Things Fall Apart

In Things Fall Apart, Ikemefuna is killed because the Oracle decrees that he must die after living in Okonkwo’s household for three years. Although Ogbuefi Ezeudu warns Okonkwo not to take part in the killing because “the boy calls you father,” Okonkwo ignores the advice out of fear that others will think he is weak.

A group of men takes Ikemefuna away from the village under the false claim that he is being returned home. Ikemefuna feels comforted by Okonkwo’s presence and imagines seeing his mother and sister again. Then one of the men suddenly attacks him with a machete. Terrified, Ikemefuna runs toward Okonkwo crying for help, but Okonkwo strikes him with his own machete and kills him.

Ikemefuna’s death becomes a turning point in the novel. It damages Okonkwo internally, even though he refuses to admit it, and it also deeply affects his son Nwoye, who feels something “give way inside him” afterward. The killing exposes how Okonkwo’s obsession with masculinity and strength pushes him to betray someone he loves. It also begins Nwoye’s rejection of Umuofia’s violent traditions, especially the sacrifice of innocent people.