The Importance of Adapting to Changes in Things Fall Apart, a Book by Chinua Achebe

Cesar Chavez once said, “Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.” Respecting other cultures is extremely important if you want to have peace within your personal culture. In the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Western missionaries introduce new thoughts and beliefs into the Ibo society. The alterations that were brought into the Ibo society brought on main conflict amongst the two cultures and sooner or later led to the downfall of the Ibo culture. All through the book, there have been numerous complex relationships. However, the most complex would be the father/son partnership of Okonkwo and Nwoye. When the missionaries arrived, Nwoye gained a sense of belonging and comfort and that allowed him to show his true feelings that he had been holding back. Chinua Achebe utilized Nwoye to emphasize that modifications to a culture can be for the far better.

Following Nwoye’s conversion, he felt a sense of identity. When Okonkwo murdered Ikemefuna, Nwoye by no means recovered from his loss of what seemed like a brother. When Nwoye discovered out what had happened to Ikemefuna, “He did not cry. He just hung limp” (Achebe 65). Nwoye felt overwhelmed with emotions he felt betrayed by his father for taking element in something so horrific, but he knew that Okonkwo only did it to sustain his reputation of being masculine. He had to hold his abundance of feelings to himself or else he would danger appearing too feminine for his father’s liking. When the Western missionaries brought their culture into the Ibo society, Nwoye realized that he was a better match for their religion a religion where he didn’t want to hide his feelings or be forced into making choices that he knew weren’t ethical.

Despite the fact that the introduction of the Western culture brought conflict to numerous individuals in Nwoye’s life, the missionaries supplied Nwoye with an outlet that he could use to release his anger and aggravation toward his father and the whole Ibo culture. Nwoye’s fragmented connection with his father expanding up produced him really feel as if he didn’t belong in the Ibo culture. His childhood was complete of terrible memories that turned him into a despondent person, which was emphasized when Achebe wrote, “At any price, that was how it looked to his father and he sought to appropriate him by constant nagging and beating. And so Nwoye was creating into a sad-faced youth” (23). Okonkwo did not tolerate Nwoye’s variations and, consequently, abused his son each emotionally and physically. Nwoye’s father produced him really feel like an outsider in his own loved ones and, since of that, Nwoye was afraid to be himself starting at a quite young age. When Nwoye located out that he would be leaving his residence to attend a Christian school, Achebe wrote, “Nwoye did not fully realize. But he was happy to leave his father” (145). The missionaries gave Nwoye a protected haven where he was totally free to be himself and not withhold any of his feelings out of fear, which was a fantastic relief for him.

Nwoye’s change of character helped shape the book Items Fall Apart as a complete. The missionaries’ arrival sparked lots of curiosity within the tribe. The curiosity of the Ibo folks, specifically Nwoye, led to conflict inside households and between friends. All of the conflict that the missionaries brought on shaped the outcome of the book by emphasizing that change comes with conflict but it can be each helpful and dangerous. For example, when Nwoye started questioning his identity, it triggered him to express his feelings to Okonkwo and put a strain on his loved ones, which is shown when Achebe wrote, “Nwoye struggled to free himself from the choking grip [of Okonkwo]” (145). Okonkwo was furious with Nwoye when he had even the slightest suspicion that his son was betraying his culture. Although Nwoye benefited from his adjust in identity, it was perceived in a negative way by his father.

In conclusion, Nwoye’s curiosity and eventual conversion to Christianity shaped the book Issues Fall Apart. The conflict in between the Western missionaries and the Ibo men and women brought up numerous conflicts that threatened the Ibo culture. Even though Christianity brought a damaging influence to some lives, it brought a extremely positive impact to other individuals. The missionaries permitted Nwoye to lastly discover a sense of comfort following Ikemefuna’s death and he was also in a position to uncover a sense of identity that he by no means received from the Ibo culture. Though modify does lead to conflict, it can have a good influence on these who accept and embrace the modify.