Schrader 1

Courtney Schrader
HELA II
Rager-6
24 September 2014
Okonkwos Decision
Okonkwos decision to kill Ikemefuna was wrong for many reasons, not only did it affect
him but it also affected his son. Okonkwo killed Ikemefuna, not because he wanted to or was
asked to but because he wanted to prove to his fellow clansmen that he was not weak. In fact
Okonkwo was specifically asked not to kill Ikemefuna by Obuefi Ezudu, a well-respected eld3er
of his clan. Ezudu told him That boy calls you father. Do not bear a hand in his death (Achebe
57). Ikemefuna proves Ezudus statement that he loved Okonkwo like a father by running to
Okonkwo for help saying my father they have killed me! when the clansmen begin to attack
him (Achebe 61). However, rather than do as the elder said, Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna in effort
to prove himself to his clansmen, even though one of his clansmen had asked him not to kill the
boy. When Ikemefuna came to Okonkwo asking for help Okonkwo drew his machete and cut
him down. He was afraid of being thought weak (Achebe 61). Okonkwo was so afraid of being
thought weak that he killed a boy he saw as a son and who saw him as a father, even after being
asked not to kill the boy by a man he respected. Another reason it was wrong for Okonkwo to kill
Ikemefuna is that his oldest son, Nwoye, looked up to and loved Ikemefuna as a brother and his
death hurt Nwoye. Nwoye Wanted to be like Ikemefuna and he worked hard and became the boy
his father wanted him to be by following Ikemefunas example. When Okonkwo came home
after killing Ikemefuna Nwoye knew that Ikemefuna had been killed, and something seemed to

Schrader 2
break inside him, like the snapping of a tightened bow. He did not cry he just hung limp
(Achebe 61). Nwoye knew Okonkwo and the other men had killed Ikemefuna and he became
very upset. Okonkwo knows he made the wrong decision because he regrets killing the boy. In
fact Okonkwo did not taste any food for two days after the death o9f Ikemefuna (Achebe 63).
This shows that Okonkwo regrets his actions and fees very guilty for doing what he did.
Okonkwos actions also led his oldest son Nwoye to fear him; this also shows why Okonkwo
made the wrong decision in Killing Ikemefuna. Nwoye knows that his father killed Ikemefuna
and this causes him to fear his father. Okonkwo still wanted to have Nwoye sit with him in his
hut as he had done when Ikemefuna was alive so he called his son, Nwoye, to sit with him in his
obi. But the boy was afraid of him and slipped out as soon as he noticed him dozing (Achebe
63). Okonkwo saw Ikemefuna as a son but he killed him to prove he was not weak. This scares
Nwoye because he thinks that Okonkwo would just as easily kill him if he thought he needed to
prove his strength of the clan wanted him to. That fear his son has towards him is another reason
why he should not have killed Ikemefuna. Okonkwo did not make the correct decision in killing
Ikemefuna because he was asked not to kill the boy, his son looked up to and loved the boy as a
brother, Okonkwo regretted killing the boy, and it caused Okonkwos son to fear him.