Final answer:
Okonkwo allows Ikemefuna to accompany him and treats him like a son to reinforce traditional masculinity and provide him with social status, reflecting Igbo societal values. Their relationship is complex and forms an essential part of the tragedy in Achebe's novel 'Things Fall Apart,' reinforcing the importance of kinship and social status in pre-colonial Nigerian society.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo allows Ikemefuna to accompany him to big village meetings and ancestral feasts, treating him like a son, because he represents an important masculine ideal for Okonkwo. Okonkwo values strength and traditional masculinity highly, having disdain for what he perceives as weakness or failure, qualities he associates with his own father. By including Ikemefuna in these important community events, Okonkwo reinforces these values and provides Ikemefuna with a sense of belonging and status within the community. The relationship between the two is complex, with Ikemefuna revering Okonkwo as a father figure, despite the underlying tension of his precarious position in the family as someone who could potentially be taken away or sacrificed due to tribal customs.
The emotional bond that forms between them is part of the tragic underpinning of the story, highlighting the conflict between personal affection and societal expectations. Ikemefuna's role also reflects the traditions and customs of the Igbo society in pre-colonial Nigeria, where community, kinship, and the demonstration of social status through one's companions and family were essential aspects of daily life. These social dynamics parallel instances in real-world African societies, such as the importance of body markings, the role of powerful women and elders, and the institution of the 'big man' in lineage-order societies.