Imperialism In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

A powerful strategy of a country taking rule over another includes forcefully bombarding their land and disrupting the natural order of their government, people, and culture. This method, also known as imperialism, may be successful, but it shows great disrespect towards the opposing country. But how else should a country go about taking over other land? In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the white missionaries rattle deep rooted beliefs and values within the main character’s native tribe and other tribes surrounding him. These missionaries show no remorse to the innocent people they corrupt. As a concept, imperialism seems to work, but when it stops becoming just concept, and sentient beings are added into the mix, there is a certain moral …show more content…
Aiming to strengthen their own economy, they abolished the deep connection the Igbo people had with their ancestors. Okonkwo and other tribe members saw this, and did not stand for the terrorization of their community. Through examples such as altering the core religion of their nation, and provoking fear through stories of their powerful weaponry and participation in slave trade, the white missionaries were tearing the tribe up from it’s roots, leaving nothing but an artificial society tailored to the liking of the European colonizers. The Europeans were able to morally justify their harsh actions by using Christianity. This can be seen through the quote “ ‘We have now built a church… and we want you all to come in every seventh day to worship the true God.’ ” Following this, the white missionaries refer to their God as the only one, once again diminishing the tribe member’s religion, when there is actually nothing that proves Christianity is a greater religion than their …show more content…
A village meeting is scheduled and the question of war is in the air. Although the members of Umuofia would have to wage war on some previous tribe members who have fallen under the rule of the European colonizers, they accept that going into battle is the only option in such drastic times. Just as this idea is brought to the villager’s attention, five kotma arrive, telling Okonkwo that the white missionaries have ordered their meeting to stop. This enrages Okonkwo, causing him to kill the court head messenger. This killing brought an uproar from the citizens backing Okonkwo and what he stands for, but they do nothing to stop the other four kotma from escaping. “He knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He knew because they had let the other messengers escape.” The whole act of arranging a village meeting, discussing and coming to terms with the plan of war, and then having it all distinguish by a single messenger commanding against it shows the true defeat of a nation through