Who punished Okonkwo for beating his wife? (2023)

Who punished Okonkwo for beating his wife?

By beating his wife, he breaks the law of the Week of Peace. Ezeani, the priest of the earth goddess, comes to punish him. The priest bashes Okonkwo for violating the rules of the sacred week and possibly making the earth goddess angry.

When was Okonkwo punished for beating his wife?

Since Okonkwo has committed a great evil by beating his wife Ojiugo during the Week of Peace, he is punished. The priest of Ani declares that Okonkwo must "bring to the shrine of Ani... one she-goat, one hen, a length of cloth, and a hundred cowries." Okonkwo does this and he also brings palm-wine to honor the goddess.

Who punishes Okonkwo?

"And that was also the year Okonkwo broke the peace, and was punished, as was the custom, by Ezeani, the priest of the earth goddess.

How did Okonkwo get punished?

Okonkwo murdered a young boy who saw him as a father and, because of this, the earth goddess punished him. She caused the gun to explode and kill Ezeudu's son, which cause Okonkwo to be banished from Umuofia for seven years.

Why was Okonkwo punished by the tribe?

Okonkwo's gun accidentally goes off and kills Ezeudu's sixteen-year-old son. Killing a clansman is a crime against the earth goddess, so Okonkwo must atone by taking his family into exile for seven years.

Why was Okonkwo punished for beating his wife?

By beating his wife, he breaks the law of the Week of Peace. Ezeani, the priest of the earth goddess, comes to punish him. The priest bashes Okonkwo for violating the rules of the sacred week and possibly making the earth goddess angry.

What caused Okonkwo to beat his second wife?

When his second wife, Ekwefi, admits to taking the leaves, Okonkwo beats her severely to release his pent-up anger.

Who was the boy that Okonkwo killed?

Suddenly, Okonkwo drops to the rear of the group and Ikemefuna is afraid again. As the boy's back is turned, one of the men strikes the first blow with his machete. Ikemefuna cries out to Okonkwo, "My father, they have killed me!" and runs toward Okonkwo. Afraid to appear weak, Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna with his machete.

How many times did Okonkwo beat his wife?

Ikemefuna and Okonkwo develop a fatherly bond and with Okonkwo's son. In Umofia during the Week of Peace Okonkwo beats two out of his three wives. His first wife he beats because she went off to a friend's house instead of making lunch and feeding her children.

Did Okonkwo go to jail?

In chapter twenty-four of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo has been released from prison, but he is now prepared to fight the English.

What punishment does Okonkwo receive for his actions in chapter 4?

The Umuofians believe that it could cause the Earth Goddess to turn against the people and their crops. Ezeani, the priest of the Earth Goddess, comes to Okonkwo's house and punishes him with a heavy fine. Okonkwo is sorry for what he did, but he does not show it outwardly so that he does not seem weak.

Who was the messenger that Okonkwo killed?

Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna because he doesn't want to appear weak in front of his fellow clansmen.

How old was Okonkwo when he died?

Answer and Explanation: Okonkwo is in his late thirties in Things Fall Apart. He has reached the peak of his strength and is entering into the second half of his life. During the past three decades, he has created a name for himself among his people.

What is ironic about Okonkwo's crime and punishment?

It is ironic that Okonkwo kills the son of a man who had warned him not to kill Ikemefuna, a boy who was like a son to Okonkwo. That there is no precedent for this kind of accident shows how singular this event is in the history of the village and how it will have repercussions even though justice has been dispensed.

When did Okonkwo beat Nwoye?

One of Okonkwo's cousins notices Nwoye among the Christians and informs Okonkwo. When Nwoye returns, Okonkwo chokes him by the neck, demanding to know where he has been. Uchendu orders him to let go of the boy. Nwoye leaves his father's compound and travels to a school in Umuofia to learn reading and writing.

Why is Okonkwo's crime female?

Crimes are divided into male and female types. Okonkwo's accidental killing of Ezuedu's son is considered manslaughter and therefore a female crime.

Why did Okonkwo beat his youngest wife violating the sacred Week of peace?

Because his third wife has gone off to plait her hair and doesn't have the afternoon meal ready, Okonkwo forgets it is the sacred Week of Peace and beats her. The village is shocked, and the priest commands him to make amends with offerings to the earth goddess, in hopes she will not punish the village.

Why was Okonkwo's crime considered a female crime?

