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Isaac
Hannah is Obi’s mother. She’s an impressive and intimidating figure in her community. Hannah willingly adopted Isaac’s Christianity, though she secretly clings to the folk customs and oral tradition that Isaac vehemently rejected. Obi was always closer to her than to Isaac, and Obi recalls how Hannah would secretly share Igbo folk tales with him when he was a young boy, which delighted him. After Obi’s return to Nigeria, Hannah gets very ill. In one of her last interactions with Obi before she dies, she forcefully commands him not to marry an osu. Her death leaves Obi grief-stricken and lost.
Hannah Quotes in No Longer at Ease
The No Longer at Ease quotes below are all either spoken by Hannah or refer to Hannah. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 14
Quotes
He was amazed at the irrelevant thoughts that passed through his mind at this the greatest crisis in his life.
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Chapter 18
Quotes
Then he remembered the story of King David, who refused food when his beloved son was sick, but washed and ate when he died. He, too, must have felt this kind of peace. The peace that passeth all understanding.
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Chapter 19
Quotes
These thoughts gave Obi a queer kind of pleasure. They seemed to release his spirit. He no longer felt guilt. He, too, had died. Beyond death there are no ideals and no humbug, only reality. The impatient idealist says: 'Give me a place to stand and I shall move the earth.' But such a place does not exist. We all have to stand on the earth itself and go with her at her pace. The most horrible sight in the world cannot put out the eye. The death of a mother is not like a palm tree bearing fruit at the end of its leaf, no matter how much we want to make it so. And that is not the only illusion we have…
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Hannah Quotes in No Longer at Ease
The No Longer at Ease quotes below are all either spoken by Hannah or refer to Hannah. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 14
Quotes
He was amazed at the irrelevant thoughts that passed through his mind at this the greatest crisis in his life.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18
Quotes
Then he remembered the story of King David, who refused food when his beloved son was sick, but washed and ate when he died. He, too, must have felt this kind of peace. The peace that passeth all understanding.
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Chapter 19
Quotes
These thoughts gave Obi a queer kind of pleasure. They seemed to release his spirit. He no longer felt guilt. He, too, had died. Beyond death there are no ideals and no humbug, only reality. The impatient idealist says: 'Give me a place to stand and I shall move the earth.' But such a place does not exist. We all have to stand on the earth itself and go with her at her pace. The most horrible sight in the world cannot put out the eye. The death of a mother is not like a palm tree bearing fruit at the end of its leaf, no matter how much we want to make it so. And that is not the only illusion we have…
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