"Hatred is a leech: The thing that sticks to a person's skin; that feeds off them and drains the sap out of one's spirit. It changes a person, and does not leave until it has sucked the last drop of peace from them."
Ikenna learns the power of hatred when he allows it to fester in his heart. He suspects his brothers may want to kill him and allows that suspicion full authority to drive him crazy. In the wise words of his grown up younger brother, Ben, who has witnessed his brother's hatred firsthand, the hate will consume a person. The other victim of Ikenna's hatred, in addition to his family, is himself because he loses his peace.
"The things my brother read shaped him; they became his visions. He believed in them. I have now come to know that what one believes often becomes permanent, and what becomes permanent can be indestructible. This was the case with my brother."
Benjamin describes in retrospect how he noticed the changes in his brother. He says that Ikenna allowed his convictions to be shaped by ideas he read, hateful ideas. By the time anyone realized it, Ikenna had embodied those convictions. As Benjamin notes, those early beliefs are nearly impossible to change.
"That story, as all good stories, planted a seed in my soul and never left me."
Benjamin remembers Ikenna's story well into adulthood because it made such a huge impact on him. He views Ikenna's story as one of the defining factors of his own life. This excerpt draws a parallel to the way Ikenna's interaction with Abulu is described. Ikenna allowed Abulu's prophecy to fester in himself, unable to forget the words. In this way, both brothers demonstrate a common value for narrative, a reflection of their upbringing.
"Little things could unbridle his soul. Wistful thoughts often combed his melancholic spirit in search of craters to be filled with sorrow. As a younger boy, he often sat in the backyard, brooding and contemplative, his arms clasped over his knees. He was highly critical of things, a part of him that greatly resembled Father. He nailed small things to big crosses and would ponder for long on a wrong word he said to someone; he greatly dreaded the reprove of others. He had no place for ironies or satires; they troubled him.”
In retrospect, Benjamin tries to make sense of his older brother's decisions. He remembers standing at his brother's grave and suddenly realizing who his brother had been. Ikenna was sensitive and easily disturbed, unable to withstand melancholy and criticism, symptoms of self-hatred.
