Kinship and familial ties

Quote

Character

Chapter

“Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.”

Narrator

1

“A proud heart can survive a general failure... it is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone.”

Unoka

3

“Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had. He did not inherit a barn from his father. There was no barn to inherit.”

Narrator

3

“Even Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy – inwardly of course... Sometimes when he went to big village meetings or communal ancestral feasts he allowed Ikemefuna to accompany him, like a son, carrying his stool and his goatskin bag. And, indeed, Ikemefuna called him father.”

Narrator

4

“Ezinma, unlike most children, called her mother by her name.”

Narrator

5

“That boy calls you father. Do not bear a hand in his death.”

Ezedu

7

“If you allow sorrow to weigh you down and kill you, they [Okonkwo’s family] will all die in exile.”

Uchendu

14

“He is not my Father.”

Nwoye

16

“ The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”

Obierika

20