Ikemefuna Described as an Ill-Fated Lad

In the book Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe describes Ikemefuna as an wan luck ordain lad. Behind the meaning of this description cunning different literary elements that pay a great significance to the book, in general. Before the occasion describes Ikemefuna in this manner, he writes about Okonkwos record and youth. He says, referring to Okonkwo, He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns respectable of yams, and had just married his third wife. By saying these words, the author wants to show Okonkwo as a man who earned his good genius by hard work and not family wealth.He also writes And so although Okonkwo was still young, he was already one of the greatest men of his era meaning that age was not the problem for him to succeed in life. As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings, by stating this proverb, the author doer that being one of those boys who washed their hands, Okonkwo believed that he himself, could treat anyone in this manner if t hey washed their hands. He compares and contrasts Okonkwos youth against Ikemefunas who is subsequently on depict as an ill fated lad.Behind the description of Ikemefuna as an ill fated lad lies foreshadowing which shows the readers that the fate of Ikemefuna is not fortunate, and there volition be some event later on in the book that will prove the description right. As well as foreshadowing, the words ill fated are a metaphor. ill fated if translated correctly means a fate that is ill, therefore unfortunate. Even though the passage where Ikemefuna is described is short, there lies a lot of significance that affects the book as a whole.If the readers would not have read those lines saying the ill-fated lad, they would most in all probability not predict anything unusual happening to him in the future. And because this line foreshadows the sexual climax of Ikemefunas unfortunate fate, the readers pay more attention to the way Okonkwo treats Ikemefuna later on in the book. They see how Okonkwo treats him like his own son, and for the first quantify it is seen that Okonkwo becomes interested in something more than simply power and physical strength.