Cultural Collision In Things Fall Apart

When cultures collide, everyone will have a response to it. Some, good and others, not nearly as much. Okonkwo, a character in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, was one of those who did not have a good response to the cultural collision caused by the introduction of western ideas into his local culture. Okonkwo is a generally stubborn character and the book does an interesting job of giving examples that show his nerve, spontaneity, and distaste towards new ideas. From the get-go, we observe that Okonkwo is not an understanding person, and he does not appreciate the change. There are plenty of instances of Okonkwo's character throughout the book, for example, "He [Okonkwo] had a slight stammer and whenever he got angry and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fists" (4). This quote displays his lack of self-control and

Okonkwo did not take the news of Nwoye's conversion very well at all. After Amikwu, Okonkwo's cousin, saw Nwoye with the Christians one day he immediately went to tell Okonkwo. When Nwoye returned that day Okonkwo confronted him, " ‘Where have you been?' he stammered. Nwoye struggled to free himself from the choking grip. ‘Answer me,' roared Okonkwo, ‘before I kill you!' " (Achebe 151). This is an example of his inability to control his temper and shows his poor response to the cultural clash. Soon after his encounter with Nwoye, Okonkwo was described to have a felt a "strong desire to take up his machete, go to the church and wipe out the entire vile and miscreant gang" (Achebe 152). This quote illustrates his tendency to resort to violence without considering any other options beforehand. Okonkwo's reaction to Nwoye's conversion supports my thesis that Okonkwo does not react well to the introduction of new cultures because he immediately rejected any chance of accepting Nwoye when the only change was his