You suck
...w Year. Achebe wants us to appreciate the beauty and strength of the Igbo people; sympathy and respect for the Igbo makes the end of the novel all the more painful. Chapter 7 Summary: Three years pass, and Ikemefuna matures into an adolescent in Okonkwo's household. Ikemefuna and Nwoye are as inseparable as ever, and because Ikemefuna treats Nwoye with respect, Nwoye is developing into a more confident and hard-working young man. Okonkwo is pleased by the change, and he knows it is due to Ikemefuna. He often eats with the two boys. (Typically, the man of the house eats separately in his central hut, or obi, while the women and children eat in their respective parts of the compound.) Nwoye seems to be pleasing his father more and more. To make him happy, he grumbles about women and pretends to scorn his mother's folktales (although in truth he still loves them). Instead, he listens to Okonkwo's stories of war and violence. The locusts come. They are not a threat to Umuofia's staple crops, as they come after harvest, during the cold harmattan season. First, a small swarm of scouts comes, and then a larger group arrives. Their coming fills the Igbo with joy, because the locusts come only once every seven years, and they are delicious to eat. Okonkwo is enjoying locust when Ogbuefi Ezeudu enters. He is a great village elder, and he has come to inform Okonkwo that the time has come for Ikemefuna's death. They tell Okonkwo not to bear a hand in the child's execution. The next day, a large group of elders comes to Okonkwo to discuss it more fully with him. Later that day, Okonkwo tells Ikemefuna that he is to be sent home. Nwoye hears, and begins to cry; his father beats him heavily. A group of men brings Ikemefuna deep into the forest. The boy thinks about how strange it will be to see his family again; he is excited to see them, but also said to be leaving his new family. They walk for hours. The other men attack Ikemefuna with hatchets. He runs to Okonkwo, calling him father, begging for help. Afraid of being thought weak, and full of a terrible fear, Okonkwo uses his matchet to strike the boy down. When Okonkwo returns later that night, Nwoye knows that Ikemefuna has been killed. A terrible sadness comes to him. He does not cry, but something in him has been broken. The last time he felt this way was during the last harvest season. He had been in the forest with his family, bringing back yams from the harvest. They heard an infant crying. The women fell silent and walked faster. Nwoye had heard that twins, considered evil by the Igbo, were left to die in the forest. He had never come across any. A great sickness and sorrow came over him. He has that feeling again now. Analysis: Ikemefuna is depicted as a perfect son and brother. He succeeds where Okonkwo cannot: he helps Nwoye to be more self-assured and confident. The exaggerated shows of masculinity Nwoye begins to make are contrived and for the pleasure of his father, but Nwoye is becoming more comfortable and confident. Ikemefuna's, with his gentleness and his love of folktales, has provided Nwoye with the positive male role model that he needed. Ikemefuna is also something of a Christ figure. He dies as a sacrifice for the good of the many; it is no coincidence that Nwoye later converts to Christianity. Nwoye is disturbed by some of the practices of his own people. They fill him with a vague fear and sorrow, and he will later seek solace in a foreign religion. The arrival of the locusts might initially worry the reader who knows that locusts are often disastrous for a community of farmers. These locusts pose no threat to the Igbo. However, they foreshadow a more dangerous swarm that will arrive later. Like the white man, they send scouts first and then arrive with overwhelming numbers and force. We see again Okonkwo's terrible fear of failure, which includes a fear of being thought weak. Despite sorrow and terror, he goes with the men when they kill Ikemefuna. He himself delivers the killing blow, even as the boy calls him "Father" and asks for his help. He was advised by the elders to stay home; to kill kin is considered a terrible offense to the Igbo. But Okonkwo is determined to prove himself unshakeable. In the proving, he does damage to himself and creates a rift between him and Nwoye that will never be healed. Chapter 8 Summary: Okonkwo does not touch food for two days after the death of Ikemefuna. He drinks, and though he calls Nwoye into his obi to be with him, the boy is scared of him and steals away when Okonkwo is dozing. He is weak and listless. On the third day, he asks his second wife, Ekwefi, to prepare some food for him. Ezinma brings out, encouraging him to eat. As she takes care of him, Okonkwo thinks repeatedly that she should have been born a boy. Okonkwo is ashamed that he has been affected by Ikemefuna's death. He goes