Monday, March 3, 2008
Obierika as a Friend
From the time that Obierika is introduced, he is displayed as a good friend and a good man. He is loyal to Okwonkwo, but at the same time he gives him good advice on how he should go about his business. After Okwonkwo kills Ikemefuna, Obierika warns him that it was a bad decision for him to have done that, and that he should have had someone else do it. When Okwonkwo tries to say that he was only acting as a messenger to the earth goddess obierika replies, "But if the Oracle said that my son should be killed I would neither dispute it nor be the one to do it." (Achebe 67) He simply tells Okwonkwo that he needs to start testing the ancient rules that now seem to be outdated. Later in the story after Okwonkwo is forced into exile, Obierika is one of the people that burns down his house. He cannot figure out why he is doing it because he knows Okwonkwo did not mean to kill the boy and he still is friends with him. He realizes that the gods have told him to do it, so it must be done. Later in the story Obierika will try to find Okwonkwo and tell him to come back to the village becuase he wants to try and change the age old ideas that the tribe has. Will this happen, or will he just accept Okwonkwo's punishment for what it is and leave him to go?
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I would have to agree with Snorlax's prediction as to the fact that Obierka will try and find Okonkwo and bring him back to the village. I think that Obierka will realize that what he did was wrong and in a way he ended up contradicting himself by tell Okonkwo that he shouldn't have listened to the gods when they told him to contribute to the killing of his "son" Ikemefuna, however he then turned around and did exactly what the gods told him to do to Okonkwo. Obierka seems like a very loyal man and not one to purposely do harm to his friends or family. I think that if Obierka is the man he has portrayed throughout the book so far then he will not accept Okonkwo's punishment and he will stand up for his dear friend, Okonkwo.
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