Culture in Things Fall Apart Essay

In Things Fall Apart there are two main cultures that are developed. The main culture is that of the Clan, and is developed in great detail throughout the novel. The second is that of the missionaries who try and convert the Clan to believe Christian beliefs. The Clan has a lot of trouble adapting to the Christian values being imposed on them. They have had a tribal way of life for as long as they know, and have only been aware of their own culture. It is because of how different the two belief systems are that makes it hard for the Clan to adjust, and Okonkwo, knowing very little about Christianity, does all that he can to support Ibo culture.

Once the missionaries arrive they begin to try and understand the current ways of the Clan. The missionaries know almost nothing about the beliefs of the Clan, but insist to tell them that they, worshipped false gods, gods of wood and stone. They continue to do everything in their power to change the beliefs of the Clan, without acknowledging that the village is already flourishing and has been for a long time.

The Christians tried to impose their values on the members of the Clan. The missionaries believe in one god. This god is not a physical god, but a spirit. This God is said to have created the entire world, and everything that lives on it. When some one dies, they go before this Great Spirit. Those who do not believe in him would be thrown into a fire that burned like palm oil. If the individual believes in god, and has followed his rules and lived a good life, his soul will be released into heaven where they will have eternal life. The missionaries believe that their religion rules supreme over all religions and they are very persistent in converting the members of the Clan.

The Clan believes in very different values. The Ibo tribe has many different gods that they worship, but they also believe in one supreme god. This god is Chukwu and it is said that he made the world and the other gods. The Clan believes in gods such as the sacred python, the Oracle of the Hills, and the Chi. Each individual has their own different Chi, or internal god. This god is cherished very much in the Ibo culture. Unlike Christianity, the Clan believes that their gods have physical forms, such as a woman or a reptile.

Okonkwo has a very stubborn opinion when dealing with the missionaries. The Ibo tribe doesnt understand much about the Christian religion, or where the white men came from because all they have ever known is their Ibo way of life. Since Okonkwo knows so little about the missionaries, he decides not to convert, and ultimately to fight against the intruders. If Okonkwo converted, all of his work for the Clan would be useless, and sacrifices such as that of Ikemefuna would be irrelevant. So Okonkwo tries to do all that he can to stop the invading missionaries, and turns to violence and destruction.

Many people from the Ibo tribe begin to convert, despite Okonkwos resistance. Nwoye, Okonkwos son, even converts. The people that begin to convert are people that had no real place in the Ibo lifestyle, and that seek benefit from Christianity. For instance, in the Ibo culture when a woman gives birth to twins, it is seen as impure and looked down upon. One lady, after giving birth to several sets of twins, decided to switch to Christianity, where she was viewed as an equal. There are many different cases in which lead to the conversion, from the Clans beliefs, to the newly imposed beliefs of the Christian missionaries.

Disregarding how content the Ibo people were with their belief system, the missionaries did all they could to convert the tribe. They ruthlessly called the Clans gods false, and had no remorse when converting the Ibo people. The Ibo people knew no other religion than their own, which made it very difficult to accept the values of the missionaries. Christianity slowly overtook the Ibo people, practically forcing them out of their way of life and into another. The strong individuals who resisted the change then had to sit back and watch their loved ones be swindled into giving up the religion they knew, and loved, for so long.