Summary “Thing fall apart” Chapters 7-13

Summary “Thing fall apart”
Chapters: 7-13
Maria Fernanda Gonzalez Obregon
Group: 46

Thanks to Ikemefuna,  Nwoye becomes more masculine, he is like a big brother to him. Okonkwo is very proud of his son’s development, and he knows that is thanks to Ikemefuma. Okonkwo likes to invite both of them into his obi and tell them violent, masculine stories. But Nwoye likes better his mother’s stories.

Ogbuefi Ezeudu go and visits Okonkwo, he informs him that the Oracle ordered that Ikemefuna has to die. Even though Okonkwo loves the kid, he can’t save him from his dead. He lies to Ikemefuna, telling him that he is going back with his family.
Nwoye was very sad and disappointed.

During the walk home with the men of Umuofia, a man tries to kill Ikemefuna, the boy cries to Okonkwo so he saves him from his death. Unfortunately, Okonkwo did not help him, he cut him down.
Nwoye knew that Ikemefuna was dead. Something breaks inside of him, it was the second time that happened; the first time was when he heard a baby crying in the Evil Forest.

Okonkwo felt depressed. He did not taste any food for two days and could not sleep. In this chapter (8) we can see how Okonkwo wishes that Ezinma was a boy.
Later, he went to visit Obierika and congratulates Maduka for his wrestling. Obierika told him he was not 100% sure it was a good idea to take part in Ikemefuna’s death.

Okonkwo begins to feel better, later, someone arrives tells everyone about the death of the oldest man in a neighboring village but later, the old man’s wife died too.

Ekwefi wakes up Okonkwo because Enzima felt terrible. She had a fever so Okonkwo sets collecting medicine.
They are feeling very bad about Ezinma being sick because she is Ekwefi’s only child and the “center of her world.” Ekwefi had nine other children, but they died.

The village holds a ceremonial gathering for justice. The clan’s ancestral spirits (egwugwu, masked men) appear from a secret house, which no woman is allowed. Everyone suspects that Okonkwo is among the egwugwu.

 The first argument that comes before the egwugwu is about a husband and wife. The husband says that the brothers of his wife beated him and  took her and the children from his hut, but the woman’s brothers said that he is a cruel and bad man who is always beating their sister. They argue that the husband wants wife to return, if she agrees and he beats her again, her brothers will cut his genitals off.  At the end the egwugwu decide in favor of Mgbafo (The husband)

Ekwefi tells Ezinma a story about a tortoise. All of the birds have been invited to a feast in the sky and Tortoise abuses of the generosity of the birds. This story tell us a lot of how we should we treat people, and gives us a beautiful message.

 Chielo informs Ekwefi that Agbala  (Oracle of the hills and caves) wants to see Ezinma. Okonkwo and Ekwefi try to convince Chielo to wait until the next day, but Chielo takes Ezinma on her back and did not let anyone to follow them.
Later, Chielo goes back with Ezinma on her back. She takes Ezinma to her mother´s hut and puts her to sleep. Okonkwo was very worried but he did not show it, again, so everyone can think he is the strongest man.

Okonkwo’s family prepared for Obierika’s daughter’s uri (betrothal ceremony). The people of the village contribute with food and Obierika buys a goat to present to his future in-laws. The feast is a success.

Later, Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s death is announced. Okonkwko goes the big funeral. It is a tradition to beat drums and fire guns, but when Okonkwo do it, he accidentally kills Ezeudu’s sixteen-year-old son. This is considerate a crime against the earth goddess, so Okonkwo must take his family into exile for seven years.
 Obierika doesn’t understand why a man should suffer so much for something that was an accident.

 

*Achebe, C.
Things Fall Apart
Achebe, C. (1958) Things Fall Apart. New York: Reed Consumer Books.

Summary “Thing fall apart”

Summary “Thing fall apart”
Chapters: 1-6
Maria Fernanda Gonzalez Obregon
Group: 46

In this story we learn about the Ibo tribe. The main character, Okonkwo is a tall, huge and famous man. He is known throughout the nine villages. He has a lot of power, everyone respects him; he is a wealthy farmer and has 3 wives. He supports his three wives and eight children; each wife has her own hut.

But his father, Unoka, who died ten years ago, was a thin and a debtor man. Everyone laugh at him. He was very poor and had lots of debts. 
Unoka once visited an Oracle and the Oracle told him that he failed because of his laziness. Unoka died of a shameful illness. Those suffering from swelling stomachs and limbs are left in the Evil Forest to die.
Okonkwo hated everything that Unoka had loved; his had a lot of fear of being like his father, fear of failure and weakness.

Once, Ezeugo gives an announcement that someone from the village of Mbaino murdered the wife of an Umuofia tribesman when she went to the market. Okonkwo went to Mbaino and said that they have to give a virgin and a young man for what they did. When they give the fifteen-year-old boy, Ikemefuna they decided to turn him over to Okonkwo.  Ikemefuna is homesick and scared at first, but later he becomes popular with Okonkwo’s children, he even become like an older brother to Nwoye. Okonkwo really likes the kid,  Ikemefuna soon begins to call Okonkwo “father.”
It is shown how Okonkwo is extremely demanding of his family. He is starting to see that Nwoye, his son is becoming lazy. 

Okonkwo did not have the start in life that others had; Unoka was never able to have a successful harvest. Okonkwo asked wealthy clansman, Nwakibie, to give him 400 seed yams to start a farm, and he gave him eight hundred. Later, a friend of his father gave him another four hundred. Unfortunately Okonkwo just kept one third of the harvest. That year’s devastating harvest left a profound mark on Okonkwo.  

During the Week of Peace, Okonkwo sees that his youngest wife is not in the house and she did not prepare the afternoon meal. When she came back he beats her. It was the first time in many years that someone had broken the sacred peace, everyone was very surprised. The priest says to Okonkwo that he has to sacrifice a nanny goat and a hen and pay a fine.
After the Week of Peace, the villagers begin to clear the land in preparation for planting their farms.

The Feast of the New Yam is an occasion to give thanks to the earth goddess, Ani. Okonkwo never becomes very enthusiastic during this time.
Okonkwo becomes angry, and he beat his second wife, Ekwefi. Then he decides to go hunting, he is not a good hunter, so Ekwefi says something about guns that never shot. He gets angry, he shoots with the gun but he did not hurt her.
Here we can see how all the wives take care of each other.
The day after the feast is the annual wrestling contest; Ekwefi, in particular, enjoys the contest because Okonkwo won her heart when he defeated the Cat. Ezinma, Ekwefi’s only child, is Okonkwo´s favorite but rarely demonstrates his affection.

The wrestling match takes place on the village ilo. It was the first time people saw such a large crowd. The wrestling begins between boys of 15 or 16 years old. Maduka, wins one match. As the wrestling continues, Ekwefi speaks with Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, the Oracle of the Hills and Caves.  The last match was between the leaders of the teams: Okafo wins.