chapter nine!

Ekwefi's dedication to Ezinma exemplifies the level of importance a child plays in a woman's life in Umofian society. Before Ezinma was born, Ekwefi's life was consumed with the desire to have a healthy child, however, nine out of the ten times she lost her child in infancy. Ekwefi says that children are a "woman's crowning glory," as a woman's status in Igbo society is related to how many children she bears and how many of them are male. If Igbo society rates their woman on how many children they have, why does Achebe make Ekwefi's role in this story bigger than any of the other wives? Nwoye's mother has three sons, yet is barely mentioned in the story, and is never mentioned by her real name, rather her title. Also, why does Okonkwo favor Ekwefi more than his other two wives? We have heard of him beating the other two wives and their children, but have never witnessed any harm done to either Ekwefi and Ezinma. He holds Ekwife in a different place than his other two wives, as he knows that out "of his three wives Ekwefi was the only one who would have the audacity to bang on his door." Why is that?