"You have all seen the great abomination of your brother. Now he is no longer
my son or your brother. I will only have a son who is a man, who will hold his head up
among my people. If any one of you prefers to be a woman, let him follow Nwoye now
while I am alive so that I can curse him. If you turn against me when I am dead I will
visit you and break your neck."
Okonkwo was very lucky in his daughters. He never stopped regretting that
Ezinma was a girl. Of all his children she alone understood his every mood. A bond of
sympathy had grown between them as the years had passed.
Ezinma grew up in her father's exile and became one of the most beautiful girls
in Mbanta. She was called Crystal of Beauty, as her mother had been called in her
youth. The young ailing girl who had caused her mother so much heartache had been
transformed, almost overnight, into a healthy, buoyant maiden. She had, it was true, her
moments of depression when she would snap at everybody like an angry dog. These
moods descended on her suddenly and for no apparent reason. But they were very rare
and short-lived. As long as they lasted, she could bear no other person but her father.
Many young men and prosperous middle-aged men of Mbanta came to marry
her. But she refused them all, because her father had called her one evening and said to
her: "There are many good and prosperous people here, but I shall be happy if you
marry in Umuofia when we return home."
That was all he had said. But Ezinma had seen clearly all the thought and hidden
meaning behind the few words. And she had agreed.
"Your half-sister, Obiageli, will not understand me," Okonkwo said. "But you
can explain to her."
Although they were almost the same age, Ezinma wielded a strong influence
over her half-sister. She explained to her why they should not marry yet, and she agreed
also. And so the two of them refuse BWfW'??ffW"?b?'&?vR???&?F??$?v?6?6?RvW&R&???"?????v?F??Vv?Bv?F??????6V?b?6?RV?FW'7F??@?F???w26?W&fV7F??v??V?6R???r??26???G&V?6?V?B?fR&VB??2F??Vv?G26?vV??????