In Chapter 14, Okonkwo returns in disgrace to his mother's
kinsmen with his wives and children. He is accepted by Uchendu, the wise patriarch of
the family, and, after the requisite sacrifices have been offered, he is given a plot of
ground on which to build his huts, and some land to farm. Each of Uchendu's sons also
give him seed-yams to plant. Soon the rains come, a welcome respite after a long period
of drought. The earth comes to life, and the people are "happy, refreshed, and
thankful."
Okonkwo, like the others, works hard on his
fields, but his work brings him no joy. When there is nothing to do he sits around
lethargically, essentially cursing his fate and feeling sorry for himself. Uchendu sees
this, and resolves to talk to Okonkwo. First, however, his youngest son is about to be
married, and the "final ceremony of confession" must be performed. In this ceremony, the
bride-to-be sits in the center of a circle of her betrothed's family, holding a hen in
her right hand. She is then asked how many men she has lain with since being engaged,
and she must answer truthfully, or great calamity will befall her. The young woman
answers that she has been with no man, and when she swears that her words are true, the
hen is killed and she becomes a bride. The next day, with his son happily married,
Uchendu calls Okonkwo and the men of the tribe to a meeting. Uchendu asks Okonkwo why it
is said that "Mother is Supreme" and why a woman is returned to her own kinsmen when she
dies. When Okonkwo and the others cannot answer, he explains that "a man belongs to his
fatherland when things are good and life is sweet," but when things are hard, "he finds
refuge in his motherland." Uchendu then chides Okonkwo for allowing his sorrow to weigh
him down and refusing to be comforted by his mother's kinsmen. He points out that
everyone suffers, and tells Okonkwo to stop feeling sorry for
himself.
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