CHAPTER FOUR
"Looking at a king's mouth," said an old man, "one would think he never sucked at his
mother's breast." He was talking about Okonkwo, who had risen so suddenly from great
poverty and misfortune to be one of the lords of the clan. The old man bore no ill will
towards Okonkwo. Indeed he respected him for his industry and success. But he was
struck, as most people were, by Okonkwo's brusqueness in dealing with less successful
men. Only a week ago a man had contradicted him at a kindred meeting which they held
to discuss the next ancestral feast. Without looking at the man Okonkwo had said: "This
meeting is for men." The man who had contradicted him had no titles. That was why he
had called him a woman. Okonkwo knew how to kill a man's spirit.
Everybody at the kindred meeting took sides with Osugo when Okonkwo called
him a woman. The oldest man present said sternly that those whose palm-kernels were
cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humble. Okonkwo said
he was sorry for what he had said, and the meeting continued.
But it was really not true that Okonkwo's palm-kernels had been cracked for him
by a benevolent spirit. He ?B7&6?VBF?V????6V?b?????Rv????Wr??2w&??7G'Vvv?Rv??7B?fW'G??B?6f?'GV?R6?V?B??B6??R?B&VV??V6????bWfW"???FW6W'fVB??27V66W72?F?B??v2?????v??B?V&?vR?R?B6??WfVBf?R0?F?Rw&VFW7Bw&W7F?W"????F?R??B?F?Bv2??B?V6??BF?R??7B??R6?V?B6?F?@???26???"W'6???v?Bv2v??B?'WBF?R?&?V??R?fR&?fW&"F?Bv?V????6?2?W2??26??6?2?W2?6???????v?6?B?W2fW'?7G&??v??6???26??w&VVB??@???B?????26??'WB??26??F???&V6W6R?B?VFvVB??'?F?Rv?&??"??2??G2?F?@?v2v???????v??B&VV?6??6V?'?F?R???Rf???vW2F?6''??W76vR?bv"F??F?V?"V?V?W2V??W72F?W?w&VVBF?v?fRW??V?r???Bf?&v??F?F??Rf?"F?P??W&FW"?bVF?w2v?fR??B7V6?v2F?RFVWfV"F?BF?V?"V?V?W2?Bf?"V?V?f??F?BF?W?G&VFVB?????v???R???r?B'&?Vv?B???f?&v??v??v2v?fV?F?VF??2v?fR??BF?R?B??V?VgV???