It is in Chapter Seven in which this sad event in the
novel occurs. Key men from the tribe come to the house of Okonkwo with a pot of wine,
dressed in their ceremonial finery. They leave with Ikemefuna carrying the pot of wine.
As they journey, the men talk about normal things, but as they leave Umuofia, silence
falls upon them. As they carry on, they hear the faint beating of the
ekwe, a type of tribal drum. The men keep on pressing ahead. We are
told that Ikemefuna felt uneasy at first, but what calms him is the presence of his
"father," Okonkwo. We are shown Ikemefuna's thoughts about returning to his family.
Suddenly, one of the men cleared his throat, and Ikemefuna is told to continue without
looking back. Ikemefuna suddenly becomes incredibly afraid. As the men begin to kill
Ikemefuna, Okonkwo hears his plaintive cry:
"My father, they have killed
me!"
However, this does not
stop Okonkwo himself running towards him and joining in the slaughter, out of fear that
the others might consider him "weak" if he did not.
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