Achebe portrayed Ekwefi(TM)s relationship

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How has Achebe portrayed Ekwefi’s relationship

With Okonkwo?

The relationship between Okonkwo and his second with Ekwefi come across in various chapters of the novels; snippets of their relationship make a clearer picture as the novel progresses. Looking at Achebe’s language choices and narrative viewpoint their relationship shows a mixture of both anger and caring which comes apparent in the few scenes where Okonkwo lets his guard down around her.

The fist glance at their relationship is a negative view as we see Okonkwo beating then shooting at his wife for going out “Okonkwo heard it and ran madly into his room for the loaded gun, ran out again and aimed at her” Okonkwo is easily angered this is apparent in all of his relationships with people but it also give Ekwefi a sense of character, strong willed as “the wife who had just been beaten murmured something about guns that never shot” showing a defiant streak then again resurfaces when she goes to look for her daughter and showing when she needs to be she possess a fiery spirit.

In spite of this we learn there was a strong bond between them “many years ago when she was the village beauty Okonkwo had won her heart… a few years later she ran away from her husband and came to live with Okonkwo” It shows there certainly was a mutual feeling between them as time has passed we see that it is not as apparent.

Okonkwo’s reputation as a cold and fearless warrior plays a large part of his apparent detachment from Ekwefi and as such we get the sense that he does not care about her greatly however rare moments in the book give an alternative idea. In chapter 11 when Enzima is taken and Ekwefi follows we see Okonkwo come to find her “tears of gratitude filled her eyes”. Okonkwo has always considered showing emotion to be weak but this shows us that beneath his exterior he does care.

The narrative defining their relationship is somewhat fractured; switching between the past and present day. Achebe hints that Okonkwo has the closest bond with Ekwefi opposed to his other wives “he knew it must only be Ekwefi. Of his three wives Ekwefi was the only one who would have the audacity to bang on his door” thus giving us the impression he knows her best.

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The two characters are fairly alike in subtle ways put across by Achebe “Ekwefi had become a very bitter woman…. Was the only person in the happy company who went about with a cloud on her brow” while Okonkwo describing his father “his love of talk had grown with age and sickness. It tried Okonkwo’s patience beyond words” Both have become somewhat cynical of others and it can be a common grounding point in their uneven relationship.

Their relationship was founded upon physical intimacy “even in those days he was not a man of many words. He just ...

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