Nwakibie lent Okonkwo several hundred yams.
Okonkwo not only is hard-working, but has proved it by clearing his farm before he asked for yams. He respectfully is prepared to show Nwakibie that he is a good investment. Okonkwo is ripe, by his look. Further, Okonkwo brings the proper shows of respect, including palm-wine, a cock, kola nut, and an alligator pepper.
Okonkwo asks to borrow yams to plant from Nwakibie. Okonkwo asks Obierika to store some of his yams and later sell some of them for money. He also asks Obierika to help build some buildings before he returns, except for the obi which must be built by the man himself.
Nwoye is Okonkwo's first son, and serves as a contrast to the manliness of the Igbo his father exemplifies. Nwoye's like for the feminine, in particular the stories his mother tells, causes him to not relate well with his father. Further, Okonkwo expects him to be as strong as he was, and to have taken a woman by now, but he is not as strong, and has not yet taken a woman. Okonkwo fears that Nwoye will be like his grandfather Unoka, who was a lazy drunkard debtor and tied without title or property.
"Okonkwo was a man." "Did you see that man, Okonkwo?" "You are my son. Okonkwo, I am your father!"
Okonkwo's best friend is Obierika.
Nwakibie trusts Okonkwo with his seed yams because Okonkwo has proven himself to be a hardworking and successful farmer who takes pride in his work ethic. Additionally, Okonkwo has a reputation for being reliable and trustworthy in the community, which further strengthens Nwakibie's confidence in him to care for the valuable seed yams.
Nwakibie is the richest man in the village, thus the most able to help. Okonkwo has cleared a large farm but has few yams to plant as he is a starting farmer, and his father is not a great farmer either. Okonkwo believes that Nwakibie will be able to help him, and will be willing to do so, as he believes that Nwakibie is the type to respect hard work. By plowing the fields before asking for the yams, Okonkwo proves to Nwakibie that he is serious, and will not let the gift go to waste.
Okonkwo not only is hard-working, but has proved it by clearing his farm before he asked for yams. He respectfully is prepared to show Nwakibie that he is a good investment. Okonkwo is ripe, by his look. Further, Okonkwo brings the proper shows of respect, including palm-wine, a cock, kola nut, and an alligator pepper.
a man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness
During the second year of exile, Okonkwo's friend Obierika came to visit him. Obierika came to inform Okonkwo about the destruction of their village, Abame, by a white man's messenger. He also brought news about the hardships faced by the clan due to the presence of missionaries in their land.
Okonkwo plants his first 400 yams during the early part of the farming season. However, there is an extreme drought, and the yams dry and crack. Okonkwo then tries again, and plants the 800 yams Nwakibie gave him as well as 400 more from another friend. However, then there is too much rain, and the yams get soaked and rot. All the villagers suffer poor harvests that year, and several commit suicide.
Okonkwo asks to borrow yams to plant from Nwakibie. Okonkwo asks Obierika to store some of his yams and later sell some of them for money. He also asks Obierika to help build some buildings before he returns, except for the obi which must be built by the man himself.
Okonkwo had to use sharecropping to build his farm in "Things Fall Apart" because he had no yams of his own to start farming with. By entering into a sharecropping agreement with Nwakibie, Okonkwo was able to gain access to land and resources to begin his farming operation. Sharecropping allowed Okonkwo to gradually build his farm and wealth over time.
Okonkwo makes sure to till his farm and prepare it for planting before asking for seed yams from Nwakibie, showing his respect for the elder as well as a respect of hard work. Okonkwo worries about how his children will turn out, showing an example of his caring towards his children. Okonkwo also shows much concern when Ezinma comes down with the iba, going out personally to gather ingredients to cure her.
Nwoye is Okonkwo's first son, and serves as a contrast to the manliness of the Igbo his father exemplifies. Nwoye's like for the feminine, in particular the stories his mother tells, causes him to not relate well with his father. Further, Okonkwo expects him to be as strong as he was, and to have taken a woman by now, but he is not as strong, and has not yet taken a woman. Okonkwo fears that Nwoye will be like his grandfather Unoka, who was a lazy drunkard debtor and tied without title or property.
Okonkwo's number of Yams vary. In his first year, he has at least 1600 seed Yams, including 800 of them from Nwakibie and 400 from another friend. It is not specifically mentioned, but the number of Yams are thought to be in the thousands, perhaps tens of thousands later on.
Uchendu is the maternal uncle of Okonkwo. He advises Okonkwo to be grateful for the refuge offered to him by his motherland after he is exiled, reminding him that family and community support are crucial in times of struggle. Uchendu also emphasizes the importance of resilience and hope in facing life's challenges.