Ikemefuna In Things Fall Apart

Based on the organization of the content in chapter seven of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, and his descriptions of Okonkwo’s actions, feelings and motives, readers do not sympathize with Okonkwo.

Readers do not sympathize with Okonkwo because of his actions, feelings and motives. Okonkwo sees Ikemefuna as his own child and believed that it was to Ikemefuna’s credit that his actual son, Nwoye, is progressing and developing as a man. Okonkwo invites Ikemefuna to to sit in his obi, or hut within the compound (Achebe 52). He also tells Nwoye and Ikemefuna masculine stories of violence and bloodshed, something that fathers usually only do with their biological children and close male family members and friends (Achebe 53). These actions and

Moments after Ikemefuna yells “My father, they have killed me!” Without a response Okonkwo himself cuts Ikemefuna once more ultimately killing him. This action brings the reader to heartbreak after feeling that Ikemefuna was beginning to fit in with the family and was killed by the man who he called father. Okonkwo’s only motive for this action is to keep his strong public figure and not be looked to as weak (Achebe 61).

The organization of chapter seven of Achebe’s Things Fall Apart plays a role in why the readers do not sympathize with Okonkwo’s actions. At the beginning of the chapter Achebe shows how Ikemefuna has fit into the family and looks up to Okonkwo as a father and how Okonkwo treats him just as good, if not better, than his own son, Nwoye (Achebe 52). This creates the reader to feel for Ikemefuna and not feel any sorrow or guilt for him. Then at the end of the chapter Okonkwo turns on Ikemefuna and kills him (Achebe 61). This format of writing this chapter gives the reader a better connection to Ikemefuna and not with Okonkwo.

Readers do not sympathize with Okonkwo in chapter seven of Things Fall Apart because of Chinua Achebe’s organization of the chapter along with the feelings, actions and motives described by Achebe in the