to speak with his good friend, Obeirika. Obeirika invites Okonkwo to be with him later while he negotiates the bride price for his daughter. Okonkwo criticizes Obeirika for not coming to kill Ikemefuna. Obeirika responds in turn that Okonkwo should not have gone; the act that Okonkwo committed is the kind of deed the gods punish. Okonkwo is present for the negotiation of the bride price. There is polite negotiation, as the two families strive to reach a settlement that will be honorable for both groups. Many men from both families are present. Okonkwo enjoys himself. The talk turns to different customs, and they discuss rumors of the traditions in distant lands. Obeirika speaks of a particularly ridiculous story he heard: far away, the story goes, tribes have been visited by men with white skin. Analysis: Okonkwo's fear of effeminacy and weakness drives him to actions and emotions that do not always come naturally to him. He is disturbed by the death of Ikemefuna, but he is even more disturbed that he is disturbed. Any emotion approaching tenderness or softness must be suppressed. Obeirika, Okonkwo's good friend, shows that Okonkwo's attitudes, though influenced by culture, are not exactly typical for an Igbo man. Okonkwo, along the model of the tragic hero, is an extreme example of his people. He carries their traits to excess. Obeirika, on the other hand, is a rich man and a man of sensitivity. He was not present at the Ikemefuna's death, nor does he approve of Okonkwo's participation in the act. There is much digression in this chapter, as we witness the Igbo customs or courtship. The negotiations are civil and even joyous, as the men drink great quantities of palm wine. At the close of the chapter, we are given an ominous foreshadowing of what is to come. The men all dismiss the stories of approaching white men as patently ridiculous. Their reaction to the rumor shows how unready the Africans were for the coming of the European colonial powers. Everything we have learned about the Igbo shows that their concept of war and conquest is quite different from that of the European invaders: war is fought over questions of honor rather than a desire for material gain. And European military technology is beyond anything the Igbo have. The stories of white men seem so fantastic, so far outside of anything the Igbo have experienced, that they are immediately dismissed as myth. Chapter 9 Summary: Okonkwo sleeps well for the first time in three nights. He is woken in the morning by Ekwefi banging on the door: Ezinma is dying. Ekwefi has had ten children. Nine have died. The medicine man has said that she has given birth to an ogbanje, a wicked child who, after dying, returns to its mother's womb to be reborn and die again. Ezinma has always been a sickly child, prone to swing between periods of great vivacity and darker times when she seems near death. A year ago, Okagbue, the medicine man, found Ezinma's iyi-uwa, her supposed link to the world of the ogbanje. So the girl should not die again. But Ekwefi, fearful that she might lose the child that is the center of her life, is terrified. Okonkwo believes it is iba sickness, and he gathers herbs and begins to prepare a medicine for Ezinma. The girl is held over a concoction of herbs and hot water, and forced to breathe in the steam. Analysis: Igbo beliefs constitute one of the forces that holds their society together. Remember the title: we are reading about the disintegration of an old way of life and the end of autonomy for a great people. High infant mortality is one of the unfortunate truths of Igbo life. Their religion attempts to find meaning in this tragedy. And although nothing supernatural happens in the novel, there are certain things in the Igbo religion that Achebe depicts as uncanny. When Okagbue searches for Ezinma's iyi-uwa, the girl seems to go into a strange, trance-like state: she cooperates with the medicine man as if the iyi-uwa is real, and indeed, he does find a strange object in the location that she indicates. Achebe does not depict the superstitions of the Igbo as being necessarily true, but he does show that their religious beliefs often contain uncanny insights. Later, the Oracle will predict with uncanny accuracy the methods of the white man. Chapter 10 Summary: Umuofia has a great clan gathering. Nine men in the cult of the egwugwu impersonate the nine founders of the villages of Umuofia. During the ceremony, the men are considered to be the spirits of the clan. The transformation is spiritual and complete, in the same way that Catholics believe that the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ. The ceremony is for the administration of justice. Families with disputes come forward to have their cases tried publicly. The first case involves a woman who has left her husband. He wants her to return, along with her two children. The