How does someone feel something so deeply that they physically feel it in the marrow of their bones?
Nwoye seemed to grasp the concept of deep desire and deep hurt. He'd always wanted love and approval of his father, this he desired above all. This, he realized, would never happen. This was his greatest want and his biggest let down all at the same time.
Achebe comments that in the presence of the missionaries and their foreign God, Nwoye felt this deep emotion and desire for love; but I strongly believe that this was not the first time he had "felt in the marrow" of his bones. It must be noted that his entire life was lived in the emotional limbo of his father's endless mood swings. So, why not follow this deep, though familiar feeling, in any direction that gives him the love he so desires? Nwoye believed in the power of emotion, which drove him away from his father.
However, obviously Nwoye's marrow wasn't the only one that seeped emotions. His father, Okonkwo, slowly gave into the slipping of emotions. After having been so emotionless and strong for so long, it is very obvious that he finished up. As Okonkwo faces seven years of exile and the return to a clan that is no longer in agreement on what qualifies as honorable things, he is visibly becoming more weary. It can go as far as saying that his tiredness is what he "felt in the marrow." And even before this, I believe, like Nwoye, that Okonkwo had many instances of deep emotion, leading him to rash behavior as well.
Nwoye made a lifestyle change, Okonkwo made a breathtaking one. Both were driven by this strong sense of belonging that was never really fulfilled. Nwoye longed for love, Okonkwo longed to be enough for himself. This drove them apart, each to their own extreme.
They may not have been very emotive men, but there's no way I'm convinced that they didn't feel deeply. Maybe it was a different feeling in their bones, but it was still "something felt in the marrow."
Comments: Caroline & Jamie
Nwoye seemed to grasp the concept of deep desire and deep hurt. He'd always wanted love and approval of his father, this he desired above all. This, he realized, would never happen. This was his greatest want and his biggest let down all at the same time.
Achebe comments that in the presence of the missionaries and their foreign God, Nwoye felt this deep emotion and desire for love; but I strongly believe that this was not the first time he had "felt in the marrow" of his bones. It must be noted that his entire life was lived in the emotional limbo of his father's endless mood swings. So, why not follow this deep, though familiar feeling, in any direction that gives him the love he so desires? Nwoye believed in the power of emotion, which drove him away from his father.
However, obviously Nwoye's marrow wasn't the only one that seeped emotions. His father, Okonkwo, slowly gave into the slipping of emotions. After having been so emotionless and strong for so long, it is very obvious that he finished up. As Okonkwo faces seven years of exile and the return to a clan that is no longer in agreement on what qualifies as honorable things, he is visibly becoming more weary. It can go as far as saying that his tiredness is what he "felt in the marrow." And even before this, I believe, like Nwoye, that Okonkwo had many instances of deep emotion, leading him to rash behavior as well.
Nwoye made a lifestyle change, Okonkwo made a breathtaking one. Both were driven by this strong sense of belonging that was never really fulfilled. Nwoye longed for love, Okonkwo longed to be enough for himself. This drove them apart, each to their own extreme.
They may not have been very emotive men, but there's no way I'm convinced that they didn't feel deeply. Maybe it was a different feeling in their bones, but it was still "something felt in the marrow."
Comments: Caroline & Jamie
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