After death, Okonkwo came into the underworld, and he thought it was a wholly different place from earth. He took a small boat with paddles in it, and he started to row the boat slowly in Acheron with reluctance on his face. Okonkwo never thought that he would suicide one day because of colonizers’ humiliation. Suddenly, he saw a familiar person who had been respected by people in Umuofia, that is, Ezeudu, who was also the person did’t want Okonkwo to kill Ikemefuna by his own hands.
“How had you been on earth? I thought you would have a great life on earth. I did not know why you came down so early, but I would like to listen to you.” Ezeudu said to Okonkwo in a warm way when he saw Okonkow rowing the boat.
Speaking of why Okonkwo came to underworld made him anguished. “I was not willing to come down, I was forced to do that, and you know how things changed on earth? Everything was different from our generation, a crowd of colonizers came to occupy our tribe because our villagers were too weak to fight with them. I really didn’t understand it was the consequence of our historical village.” He told him furiously.
After listening what happened on earth, Ezeudu began to sigh and concerned about the future of the tribe because of the tragedy which he just heard. After a period of time of silence, something came to Okonkwo’s mind. Before he killed himself, there was a question left behind. Even when he was in underworld, he still couldn’t forget it which still hovered in his brain.
“I had been wondering a thing for so many years, I wanted to know your answer.” Okonkwo asked Ezeudu doubtfully.
“Of course, what was that?” Ezeudu replied curiously.
“Why you did not want me to take part in slaying the boy?” He asked Ezeudu in higher voice.
“Because I doubted that if you could do this successfully. I knew you had this ability and determination, but I couldn’t take this in risk. After all, that boy was still calling you father then, and it was also a matter to all our villagers.” Ezeudu lingered in the boat.
“I knew you didn’t trust me to do that on my own; therefore, for the sake you believed me I could do that, I slain the boy in person. I didn’t want my name have stains.” Okonkwo said with his eyes looking down and fist clenched.
“After we had been through all of these, I somehow felt regretful about it. Everyone seemed to forget then when we had to kill the boy for taking revenge, I thought I could just find another way fixing this mistake. We didn’t have to use so extreme way to meet the justice. I thought that maybe the boy was somewhere in the underworld, we could just find him, explaining why we slain him at that time. We owed him an explanation.”
Okonkwo and Ezeudu reached the same agreement to find out Ikemefuna in this vast underworld.
After rowing the boat for a long time, they found Ikemefuna was considering something down the river with a tangled face.
“Was that you, Ikemefuna, the boy killed by me?” Okonkwo asked in a low voice.
“Was I killed by you? I even didn’t know who killed me exactly. But I know you, the father who I had called for three years, didn’t to help me then. I wanted to know whole thing, and I hoped I could be released from this. All I needed was an explanation.” Ikemefuna told them.
“You were just a scapegoat fo your father because he killed a man’s wife in our village. We went to pick you up, settling you on Okonkwo’s house waiting for dying because our village needed to revenge. ” Ezeudu said to Ikemefuna woefully.
“Why? I didn’t kill or do something wrong in my short lifetime, Why I should be a replacement for my father’s wrongdoing? Didn’t you never thought it was unfair to me? I knew the truth now, and I thought it was useless for me to argue anything” Ikemefuna answered peacefully.
Okonkwo and Ezeudu started to doubt about things they’ve done on earth. Eventually, they knew not all things that they thought correctly were right. What’s more, it should keep a subtle balance between the real justice and the kindness.
by Esme 2012.4.13
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