woman's family claims that her husband was abusive. Evil Forest, the egwugwu who listens to the case, decides that the husband must bear gifts to his in-laws and beg his wife's forgiveness. She will return, but he should not beat her again. Analysis: The ceremony of the egwugwu is clearly one dominated by men. Only men are in the cult of the egwugwu, and so only men are involved in the administration of justice. But for the first case of the ceremony, Achebe chooses a case involving a woman's well-being. Here and elsewhere, he tries to show that a woman's place in Igbo society, though vulnerable, is not unappreciated. Mgbafo, the abused bride, is protected by her brothers. Her case is viewed favorably by the judge. Although Achebe shows us that the Igbo society is deeply patriarchal, he also strives to show that Igbo woman, in at least a limited capacity, are respected and protected. There is an interest in justice and fairness. And to keep perspective on the issue, the reader should remember that women in 19th century England and America did not enjoy any more freedom than their counterparts in Nigeria. Chapter 11 Summary: Ezinma and Ekwefi are spending a peaceful night telling folktales to each other. They are interrupted by Agbala, the Oracle, who has come for Ezinma. She takes Ezinma onto her back and carries her away, strictly forbidding the girl's parents from following. Ekwefi hesitates only a moment, and then secretly follows anyway. The Oracle takes a long walk, going all the way around the nine villages. Despite the fact that she carries the child on her back, she moves at an astonishing speed; Ekwefi can barely keep up. The Oracle finally returns to her sacred cave. She disappears inside. Terrified, Ekwefi waits outside the cave: she resolves to enter if she hears her daughter crying. To save her child, she will fight the gods if necessary. Ekwefi is startled by Okonkwo, who has also followed the Oracle. The two of them wait for the priestess of Agbala to emerge again. Standing in the dark with him, she remembers when she first came to him. She was young, and she had been married off to another man. Two years into the marriage, she went to Okonkwo. Without speaking, he carried her to his bed and began to undress her. Analysis: The priestess of Agbala is a mysterious and frightening figure. Remember that in normal life she is Chielo, a widow who is slight and getting on in years. Yet even with a large child on her back, as the Oracle she moves at an astonishing rate. Ekwefi's love for Ezinma is touching. She is determined to protect her child. The relationship between them is special, almost a bond between equals. Unlike Okonkwo, who constantly wishes that Ezinma had been born a boy, Ekwefi seems grateful for the female companionship her daughter provides. Igbo society may be patriarchal, but Achebe is determined to show the relationships between women as central to Igbo life. The wives of Okonkwo, for example, do not seem to compete with one another. Rather, they support and comfort each other; in this chapter, Okonkwo's first wife tries to reassure Ekwefi when the priestess takes Ezinma away. And the relationship between Chielo and Ekwefi also seems important here. The Oracle's interest in Ezinma turns out to be benevolent. Remember that Chielo is a friend of Ekwefi, and the old widow is also particularly fond of Ezinma. Given Ezinma's health troubles, we can infer that the priestess is seeking some kind of spiritual protection for the child. And indeed, in later chapters we learn that Ezinma ceases to be a sickly child after this strange night with the Oracle. Ezinma is loved by her father, also. Okonkwo follows the priestess, too, as determined as Ekwefi to protect the child if need be. But on his appearance outside the cave, we are reminded of Okonkwo's character and limitations: he is carrying a matchet, as if a mortal weapon could protect him against gods and spirits. Okonkwo approach to problems never varies. He has one set of reactions: willpower and the strength of his muscles are his only weapons. Later, this single-minded approach will cost him his life. Chapter 12 Summary: The next day is the uri of Obeirika's daughter. It is a woman's celebration, centering on the bride-to-be and her mother. Okonkwo's first and third wive's prepare their gifts. Ekwefi, exhausted by the ordeal of waiting for Ezinma and the Oracle, waits for Ezinma to wake and asks the other wives to explain her tardiness. No one besides Ekwefi knows that Okonkwo also followed the Oracle. He waited a suitable "manly" interval first before going straight to the cave. Finding no one there, he left, but he returned when worry seized him once again. All in all, he returned to the cave four times before he met Ekwefi there. Obierika's compound is full of activity, as many people in the village are helping to prepare