Chapter 14

Although Okonkwo is welcomed out warmly into his motherland, I think he still feels like an outcast. It has to be hard on him now because he has killed two young men. That has to be weighing on his soul. Also, Okonkwo's dream of becoming a lord of the clan died with the sixteen year-old boy. I think that Okonkwo is almost to the point of giving up on life, but his desire to be the opposite of his father is what is keeping him working. His uncle tries to convince Okonkwo that the whole experience is good and that the motherland is where refuge is seeked when the times are bad. Okonkwo takes part in his cousin's wedding although he is sad. His uncle sees this and does what he can to help. Okonkwo's relatives help him start a farm and give him seed yams, but this still does not restore Okonkwo's spirit. I think that the line his uncle said, "I did not hang myself, and I am still alive," plants an idea in Okonkwo's head. I think that eventually if things do not improve, Okonkwo will kill himself so that he can die with his dignity.