When Okonkwo finally returns to Umuofia, the white men have changed his clan as well. Nwoye, however, is captivated by the hymn he hears on the first day, and soon joins the Christians to get away from his father, who is outraged. When they finally arrive in Mbanta though, the clan is fascinated but finds their religion ridiculous. While he works in Mbanta, the white men begin to appear among neighboring clans, causing stories to spread about their power and destruction. He plans for the day he can return to his rightful place in Umuofia. His mother's kinsmen treat them kindly, but Okonkwo is extremely discouraged by the circumstances. Because the crime is a “female,” or accidental, crime, they may return in seven years.ĭuring their time in exile, Okonkwo and his family work hard to start a new farm in Okonkwo's motherland, Mbanta. Having killed a fellow clansman, Okonkwo has no choice but to flee the clan with his family.

During the burial, Okonkwo's gun explodes, killing Ezeudu's 16-year-old son. Soon, Ezeudu passes away, and his funeral celebration draws the entire clan. Ikemefuna soon starts to call Okonkwo “father.”Īfter three years, when the oldest man of the tribe, Ezeudu, informs Okonkwo that Ikemefuna must be killed, he advises him not to participate in the killing, since “the boy calls you father.” Okonkwo ignores this advice, fearing that others will find him weak or effeminate, and he proceeds to strike the killing blow when they take Ikemefuna out to be killed the next day. Okonkwo approves of his influence on Nwoye and grows fond of Ikemefuna himself.

While living with Okonkwo's family, Ikemefuna becomes very close to Nwoye, sharing folktales and encouraging him to enjoy masculine tasks. One day, the clan settles an argument with a neighboring village by demanding the sacrifice of a virgin and a 15-year-old boy named Ikemefuna, who lives with Okonkwo's family for the next three years. Okonkwo is particularly worried about his eldest son, Nwoye, in whom he sees signs of laziness reminiscent of Unoka. He treats his family with a heavy hand, believing that the only emotion worth showing is anger. Okonkwo's wealth and status within the tribe grow, and he becomes one of the greatest men in the land, with three wives and a large stock of yams. Okonkwo values strength and aggression, traits he believes are masculine, and his worst fear is to be thought of as feminine or weak, like his father, Unoka. Do not get too aggressive on not being able to get something you have aspired for! Learn to have faith in yourself and your abilities, and you are sure to succeed in the days to come.As a young man, Okonkwo becomes one of the greatest wrestlers in the clan. However, the ones in which you fail, make sure that you take lessons from those, and don’t repeat the same from next time onwards. You will come across several other circumstances ahead in your life and always keep on giving your best in each and every deal you encounter. You do not know which one of them gets clicked. You need to understand that it’s not the end of your life. Good things often fall apart only because you had better things waiting there for you. Don’t get disappointed for those were probably just good for you, but the ones that have been waiting for you might be the better ones. Therefore, you could see a lot of situations against you. Yes, you need to understand that God’s plans are way ahead than yours. Also, those things had to fall apart, probably due to the fact that better things are there lining up for you. Therefore, you should not be regretting your failure. When you fail, you learn about the loopholes of a particular project that the ones who have succeeded probably not have noticed. Remember that success doesn’t lie in achievements alone, it resembles the amount of effort you have put into the work, and either or not, you are ready to give up. Life happens, and you would probably meet a lot of situations, likewise. However, you should not be considering it as the end of your journey. Suppose you know you have worked really hard all throughout the year, and you were meant to turn out with excellent results. But, you should never get disheartened, for the cycle of life needs to go on!

You might have wanted something, but couldn’t get it despite all the efforts that you had made into it. Well, in life, you may see quite a lot of situations that will not turn in your favor.

All good things fall apart