for the great feast. While the women are preparing food, they notice a cow has gotten loose in a neighbor's crops. The women all hurry to push the cow back home; its owner immediately pays the heavy fine for letting a cow loose in a neighbor's fields. The cow's release was an accident. The feast is lively, full of gift-giving, dance, and song. The new in-laws exchange gifts and praise with Obierika's family, and before living the village they pay respects to the housed of high-ranking men. Among these men is Okonkwo. He gives them a gift of two cocks. Analysis: Okonkwo considers any show of feeling to be a weakness. He did not follow the Oracle immediately, but instead waited for a suitable "manly" interval. But his feelings for Ezinma are strong: despite his desire to appear manly and detached, he returns to the cave four times, gravely worried for his favorite daughter. The festival illustrates the bonds of Umuofia's community. The gift-giving is generous, on both sides. Even the interruptive incident of the loose cow is resolved quickly and peaceful. Achebe emphasizes the strength of the social fabric of Umuofia. The social organization and customs of the tribe are not the barbaric practices of a primitive people, but rather a rich system of tradition and wisdom that preserves peace and harmony between the people of Umuofia. Potential sources of conflict (loose cows, runaway brides) are resolved rationally and fairly. The Igbo delight in festivals and generous gift-giving. Holidays like the uri involve the whole community. Chapter 13 Summary: The village crier announces the death of Ezeudu, one of the great elders of the clan. It was Ezeudu who first told Okonkwo that Ikemefuna most die. It was also Ezeudu who advised Okonkwo to take no part in it. The funeral is a great event. The egwugwu cult is out in full force, as men embodying the gods and spirits of the clan come out to participate in the funerary rites. During the ceremony, Okonkwo's gun explodes suddenly. A piece of iron pierces the heart of one of Ezeudu's sons. Even though the death is accidental, the act is an abomination to the Igbo. Okonkwo is to be exiled for seven years. That night, Okonkwo packs up his most valuable belongings. His yams are transported to Obierika's barn. Before dawn, Okonkwo and his whole family set out for Mbanta, the home of Okonkwo's mother. As day brokes, men come and destroy Okonkwo's home. They kill his animals and set fire to the buildings. They bear no malice to Okonkwo, but the laws of the Igbo must be obeyed. Obierika is sorry for his friend's misfortune. He is a thoughtful man, and he tries to think out why his friend should suffer. He also thinks of the twins his wife bore long ago, and how he had to abandon them to certain death. He arrives at no answers. Analysis: Achebe has shown the great social mobility of the Igbo. A man's worth is not at all determined by the wealth of his father: with hard work and determination, a man can rise to greatness. Okonkwo is proof of that. Consequently, one of his central belief's is faith in the fairness of the world. A man gets what he deserves. But the beginning of Okonkwo's tragedy is a complete accident. It is a moment of blind chance that drives Okonkwo from his homeland. The greatest loss is more than material: Okonkwo's faith in the power of hard work is shaken. His will and strong arm are unable to prevent this disaster. As a middle-aged man, Okonkwo is being forced to start over again. Although the event is an accident, it should also be remembered that Ezeudu was the man who warned Okonkwo not to take hand in Ikemefuna's death. The disaster, a seeming accident, seems to confirm the fears of Obierika, who warned Okonkwo that the earth goddess did not smile on Okonkwo's participation in Ikemefuna's murder. However, the incident here is as literary as it is mystical; the calamity taking place at Ezeudu's funeral is a kind of poetic justice more than it is an example of divine retribution. It is one of many incidents in the novel where tribal ceremonies and rites resonate with the novel's central action. Chapter 14 Summary: Okonkwo and his family are received by Uchendu, his mother's younger brother and the oldest living member of their family. The last time Okonkwo saw Uchendu was at the burial of Okonkwo's mother; Okonkwo was only a young boy. Uchendu is kind and generous. The kinsman of Okonkwo's mother donate some land and a modest quantity of seed yams. But starting over is hard. Okonkwo and his wives are no longer young, and beginning all over again without the strength of youth is no easy thing. Okonkwo works hard, but it no longer gives him pleasure. He has always dreamed of being one of the lords of Umuofia, and now it seems that this setback may have shattered that dream for good. He works without joy and spends his days moping. Uchendu notices that