Wednesday, December 12, 2018
#2 Thoughts on Things Fall Apart
In chapter 11, Ezinma is taken by the priestess named Chielo. Her mother Ekwefi had become so worried and went after a chanting Chielo, despite knowing the risks, to assure her daughter would be safe. What really shocked me while reading this particular chapter was that Okonkwo showed his worry and care for Ezinma quite openly. As stated in previous chapters in the book, Okonkwo isn’t someone to show his affections to his family often. So the fact that he went after Ekwefi and Ezinma was rather surprising to me. By the time Chielo had come to Okonkwo's obi to fetch Ezinma, it was already well into the night. The fact that Okonkwo stayed up all night for Ezinma and Ekwefi kind of warmed my heart. Okonkwo's love for Ezinma showed really strongly in chapter 11. I hope to see more of Okonkwo's caring side throughout the next couple of chapters I read. Maybe he is not that bad of a man as I had originally imagined beforehand. As for Ekwefi, she seems to always be a very loving mother to Ezinma. While she was running after the priestess, Ekwefi had accidentally stepped on an outcropped root. In the Igbo society, this is seen as a bad omen. Although she had stepped on it, Ekwefi actually ran faster. Ekwefi was very willing to do practically anything for her only daughter, except for entering the sacred cave. By then though, Ekwefi had already heard Ezinma's voice, and that helped to calm her considerably. This chapter by far has been the most interesting and shocking chapter in Things Fall Apart.
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I also find that it warms my heart to see Okonkwo show his care for his daughter and wife, by spending his night chasing after them. It is a nice change of pace to see Okonkwo brave enough to show a side of himself he has been afraid to let out, which is his compassionate side. This may even be a small step in Okonkwo's life to accept that love isn't a weakness but in fact a strength. However, I would love to see Okonkwo react this way with another child of his, because it is obvious that Ezinma is his favortie. Therefore, If he were stay up all night to make sure someone else were safe it would show that Okonkwo is really changing his ways.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Okonkwo actually went out to find Ekwefi and Ezinma also shocked me. I honestly expected that he would've beat Ekwefi for following the priestess. From this, Okonkwo is shown in this part of the book as actually emotional, his side that is almost never shown. Also, I agree with you when you say that Ekwefi loves Ezinma very much. I like how you included that she stepped on the root because this truly does show her love for Ezinma. That she would bypass a bad omen that she believes in to get to see her child in the hope that her child is fine.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how you emphasized the how two dimensional Ekwefi and especially Okonkwo became, as I also agree on how interesting it was to read about Okonkwo's vulnerability and affectionate side. His fear of danger inflicting itself onto his beloved daughter made Okonkwo "weak," a quality that he has worked so hard to neglect. This novel has shown far more character development, as you are insinuating, and explains the why characters behave in such a way though their deep rooted qualities.
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