Things Fall Apart Christian Missionaries

Exposure to other cultures has an enormous, sometimes harmful, impact on both tradition and individuals, especially when there is violence in the interaction. This is the case in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. The novel describes Ibo culture, and how Christian missionaries affected it, through the unique perspective of the protagonist, Okonkwo. The arrival of Christian missionaries to Nigeria, specifically to the village of Umuofia, severely impacted Okonkwo’s perception of his home village which led to his suicide.
Okonkwo was "one of the greatest men in Umuofia" (Achebe, 208) was "well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond" (Achebe, 1). He was respected for being a strong warrior and a skilled wrestler, as well as bringing himself out of poverty into wealth. Due to his high rank, Okonkwo was very involved with the cultural activities of his tribe, which firmly cemented his traditional values. Additionally, Okonkwo was proud of …show more content…
Being a rational man, he acted in a like manner and did not physically assault any missionaries since they typically remained peaceful. However, when they occasionally “tried to overstep the boundaries” (Achebe, 154) by insulting and belittling the traditional gods, Okonkwo advocated for their violent removal from society. Physical violence did not actually occur until a Christian convert desecrated an ancestral spirit by unmasking it, which was considered “one of the greatest crimes a man could commit” (Achebe, 186). The leaders of Umuofia destroyed the church in retribution, and were arrested for it. After the arrest, the village leaders were prevented from holding a meeting, in which they planned to discuss the Christian settlers. Okonkwo, who had set his mind on war at that point, killed the messenger of the District Commissioner. This murder is an embodiment of Okonkwo’s violent reaction to the intruding