Throughout the novel I have wondered why certain characters react the way they do during the novel. When Ikemefuna dies Nwoye shuts down and loses a part of himself.When Ikemefuna is about to die Okonkwo can't deal with whats happening in a seemingly normal way, so to prevent the men of thinking of him in a negative or feminine way he kills Ikemefuna instantly. He is also saddened by his death but he just becomes more closed off and cruel. I think that Nwoye and Okonkwo deal with heartbreaking experiences in a way that prevents them from being seen as weak or vulnerable. This feeling stems from the perception of men and masculinity, and in Igbo culture masculinity is seen as strong and dominant over weak women. These feelings  force men like Okonkwo to become a cruel, stern, and isolated from his family and himself. Okonkwo's fear of vulnerability plagues him throughout the novel and causes him to make decisions that completely change everything.