TFA Reading Response Journal #4
Claire Yang, 9F
April 5, 2010
Text-Text Reflection
In these particular chapters (9 -11) the strong bond between Ekwefi and Ezinma was
evident – stronger and closer than any other wives and their children. With the other
two wives (Nme and Ojiugo) and their children, there’s more formality or remoteness
in their relationship: the mothers are sterner with their children, and their sons and
daughters in turn show distant respect and obedience towards them. However, with
Ekwefi and Ezinma they shared something more than their mother-daughter love –
they were almost like friends (for instance, how Ezinma call her mother by her name).
Seeing Ekwefi’s devotion towards Ezinma overcome the orders of the authority (like
that of Chielo) was also very surprising. But what was even more surprising was the
discovery of Okonkwo’s new facet through his love/concern for Ezinma. So far in the
story we have only witnessed Okonkwo’s anger, harshness, and “manliness”. Even in
his supposed mourning for Ikemefuna, we did not witness any of his true fondness or
love for the boy. However, with Ezinma it was different: when he heard that Ezinma
was “dying” he ran immediately to the hut, and seeing that she had iba (just a fever),
he went into the bush himself to collect the ingredients for the medicine. It wasn’t just
in this incidence that we truly saw Okonkwo as a father, and man capable of showing
love. Again, when Chielo demanded Okonkwo that she must bring Ezinma to Agbala,
he pleaded her to come back in the morning – and as we have known so far,
Okonkwo is not the kind of person to plead. Also when Ekwefi insisted that she
follows Chielo and Ezinma (which she told her not to) Okonkwo did not scorn her or
prevent her from doing so – he was allowing Ekwefi to disobey the orders of the
priestess. So my question is, what is it about Ezinma that leads Okonkwo to reveal
his other facet – the caring father?
* I responded to Jenny K’s question
Q: Why did Ekwefi tell a story about Tortoise to Ezinma? Would there be a
special meaning behind the story, or was it just a folk story?
A: One aspect we all know about authors is that they never put something in there for
no reason (“A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing” p. 20). There’s a reason
why that folktale was told with such extent; the author could have simply said,
“Ekwefi told the story of Tortoise to her daughter.” End of discussion. But the author
went on to tell the details of the story. The folktale can possibly be a foreshadowing
or a microcosm of Igbo society’s future: the tortoise represents the British imperialists
who historically practiced a tactic called indirect rule to imperialize in Africa. Their
tactic of indirect rule resembles the characteristics of the Tortoise – cunning and
manipulating. Also the plot of the folktale seems to match the historical happenings of
Igbo society: first, the tortoise tricking the birds is synonymous with the British
sweet-talking the Igbo people into helping them, second, the realization of the
tortoise’s mischief is like the Igbo community starting to hate the enforcements of the
British imperialists, and third the injury of the tortoise signifies the independence of
Igbo society.