One important plot point is when Okonkwo kills Ikemefuma. Okonkwo’s
decision to go against what the people of his village deem appropriate, in
favor for what he thinks matches up with his ideals, has repercussions throughout
the story. This struggle between what follows the village’s way of thinking,
versus Okonkwo’s desire to be as manly as possible is a reoccurring motif throughout
the story, as it is one of the major internal conflicts of Okonkwo. This action
also makes Okonkwo and Nwoye’s relationship even more strained, and it is one
of the things that convinces him to convert to Christianity later.
Another important plot point is when Nwoye converts to Christianity.
This happened when Nwoye had an epiphany on the realities of his situation. When
the missionaries come Nwoye’s faith and passion is once again rekindled. Nwoye
had lost a lot of trust in the ways and traditions of his people after his
father killed Ikemefuma and when he cruised the practice of throwing twins in
the forest to die. His relationship with his father has always been strained
and volatile. Nwoye’s temperament resembles that of his grandfather, and
Okonkwo has always resented him for it. By joining the missionaries, Nwoye
finally can come out from under the oppressive shadow of his father and join a
religion and a way of life that he can wholeheartedly agree with.
And lastly. Another very important point for the story is
when Okonkwo kills himself at the end. This establishes Okonkwo as a tragic
hero. Since he came from a very respectable status, only to be brought down by
a tragic flaw; his inability to act as anything he sees as unmanly. His act of
killing the messenger then killing himself acts as a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s
ironic, since Okonkwo’s fear of ending up like his penniless and titles father without
a proper burial and an dishonorable death came true as he was trying to avoid
it at all costs. When he killed the messenger, it was a desperate act of
self-preservation and a last opportunity for him to reassert his manhood to the
village. The shame of this failure ultimately led him to suicide
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