Okonkwo has given himself over to despair. Uchendu's youngest son is taking a new wife, and the family performs a ceremony marking her arrival. All of the daughters of the family return for this day, and remain for a few days afterward. On the second day, Uchendu calls everyone together. He addresses Okonkwo, telling him that he must not give in to despair. A common name given to children is Nneka, "Mother is Supreme." Although their society is patriarchal, Uchendu points out that when a child is beaten by its father, it returns to its mother for comfort. In the same way, Okonkwo, exiled by his fatherland, has taken refuge in his motherland. He cannot allow himself to be bowed down by despair. Uchendu sternly reprimands him, telling him that many men have suffered more than he. He must take heart and resolve to keep on living, or his children and wives will die in exile. Analysis: Here as elsewhere, Achebe's digression into the rituals and celebrations of the Igbo in some way echo what is going on in the central story of the novel. In addition to fleshing out Achebe's portrait of Igbo life, the parallels here between ceremony and central action are strong. The ceremony welcoming the new bride is dominated by the women: it is the husband's sisters who subject the new bride to scrutiny, with the eldest sister taking on a protective role for her brother. Not coincidentally, Uchendu's lecture centers on the important role of a mother and maternal blood lines. Okonkwo, so proud of manhood and obsessed with masculinity, is being asked to accept a mother's comfort. He is also asked by Uchendu to be a source of tenderness and comfort to his wives; Okonkwo has always associated such behavior with weakness. Uchendu is reminding his nephew that strength is not synonymous with force and violence. He is also reminding Okonkwo that strength is not a uniquely male domain. Chapter 15 Summary: In the second year of Okonkwo's exile, Obierika comes to visit him. He brings two bags full of cowries; they are money he has made off of the yams Okonkwo left with him. Obierika comes with two young men as his attendants, and he and Okonkwo great each other joyfully. They eat kola with Uchendu, and Obierika shares a bit of disturbing news. Abame, a neighboring village cluster like Umuofia, has been destroyed. Not long ago, a white man arrived in Abame on an "iron horse" (a bicycle). The people of the town did not know what to make of him. The Oracle warned them that the man was like a scout locust, a harbringer sent to explore the terrain. The other white men would follow, and when they came they were going to bring death and destruction with them. Some men killed the white man and tied up his iron horse. Not long afterward, three white men arrived with a large number of African attendants. They saw the bicycle and left. Several weeks later, three white men and a group of African subordinates came into the Abame marketplace armed with powerful guns. They shot everyone in sight. The only survivors were those who were lucky enough not to be in the market that day, and these refugees have scattered. The village of Abame is now completely empty. Uchendu grits his teeth in anger and fear. The men of Abame were fools, he says, for killing the white man out of fear. They inadvertently brought destruction on themselves. Okonkwo says that they were fools not to prepare for an attack. The talk turns to more pleasant conversation. Okonkwo thanks Obierika for his justness and generosity. Obierika brushes off his friend's thanks, kindly refusing to be praised for what is natural between friends. Analysis: This ominous chapter foreshadows the future that threatens Umuofia. The whites send a few men to explore the terrain, and on the slightest provocation retaliate with terrible force. Although the people of Abame were wrong to murder the white man (and notice that Uchendu stresses this point), the retaliation of the white man is excessive. For the ignorant and fearful murder of one man, the whites respond with a brutal massacre that destroys a whole village. Although we are not given the exact number of deaths, Abame probably had a considerable population: remember that Umuofia has some ten thousand adult males. The effects of European colonialism are finally beginning to penetrate into Nigeria. Although Obierika mentions old legends of white men who took slaves from distant parts of Africa, these stories have always been dismissed as myth. The other ominous bit of foreshadowing comes with the two very different reactions of Uchendu and Okonkwo. Uchendu, depicted always as a wise and thoughtful man, says that the mistake was to kill the stranger. Okonkwo, characteristically, says that the mistake was failing to prepare for war. Okonkwo will later try to defy the white man, with tragic results. Fear is one of the primary sources of tragedy in the