Forces, the third feature of the tragic template, have a profound impact on the characters in Things Fall Apart, most specifically, Okonkwo. Forces are things that are outside of the control of the character. The outside force that has the greatest impact on Okonkwo is the arrival of European missionaries. The missionaries came to Umuofia, Mbanta, and the surrounding villages with the intention of spreading Christianity to the native people of Africa. This affects Okonkwo personally because his son, Nwoye, decides to adopt the new faith. “[H]e had decided to go to Umuofia where the white missionary had set up a school to teach young Christians to read and write” (152). This upsets Okonkwo because he has spent all his life trying to build up
