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Ekwefi stands out from Okonkwo’s other wives due to her bold sense of independence and the strength of her love. She repeatedly stands up to Okonkwo’s harsh attacks, and she demonstrates that she will do anything to protect her daughter, Ezinma. With these qualities, Ekwefi resists the highly patriarchal structure of her family and her culture. She may frequently pay for her confident behavior, especially considering Okonkwo’s readiness to resort to violence, but she nevertheless stands firm in who she is. Much of Ekwefi’s resilience comes from the suffering she endured as a young woman attempting to bear children for her husband. After losing nine babies and growing incredibly bitter, Ezinma’s survival inspires her to embrace her strength as an individual. The fierce love, protectiveness, and courage that Ekwefi displays as her daughter grows up ultimately drives Ezinma to have a bolder personality as well, so much so that Okonkwo repeatedly laments the fact that she is not a boy. Given the way in which both Ekwefi and Ezinma resist the norms of their patriarchal culture, the fact that they have a reputation for being the village beauty seems particularly ironic. Achebe’s decision to attribute the most conventionally beautiful woman with a nontraditional approach to the world around her further reinforces the idea that Ekwefi refuses to be trapped in the role that her culture prescribes to her. She manages to exist outside traditional gender norms, a position which empowers her to give her daughter the best life possible.
