Why does okonkwo despair

The village elders consulted their oracle, which prophesied that the white man would be followed by others, who would bring destruction to Abame. Uchendu asks Obierika what the first white man said to the villagers. Obierika replies that he said nothing, or rather, he said things that the villagers did not understand. Uchendu declares that Abame was foolish to kill a man who said nothing.

He has given others to sharecroppers for planting. He plans to continue to bring Okonkwo the money from his yams until Okonkwo returns to Iguedo. He has decided to visit Okonkwo because he has seen Nwoye with some of the Christian missionaries who have arrived.

Most of the other converts, Obierika finds, have been efulefu , men who hold no status and who are generally ignored by the clan. The white man speaks to the village through an interpreter, who, we learn later, is named Mr. He accuses them of worshipping false gods of wood and stone. The missionaries have come, he tells his audience, to persuade the villagers to leave their false gods and accept the one true God.

The villagers, however, do not understand how the Holy Trinity can be accepted as one God. They also cannot see how God can have a son and not a wife. The missionaries then burst into evangelical song. Okonkwo thinks that these newcomers must be insane, but Nwoye is instantly captivated.

What has happened to the Abame clan? How do Uchendu and Okonkwo account differently for the "foolishness" of the Abame? Whose reaction seems wiser in responding to new challenges to old ways of living? Uchendu and Okonkwo accound differently for the "foolishness" of the Abame because Okonkwo thinks that they had it coming to them because the orical had told them that something bad would happen, but they didn't listen, but Uchendu thinks that they were foolish to kill the white man because you aren't supposed to kill something that doesn't speak because it is like a story they used to be told about a kite.

Uchendu's reaction seems wiser because there is reason to why he feels they were foolish. When Uchendu says "There is no story that is not true" he means that all the stories that are told happen in one way or another, so they are told for a reason so they must be true. Why does his friend Obierika visit Okonkwo in exile the first time? And the second time? What are the sources of misunderstanding between the Igbo and the missionaries?

What kinds of Africans are attracted to the new religion and why? Why does Nwoye convert to Christianity? Obrierika visits Okonkwo in exile the first time because he was bringing over Okonkwo's money that he had collected by selling his yams, he said he didn't know when Okonkwo would need them so he decided to bring it over. Obrieka visits Okonkwo the second time because he sees Nwoye and finds out that he is no longer part of his father's family and has converted to a Christian.

Nwoye's motives for converting to Christianity was that the hymne they sang captivated him, it answered his questions of all the bad things that had happened to know of. Uchendu guesses what has happened, listens to Okonkwo's story, and arranges for the necessary rituals and offerings. He gives Okonkwo a plot of land on which to build a compound for his household, and Okonkwo receives additional pieces of land for farming.

Uchendu's five sons each give him three hundred seed-yams to start his farm. Okonkwo and his family must work hard to develop a new farm, and the work gives him no pleasure because he has lost the vigor and motivation of his younger days.

He knows he is merely "marking time" while he is in Mbanta. He grieves over his interrupted plan to become one of the lords of his clan in Umuofia and blames his chi for his failure to achieve lasting greatness.

Uchendu senses Okonkwo's depression and plans to speak to him later. Uchendu's twenty-seven children gather from far and near for an isa-ifi ceremony. This final marriage ritual will determine if the intended bride of Uchendu's youngest son has been faithful to him during their courtship. The isa-ifi ceremony is described in detail. The next day, in front of all of his children, Uchendu speaks to Okonkwo about his discouragement and despair. Through a series of questions no one is able to answer, Uchendu helps them all understand why a man should return to his motherland when he is bitter and depressed.

He advises Okonkwo to comfort his family and prepare them for his eventual return to Umuofia, and, meanwhile, to accept the support of his kinsmen while he is here.