own out the palm-oi

o bed when he heard

ll night air. Gome, go

n the crier gave his

ment again. And this

ked to gather at the

wondered what was

hing was amiss. He h

the crier's voice, and

w dimmer and dimm

iet. It was always qu

a vague terror for t

hildren were warned n

rits. Dangerous anim

in the dark. A snake

it would hear. It was

night as the crier'

distance, silence re

re intense by the unive

forest

it would be different

pen fields would then

uld be playing in pai

n would remember the

s shining the cripple

r night was dark and sil

town crier with his

row morning. Okonkw

the nature of the em

t seemed the most lik

was a man of action, a

the look of blood. In

g home a human head.

d man yet. On great

elebrity he drank his

an

arket place was full

n there, all talking

up in the midst of

," and on each occasi

o push the air with a

d "Yaa!" each time.

ugo was a powerful o

uch occasions. He mo

his white beard. He t

r his right arm-pit a

uld

ellowed a fifth time,

uddenly like one poss

in the direction of Mb

firmly clenched: "Tho

a daughter of Umuof

teeth, and allowed

owd. When he began ag

n its place a sort o

inister than the an

told Umuofia how thei

at woman, said Ezeugo,was the wife of Og

d head. The crowd th

rst for

nd at the end it was

action. An ultima

asking them to choose

ther the offer of a yo

ensa

all its neighbors. I

priests and medicine

ry. Its most potent w

obody knew how old. B

-the active principle

h one leg. In fact, t

old woman. It had its

spot. And if anybody

fter dusk he was sur

ing

g clans who naturally

ould not go to war ag

lement. And in fairnes

ver went to war unless

s such by its Oracle -

here were indeed occ

a to wage a war. If

d surely have been b

uld never fight what t

am

threatened was a ju

uofia arrived attreated with great honor

fteen and a young vir

tory is still told in

, met to hear a report

ed, as everybody knew

efi Udo to replace his

o the clan as a whole,

onkwo was, therefore,

im in the interim. A

ed in Okonkwo

ousehold with a hea

, lived in perpetual fe

children. Perhaps do

ut his whole life was

f weakness. It was de

and capricious gods an

forces of nature, malev

was greater than thes

imself. It was the fe

emble his father. Even

failure and weakness

ad suffered when a

agbala. That was how

not only another name

had taken no title

to hate everything th

ings was gentleness an

season Okonkwo worke

the chickens went t

ly felt fatigue. Bu

strong, and so they s

, Nwoye, was thentwelve years old but wa

ess. At any rate, that

t to correct him by

e was developing int

was visible in his ho

a thick wall of red e

behind the only gate

d her own hut, which

he barn was built agai

of yam stood out pros

ompound was a shed fo

achment to her hut for

e "medicine house" or

ls of his personal go

d them with sacrifice

d prayers to them on

s and eigh

ter of Umuofia wa

to Okonkwo's hous

t day he called his

him ove

clan," he told her.

g long with u

told, woman," Oko

did you become on

ofi

r took Ikemefuna to

boy himself, he was terr

happening to him or

father had taken a ha

ew was that a few men

h his father in low t

d handed over to a st

had been too surpris

him, and a girl, a lo

paths. He did not know

r saw h