Chapter Four
At a clan kindred meeting, an old man remarks on Okonkwo’s rapid rise, and Okonkwo abruptly declares the gathering “for men,” calling a title‑less participant a woman. The assembly sides with Okonkwo; the eldest man rebukes him, reminding everyone to stay humble. Okonkwo later offers a perfunctory apology, though the text notes his palm‑kernels were self‑cracked, not divinely aided.
Ikemefuna, the fifteen‑year‑old boy given to Umuofia as part of the compensation for killing Udo’s wife, is placed under Okonkwo’s care. He falls seriously ill shortly after arrival, vomiting and lying down for three market weeks. Nwoye’s mother tends him, and after recovery he regains vigor, becomes popular among the children, and is taught to make flutes, set traps, and identify strong bow‑making trees. He calls Okonkwo “father,” accompanies him to meetings, and grows attached to Nwoye; the two share folk tales and develop a deep friendship.
During the sacred Week of Peace, Okonkwo’s youngest wife Ojiugo leaves to plait her hair. When she returns, Okonkwo, unaware she has been absent, beats her severely despite the injunction against violence in the holy week. Neighbours hear the cries; the priest of the earth goddess, Ezeani, summons Okonkwo. After Okonkwo presents kola‑nut, the priest condemns his breach, explaining that harming a wife—even if she were with a lover—violates Ani’s peace and threatens the clan’s crops. Ezeani orders Okonkwo to bring a she‑goat, a hen, a length of cloth, a hundred cowries, and a pot of palm‑wine to the shrine. Okonkwo complies, feeling inward repentance yet keeping his shame hidden.
The community discusses the rarity of such violations. Ogbuefi Ezeudu, the village’s oldest man, recounts that in earlier times a man who broke the Week of Peace would be dragged to death; the practice was softened over generations. He mentions another clan’s custom of casting anyone who dies during the week into the Evil Forest, warning of the resulting restless spirits.
After the Week, the men clear bush for new farms, light it, and watch kites rise as the rainy season approaches. Okonkwo spends days selecting seed‑yams, splitting oversized ones, and directing his eldest son Nwoye and Ikemefuna to fetch and count the tubers in groups of four hundred. He berates them for perceived laziness, threatening violence if they do not work hard, insisting that yam cultivation is the measure of a man’s worth.
When the rains arrive, Okonkwo leads his family to the fields. They make straight‑line mounds, plant yams, protect seedlings with sisal rings, and later stake them with sticks and branches. Women interplant maize, melons, and beans. The heavy rains continue, the village’s rain‑maker admits he cannot intervene, and life around the huts settles into a rhythm of storytelling, fire‑cooking, and occasional songs about rain and sun. Ikemefuna continues to share folktales, amusing Nwoye with stories such as the “corn cob with few grains” called eze‑agadi‑nwayi, deepening their bond. The chapter ends as the rains ease, children play outdoors, and Nwoye ponders the solitary figure of Nnadi from Ikemefuna’s tales.