novel. We are constantly shown how Okonkwo's fear of failure and effeminacy drives him to ill-considered acts. The village of Abame is destroyed because of fear. The men hear the prediction of the Oracle and panic. They kill the Scout, Once again, we see the uncanny insights of the Igbo oracles. The oracle of Abame correctly predicted that the white man was the harbinger of destruction. She even accurately described the scout-and-conquer methods of the white man; remember that the Igbo have a very different concept of war. On the theme of tribal belief, Achebe is not out to prove that Igbo religion is "true." But he does show that the oracles often have uncanny insights. The use of the oracles in the novel also contributes to the theme of fate, which is always an important part of tragedy. One could argue that the Abame oracle's prophecy was self-fulfilling, which is another common aspect of tragedy: the more one tries to elude a foretold fate, the faster one reaches it. However, the Oracle's prophecy would have come true regardless of the townspeople's actions. European imperialists brought death and destruction on all of their subjects, innocent and guilty alike. In the same way, the tragedy that befalls Okonkwo is in part his own making, but also comes from predetermined forces. Chapter 16 Summary: Obierika comes to visit Okonkwo again two years later. Circumstances are less happy. White missionaries have come to Umuofia; they have built a church and even won converts. Obierika visits Okonkwo because in Umuofia he saw Nwoye among the Christians. When he asked Nwoye what he was doing, Nwoye responded that he had embraced the new faith. And when he asked Nwoye about Okonkwo, Nwoye responded that Okonkwo was no longer his father. Greatly disturbed, Obierika visits Okonkwo, but Okonkwo does not want to talk about Nwoye. Obierika hears the truth from Nwoye's mother. When the missionaries first arrived in Mbanta, all of the villagers came to see them. Their leader was a white man who spoke through interpreters. He informed the people that their gods were false and only the Christian god was real. Okonkwo, after hearing the convoluted theology of the Trinity, decided that the man was clearly mad. He left and went back to work. The Christians then broke into song. Hearing the words of the song, Nwoye felt something stirring in him. In the poetry of the new religion, he found some kind of answer, some kind of comfort to soothe away the scars of Ikemefuna's death and the sound of twin children in the forest. He left the market greatly puzzled. Analysis: Disintegration of Igbo society is central to Things Fall Apart; the idea of collapse, on both an individual and social level, is one of the novel's central images. This image also gives the book its title. The Christians arrive and bring division to the Igbo. One of their first victims is Okonkwo's family. The new faith divides father from son, and the Christians seek to attack the very heart of Igbo belief; such an attack also attacks the core of Igbo culture, as the tribe's religious beliefs are absolutely integral to all other aspects of life. Not coincidentally, the first converts are people who stand to profit from a change in the social order. They are people who have no title in the tribe, and thus have nothing to lose. Chapter 17 Summary: The missionaries soon asked the village leaders to give them a space for them to build a church. The village leaders decided to give them a plot in the town's Evil Forest. Every Igbo village has an evil forest, where the undesirable dead and the powerful fetishes of medicine men are buried. The Evil Forest is believed to be full of malevolent and unpredictable magical energies. Everyone expects the Christians to die in a matter of days. When they remain alive, the people of Mbanto have to concede that the white priests command powerful magic. The Church begins to win a tiny number of converts. Mr. Kiaga, an African convert, takes charge of the new church in Mbanto; the white priest goes to Umuofia. Initially, Nwoye does not dare to go into the church, but he listens to the men preaching the gospel in the market. He begins to learn the simple stories from the Bible. The one month mark passes, by the end of which the gods should most certainly take their revenge. The Christians remain alive. They also win their first female convert, a woman named Nneka. She is pregnant; the previous four times she has given birth, she has had twins. Following Igbo custom, the twins were abandoned to a death by exposure. She flees her family and takes refuge with the new church. Okonkwo's cousin, Amikwu, is in the market when he sees Nwoye among the Christians. He goes and tells Okonkwo immediately. When Nwoye comes home, Okonkwo attacks him viciously. The women scream outside, afraid to enter. Finally, Uchendu sternly commands Okonkwo to