"I Always Do"

Sorry there isn't much of a format here. This is Mgbafo speaking to her husband Uzowulu, two seasons after the trial.

I wish you would speak to me. If not for my sake, then do it for the children. They love you as their father, despite what they’ve seen you do. They confide in me their respect for you. And I respect you. I love you as my husband.

Oh, do not look at me that way. I did not leave you two seasons ago when you asked me to say. You may have been confident that I would choose you, but my heart was in dilemma. This whole union has been an effort on my behalf, but I expected that you would start to work as well. I believed your pleads, Uzowulu. Despite everything you did, I placed my trust in you. Please tell me I did the right thing. Please, convince me I made the correct choice.

These marks have been fading for many moons. I never forget what caused them, no matter how many I have to keep track of.  For example, where was it…. Somewhere here are scars from when I was ill. You were upset at me for bringing your supper late. And these here… they are yet fresh. But I am waiting for the pain to dull and disappear. Just as I will wait in vain for you to fulfill your promise.

Still… why, Uzowulu? Why did you stand before the egwuwu? Why did you give my brothers wine? Why did you stand before me and beg me to stay? For even now, if not for the children I would run. I would flee from this iron cage and from the wretched devil that you-

No! Stop! Please! Forgive me! I have outspoken and forgotten my place. I am confused and speaking nonsense! You are tired! You  do not want to hear of this matter...... And indeed, you work hard to earn the respect among Umuofia. Do not give this a second thought. I will speak to the children on your behalf. They are, after all, very concerned for you. And after that I will prepare your supper. If it is illness that is affecting you, please rest. I will come back shortly. I always do.

Characters Coming to Life

Initially, I was under the impression that Okonkwo was on the way to becoming a hero. In order to become a hero, you must pass an ordeal; I believed that the issue with his father provided something to be overcome. Upon completing the novel, although he chose to escape, my naive mind firmly believed Okonkwo's actions became a legacy outside of the fading black ink. Jumping out from the thin white pages, he became a hero.

That being said, perhaps this idea only proved my ignorance to the Igbo culture and the importance of cultural relativity. Even with the novel as a source of insight, perhaps I could not judge Okonkwo by Westernized measures. The Igbo people viewed all suicides as sins. In this light, the protagonist had the chance to be hero throughout; yet, by taking his own life, he failed. To contrast this, suicide in Western movies was considered a noble death if it was done for a cause. We labelled it as an honorable sacrifice when the captured secret agent or the star-crossed lovers cut their own life strings.

In the same perspective, without knowing what happened after the final chapter, I believed Okonkwo's death stood for something. His character became a hero by making such a bold statement that global readers would care. In international eyes, he may or may not have been a perfect protagonist, but we read the book from cover to cover. And as his body hung lifeless from that tree, we stopped to think. By committing suicide, he showed to the Western readers the very impact of their missionaries.   By doing something so unforgivable and shameful to his clan, he proved the desperation of the situation. Oftentimes, by the nature of biculturalism, the people spreading their religion believed they were doing a kind and compassionate duty. Okonkwo's tragic story, however, proved otherwise. And it was this that gave real, living people a perspective on the true impact of their actions.

What Defeats a Man

         The clear conflict in "The Road" is survival, under the man vs. environment category. When the world is at its end, history repeats itself and the man and his son act like nomadic cavemen. Every day, they must find food and shelter while hiding themselves from the other survivors. In multiple situations, the reader's grip on the book tightens as illness and inevitable death are foreshadowed.  In such a dark time, the cliche "every man for himself" becomes religiously practiced.
         The underlying conflict in this novel is between the protagonist and himself, following the criteria of man vs. self. Throughout the entire story, the character is in turmoil. He had to come to terms with his wife's suicide and desperately tries to carry all of the family's burdens. And whilst he strives to preserve his son's youth and innocence, he seems to be leaving himself in dark anxiety. He seems to try to protect the boy from the harsh realities surrounding them; consequently, there is no one he can speak truthfully of his own fears. His thoughts remain in his mind, which I suspect may be what leads to the end of the book. As I near the final page, I predict that what defeats him is not that which surrounds him, but that which is inside.  That being said, this is only a prediction.