An Insight into Cultural Collision: An Examination of Okonkwo’s Destruction (Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart Analysis Essay Example)

Imagine a society that has flourished and thrived for thousands of years without the interference of others. The people worship, pray, and practice their beliefs without judgment and they live in peace. That is until one day, a group of missionaries move into their village and tell them their gods do not exist. They are simply figurines, figments of their imagination. However, these men also introduce new trade and a better economy into their society. People begin to believe that maybe, these men are right about worshiping false gods. People begin to ignore the old ways, but there are still those who hold onto the old ways and refuse to give them up, and a once peaceful society becomes divided. This is the reality that the people of Umuofia had to face in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo is one of the few people that completely rejects white missionaries and displays deep hatred and disdain toward them. His refusal to change ultimately leads to his downfall. Chinua Achebe uses Okonkwo’s violent response to the cultural collision of Western and Igbo beliefs to portray that the introduction of new beliefs to a culture that is close-minded and resistant to change will ultimately lead to their destruction.

Before the arrival of Christian missionaries, Okonkwo is a well-respected leader within Umuofia and is recognized within his village for his accomplishments. Okonkwo did not have the start in life that most men have and those who know about his past believe that “if ever a man deserved his success, that man was Okonkwo” (Achebe 27). Okonkwo is a man that prides himself on his accomplishments and drive. He is motivated by his shameful father and strives for greatness so that he can be the most powerful man in Umuofia. Despite this, Okonkwo still values other peoples’ opinions of himself. Eventually, disaster strikes when Okonkwo is punished for beating his wife during the Week of Peace, but he feels “inwardly repentant” (Achebe 31). Okonkwo refuses to let any emotion show because he believes in presenting himself as hypermasculine. He constantly bottles up his emotions throughout the novel, but he recognizes when he has made a mistake and can take responsibility for it, even if he does not outwardly show it. Okonkwo is a feared, respected man within Umuofia but this persona is dismantled with the arrival of the Christian missionaries.

However, after the cultural collision of Igbo and Christian beliefs, Okonkwo becomes a disgraced man who refuses to own up to the consequences of his actions. During Okonkwo’s exile to his motherland, his son converts to Christianity, leading Okonkwo to believe “the finger of his personal god or chi” has caused “his great misfortune and exile” (Achebe 153). Okonkwo does not believe that any of his actions accounted for the situation he is in. He instead blames everything on his destiny. Okonkwo is so devoted to the Igbo beliefs that he refuses to accept any other culture and blames his shortcomings on something else, as opposed to looking into himself and truly seeing the problem. In addition, after hearing about the destruction of Abame, Okonkwo says, “They were fools” and they should have “armed themselves with their guns and their machetes” (Achebe 140). The story of Abame exhibits that it is not only the missionaries that struggle to understand the Igbo people, the Igbo people also do not understand Christianity. Instead of remarking upon the lack of understanding between the two, Okonkwo believes that the Abame people needed to fight, displaying his lack of consideration toward new cultures. Okonkwo wants to “fight these men and drive them from the land” despite the beneficial effects the white men bring such as the amount of “money [flowing] into Umuofia” (Achebe 176, 178). Okonkwo refuses to accept the white missionaries' beliefs even though they have done good deeds for Umuofia. His prideful and hot-headed nature makes him believe that fighting is the answer, but many of his fellow clansmen do not share the same sentiment. Okonkwo has no fellow clansmen to support him, no titles, and is now a disgrace due to his inability to change and welcome new beliefs.

Finally, Okonkwo’s devotion to traditional beliefs and refusal to accept the Christian missionaries ultimately leads to his own destruction. When Okonkwo kills a white messenger, the district commissioner comes to dole out his punishment and the tree “from which Okonkwo’s body was dangling” is discovered (Achebe 207). Okonkwo’s final act is extremely shocking and contradictory to his beliefs, especially since suicide is an abominable act in Igbo culture. His refusal of Christianity and white missionaries ultimately leads Okonkwo to commit suicide, symbolizing the destruction of his beliefs and himself. If Okonkwo had been able to put aside his bias and utter devotion to Igbo beliefs, he probably would have survived the cultural collision, but instead, he allowed his faith to completely wreck him. 

Achebe’s depiction of cultural collision and its effects on those who refuse to accept change shows that change is natural and must be accepted to prevent ruination. Okonkwo changes from being a leader in his society to a disgrace, due to his close-mindedness which leads to his ultimate destruction. Okonkwo is a forest fire. He burns everything he has ever accomplished in his life, and when it is done he leaves behind nothing of value. However, forest fires have some value-they allow for new nutrients to join the soil and for new plants to take root. Perhaps this is the legacy Okonkwo leaves behind. Change must be accepted by other members of society so that culture is not lost. It is normal to fear change, to fear new beliefs, but to ignore them completely will lead to imminent doom.