Chapter 7: Ikemefuna's death

          Was Okonkwo justified in killing Ikemefuna?  Personally, I don't believe that he is.  The book even states that Ikemefuna was Okonkwo's favorite son, yet the man still struck down the young boy for fear of being thought weak.  What Okonkwo did was that he acted out of spontanious instinct to maintain a certain reputation of emotional and physical strength.  In doing so, he brutally murdered the boy who trusted him as a son would a father.

TFA: How women are portrayed

          Umuofia is a village based on patriarchy.  The women other than the preistess never had higher authority over any man.  Okonkwo has an especially short fuse when it comes to women doing what they shouldn't.  On page 38, he noticed that a few leaves were missing from a banana tree in his yard and called out saying "who killed this banana tree?" (38).  Okonkwo then proceeded to beat his second wife, the woman who had cut the few leaves off to wrap food.  When he went to go hunting he heard the same wife murmer something and shot at her. 
          Women in this book are shown as being powerless against their husbands which is probable because of the face that the book was written by a man.  They are also seen as "housemaids" and are expected to cook and do everything.  The way women are treated in the story is different from the way we do, such as physical abuse and having multiple wives.

          Okonkwo lives within a family based on patriarchy.  He has moments where he is violently abusive and never openly shows compassion towards family members.  His actions are much different than those of the rest of the village, and many of the village's inhabitants resent Okonkwo for his lifestyle.  Nowadays, not many people would have been able to get away with being so abusive towards families.