Okonkwo's crime of killing his kinsman was regarded as a female crime because it was committed inadvertently. If the crime was committed intentionally, it would have been considered a male crime. The punishment for the male crime was more severe than that of the female crime.

Who cuts down Okonkwo's body?

After this, the District Commissioner goes to Okonkwo's compound looking for him, only to be shown by Obierika that Okonkwo has committed suicide by hanging. It is against cultural norms for anyone from the clan to touch Okonkwo's body, so Obierika asks the District Commissioner to help cut him down.

Who is Okonkwo's favorite wife?

Lesson Summary

Chinua Achebe's 1958 novel Things Fall Apart follows an Igbo leader, Okonkwo, through his tumultuous life in colonial Nigeria. His second wife Ekwefi is perhaps his favorite of all of his wives, and her daughter is by far his favorite child.

What made Okonkwo fall apart?

Caught between his rage that the nine villages would succumb to European rule and the futility of fighting the Europeans alone, Okonkwo retreats to his compound and hangs himself. With this act, Okonkwo lives up to his role as a tragic hero whose struggles with society ultimately lead to death.

How was ikemefuna killed?

Okonkwo and a group of men set out and during the journey murder Ikemefuna. When the men decide it is time, one man strikes Ikemefuna, who runs toward Okonkwo. Okonkwo then kills Ikemefuna with his machete.

Who is Okonkwo's favorite child?

Ezinma - She's the only child out of ten to survive past infancy from Ekwefi so she's well protected by her mom. She is also Okonkwo's favorite child.

Which child did Okonkwo wish was a boy?

Ezinma, Okonkwo's favorite daughter and the only child of Ekwefi, is bold in the way that she approaches—and even sometimes contradicts—her father. Okonkwo remarks to himself multiple times that he wishes she had been born a boy, since he considers her to have such a masculine spirit.

What kind of crime did Okonkwo commit?

During the Week of Peace, Okonkwo commits the crime of beating his wife. This is his first crime against the earth. As punishment, he is told to make a ritual sacrifice, which he does.

How many years was Okonkwo banished for?

Because killing a clansman is a crime against the earth goddess, Okonkwo must take his family into exile for seven years in order to atone.

How many kids did Okonkwo lose?

But Ekwefi and Okonkwo's love for their child is strong enough that they are willing to defy religious authority. Although she has lost nine children, Ekwefi has been made strong by suffering, and when she follows Chielo, she chooses her daughter over the gods.

What is Okonkwo's popular nickname?

Okonkwo was popularly called the “Roaring Flame.” As he looked into the log fire he recalled the name.

What happens to twins born in Umuofia?

Hence, the earth goddess detests and curses the birth of twins. For this curse, all neonate twins in Umuofia, Mbanta and neighbouring villages were put in an earthenware bowl and disposed of in total rejection in the evil forest.

Who is called to bury Okonkwo?

Obierika asks for the Commissioner's help to cut down and bury Okonkwo's body.

Why is it ironic that Okonkwo killed himself?

In Things Fall Apart, the irony is that a proud, successful, and important man such as Okonkwo ends up hanging himself. It's tragic irony because the reader has many hints that this might happen. The reader sees on multiple occasions that Okonkwo doesn't deal well with change.

Who gave Okonkwo yams?

Okonkwo succeeds in exceeding all the other clansmen as a warrior, a farmer, and a family provider. He begins by asking a wealthy clansman, Nwakibie, to give him 400 seed yams to start a farm. Because Nwakibie admired Okonkwo's hard-working nature, he gave him eight hundred.

Who is the tragic hero in Things Fall Apart?

Okonkwo is a tragic hero in the classical sense: although he is a superior character, his tragic flaw—the equation of manliness with rashness, anger, and violence—brings about his own destruction.

Who is the youngest wife of Okonkwo?

Ojiugo. Okonkwo's third and youngest wife, and the mother of Nkechi. Okonkwo beats Ojiugo during the Week of Peace.

What does the last paragraph in Things Fall Apart mean?

The final paragraph, written from the perspective of the District Commissioner, reduces Okonkwo's life to a single sentence about his death in his planned book The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of The Lower Niger.

Is Okonkwo punished for beating his wife or for breaking the peace?

