How Does Okonkwo Change

Change is destructive to whoever rejects it. Change begins to affect Okonkwo when he first moves to Mbanta after he killed a boy inadvertently and was forced to leave. After moving to Mbanta messengers of the Christians began to arrive in the nine villages.

When the messengers of the Christians came to Mbanta the majority of the villagers thought that they were crazy and did not take them seriously. Only a few of the villagers paid attention to the messenger and then later they attended the church and gradually more people joined them. Okonkwo however did not want to join the new religion. He was against the idea of giving the Christians land to build their church. Okonkwo states that, “Their fathers had never dared to stand before our ancestors. We must fight these men and drive them from the land." Okonkwo becomes very depressed during the time he is in Mbanta. He becomes disturbed with the fact that Mbanta men are different from the men of Umuofia. The change of scenery for Okonkwo affects him greatly because he is not used to the customs of Mbanta. He considers them weak and thinks of them as women. He desperately wants to go back to his old village because he feels like he could be greater there and not be weak like the men of Mbanta. Okonkwo then …show more content…
Now he is no longer my son or your brother. I will only have a son who is a man, who will hold his head up among my people.” This shows that Okonkwo really wanted Nwoye to become someone great but he didn’t and he let Okonkwo’s expectations down. This also shows that Okonkwo really despised the idea of it happening again and in some way he ends up blaming the religion for his sons weakness and in the same regard he considers the converts weak people. He never really expected greatness from Nwoye but he was still greatly disappointed in Nwoye when he found out he had converted to the new