stop. He does, and Nwoye leaves without a word. Nwoye tells Mr. Kiaga that he wants go to Umuofia, to attend the missionary school where he will learn to read and write. Okonkwo is furious and bitter that his son has joined the Christians. He wonders what he did to deserve such a son. Analysis: In Christianity, Nwoye finds comfort for things that have long disturbed him. But the religion also provides him with a way to rebel against his father. And the social effects of Christianity will be as bad as the Igbo fear. The new religion undermines the hierarchies of the culture; Achebe also points out that the religion provides hope to those who have suffered under Igbo law. Although the men without title embracing the religion says little in favor of it (especially since Igbo society has a high degree of social mobility), Nneka's defection to the new faith is telling. She has born four pairs of twins, and has been forced to throw all of them away. Pregnant again, she is desperate to save her children. Not coincidentally, she bears the name that Uchendu mentioned earlier: "Mother Is Supreme." But just as Igbo faith is integral to Igbo society, the new religion also comes with social and political attachments. Once land has been granted for the building of the church, the whites become difficult to dislodge. They bring their laws and their guns soon afterward, and Igbo men and women are forced to live under the colonial yoke. Okonkwo is not a man who learns. He cannot understand that his own harshness has driven Nwoye away. The boy is terrified of him, and he has suffered greatly because of his sensitivity. We see an array of different male role models. Uchendu provides a sage counterpoint to Okonkwo's violent masculinity. Mr. Kiaga and the men of the church provide another alternative; to escape his father, Nwoye goes with them. Chapter 18 Summary: The church grows despite some difficulties. The Christians rescue twins from the forest, and Mr. Kiaga leads the fledgling community with strength and unshakeable conviction. Trouble rises between the church in Mbanta and the clan when three converts go into the village and say that all of the Igbo gods are false. They announce their intention to burn all the shrines. Furious, the clanspeople beat the three men severely. Disturbing stories are also making their way to Mbanto. Rumor says that where the white man's religion goes, the white man's government follows. Churches arrive first, and soon after the targeted village is forced to bow under white authority. Controversy rises in the young church over the question of admitting the osu, a caste of outcasts who are set aside in dedication to the gods. They are not allowed to use razors, and their dead are buried in the evil forest. Mr. Kiaga demands that the outcasts be accepted. The osu shave their heads, at Mr. Kiaga's encouragement, and they soon become the most faithful followers of the new faith. More trouble arises when one of these osu converts kills a python, which is a sacred animal and the emanation of the god of water. The people of Mbanto meet to decide what to do about this new religion. Okonkwo councils war against the Christians, but cooler heads prevail. Fearing that the gods will be angry with Mbanto if the clan does nothing, the clan decides to ostracize the converts. They are no longer allowed to enjoy the privileges of clan membership. Initially, that includes not drawing water from the spring; the first day, the Christians are threatened by violence. But then Okoli, the man who killed the python, falls ill mysteriously and dies. His death proves the gods are watching; after that, the clan relaxes its stance towards the Christians. Analysis: Achebe's portrait of the Christians is as fair and balanced as his portrait of the Igbo; remember that his own parents were Christian missionaries. Although Christian intolerance leads to problems in the beginnings of the new community, Mr. Kiaga's wise and steady leadership is quite admirable. We also see that the Christians fill a void in clan life; they do great good by rescuing the twins and providing comfort to outcasts. But it is also true that the Christians are the first wave of imperialism. The arrival of the missionaries is the precursor to subjugation. Okonkwo, characteristically, calls for war. Remember that he despises the Christians because of the conversion of his son. He is disgusted when Mbanto chooses the softer penalty of ostracizing them. He believes that Umuofia would have chosen a different course. His hotheadedness and determination to fight the new faith with his fists is typical of him; we are reminded that when faced with a problem, Okonkwo only knows one way to fight back. Chapter 19 Summary: The seven years of exile are coming to an end. Okonkwo sends money to Obierika to build two huts where Okonkwo and his family will live unti...