remembers returning home and
hearing the “voice of an infant crying.” These two contrasting memories reveal a strong sense
of confusion as he does not know how to feel about his own culture: repulsion or fondness.
This evening when “his father came back during the night, he felt inside himself the same
thing.”
The description of an "infant crying in the thick forest" proves through a realistic and
imaginative way how the piercing cry passed through the wood and reached Nwoye.
Moreover Ikemefuna and these children were killed in the forest. The most surprising thing is
that even if his father comes back home lately, he directly thinks again about this feeling of
murder.
The last sentences of this extract are surely the strongest ones : they summarize in the best
way what Ikemefuna felt on this night. The “solitary walker” symbolizes Nwoye, alone, with
nobody to talk to, when the devil reminds him, that his brother Ikemefuna is dead, and that he
will never come back again. This final image is important as we realize that he feels totally
isolated from his tribe; we can link this to the fact that he later understands the Christian
message with its tales of the lost sheep on the mountainside – Nwoye sees himself as that lost
sheep.
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Conclusion
After reading this passage, we realise that what we thought and what everyone thought at the
beginning of the book is definitely not true. Indeed, we thought that Okonkwo is a brave,
proud and good character, because as we got closer to him, we started to feel compassion for
him, and to appreciate him. However in this passage, he is the weakest person we have ever
seen in the story. He thought he had to come to assist at Ikemefuna’s death, to look strong and
proud. Even if Okonkwo has previously killed Amalinze the Cat, he has not been able to face
Ikemefuna, to talk to him, and to tell everyone that he should not be killed.
Therfore, the fact that he is armed and that he kills Ikemefuna, without thinking for a second,
makes him seem like a particularly cowardly person.
Consequently, Ikemefuna’s death has some repercussions on Okonkwo’s mind, and especially
on Nwoye’s mind who is like a brother to him.
Therefore, we can think that later on, if Nwoye has left the Igbo culture, to convert to
Christianity, it is because of the fact that he is extremely angry, against his father. He suffers
from this situation for a very long time. This event is the final straw for him.
Being an Igbo means acting like one’s father, who is the symbol of this culture, and therefore,
he cannot be an Igbo without thinking about Ikemefuna’s death.