Question

Which excerpts from Things Fall Apart provide evidence to support Okonkwo’s contradictory feelings about showing affection when the priestess takes Ezinma to the shrine of the Oracle? Select all that apply. "But the Hills and the Caves were silent as death." "Okonkwo was also feeling tired, and sleepy, for although nobody else knew it, he had not slept at all last night. He had felt anxious but did not show it." "It was only on his fourth trip that he had found Ekwefi, and by then he had become gravely worried." "Okonkwo and his wife followed at a respectful distance."

Answer 1

Answer:

"Okonkwo was also feeling tired, and sleepy, for although nobody else knew it, he had not slept at all last night. He had felt anxious but did not show it."

"It was only on his fourth trip that he had found Ekwefi, and by then he had become gravely worried."

Explanation:

Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" revolves around the family life of Okonkwo and in general, the life of the Igbo tribe in Africa. The novel deals with themes of family relations, traditions, beliefs, change, social transformation, colonialism, etc.

When Priestess Chielo came to take Ekwefi to the Agbala, the Oracle, Okonkwo at first pleaded to let the child sleep and they will come after that. Despite maintaining himself as a manly, 'emotionless' man in the eyes of everyone, Okonkwo still worries and cares about his family, especially in this case, for his daughter. He had not slept peacefully the previous night and now, he was looking for his wife and the priestess that took his daughter. He followed his wife who had done the same thing, following the priestess despite the curses that Chielo had uttered. Okonkwo came with a machete to replace his wife in waiting at the mouth of the cave, a sure sign of his worried state for his daughter.

Thus, the two pieces of evidence that show how worried Okonkwo was, contrary to his feelings about showing affection, are the second and third options.