He beats her for her negligence, shamefully breaking the peace of the sacred week in a transgression known as nso-ani. The priest demands that Okonkwo sacrifice a nanny goat and a hen and pay a fine of one length of cloth and one hundred cowries (shells used as currency).

Did nwoye cry when ikemefuna died?

Outside, he informs Okonkwo in private that the Oracle has decreed that Ikemefuna must be killed. He tells Okonkwo not to take part in the boy's death, as Ikemefuna calls him “father.” Okonkwo lies to Ikemefuna, telling him that he will be returning to his home village. Nwoye bursts into tears.

Why did Okonkwo beat his son?

In the novel, Okonkwo is always beating his wives and son, Nwoye. It is because he fears being thought of being as a weak person. He thinks that his son Nwoye looks like his father and he cannot bear this feeling. This is the main reason why Okonkwo never hesitates to punish or beat Nwoye every time.

Is Nwoye his oldest son?

Nwoye, Okonkwo's oldest son, struggles in the shadow of his powerful, successful, and demanding father.

What happened to Okonkwo in chapter 14?

Okonkwo begins his exile deeply discouraged and unmotivated. While striving for even greater manliness, he committed a female murder — that is, he accidentally killed a boy during the funeral ceremony. Making things worse (in his mind), he has been exiled to the woman's side of his family.

What crime does Okonkwo commit at the end of chapter 24?

Okonkwo uses a machete to kill the court messenger, and the crowd reacts with shock and fear rather than with a readiness for further violence to defeat the English settlers. Okonkwo, impatient, grabs his machete and with two swings, he kills the messenger.

What happened to Okonkwo in chapter 24?

After Okonkwo is freed from prison, he remembers better times, when Umuofia was more warrior-like and fierce — "when men were men." As in his younger days, he is eager to prepare for war (not unlike Enoch the convert in the preceding chapter).

Who did Okonkwo beat in chapter 4?

One day during this week, Okonkwo's youngest wife, Ojiugo, goes to a friend's house to braid her hair, and she forgets to prepare Okonkwo's afternoon meal and feed her children. When Ojiugo returns, Okonkwo beats her severely. Even when he is reminded of the ban on violence, he doesn't stop the beating.

What is the crime that Okonkwo commits at the end of chapter 13?

Okonkwo's accidental killing of a clansman is a crime against the earth goddess, and he knows that he and his family must leave Umuofia for seven years.

Why is Okonkwo's death ironic?

Tragic Irony

In Things Fall Apart, the irony is that a proud, successful, and important man such as Okonkwo ends up hanging himself. It's tragic irony because the reader has many hints that this might happen. The reader sees on multiple occasions that Okonkwo doesn't deal well with change.

Which of his wives did Okonkwo shoot at?

He beats and then nearly shoots his wife Ekwefi because of his own insecurity and anxiousness about not working during the Feast of the New Yam, during which the earth goddess is celebrated for a bountiful harvest.

What happens to Okonkwo in chapter 25?

Obierika leads the Commissioner and his men to an area behind the compound, where Okonkwo's body hangs lifeless from a tree — a victim of suicide.

What did Okonkwo do in chapter 25?

Only strangers may touch the body of someone who has committed suicide. The District Commissioner takes interest in this custom. Okonkwo killed himself because it was the only option left to him as a way to preserve his independence.

What happened to Okonkwo in chapter 23?

Okonkwo is almost happy again, despite the fact that his clan did not agree to kill the Christians or drive them away. Even so, he and the rest of the villagers are on their guard, and for the next two days they arm themselves with guns and machetes.

How many times did Okonkwo beat his wives?

In Umofia during the Week of Peace Okonkwo beats two out of his three wives. His first wife he beats because she went off to a friend's house instead of making lunch and feeding her children. His second wife took leaves from his banana plant Okonkwo beats her and shoots her.

Who died in chapter 7 of Things Fall Apart?

In Chapter 7 of Things Fall Apart, Ikemefuna, who has become like a son to Okonkwo, is killed by him. Although Okonkwo has been ordered not to actually participate in the killing of Ikemefuna, he ends up striking him down with his machete after Ikemefuna runs toward him.

What chapter does Okonkwo beat his third wife?

Ojiugo is Okonkwo's third wife in Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart. She is the youngest of his wives, and she's a bit scatterbrained. She stays late at a friend's house in chapter four and doesn't return in time to prepare the afternoon meal; as a result, Okonkwo loses his temper and beats her badly.