Igbo Culture In Achebe's Things Fall Apart

The constant change within the society is inevitable in every culture, ranging from traditional sense of social values to the law and condition of the land that people needs to obey by as time when on. And these changes within the culture can have significant impact on the perspective of the whole community and the mindset of an individual. We can see this in Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” as the old Igbo culture clashing with the Missionaries’s ideals from the western world that leads to the dividing of the two culture and create this social barrier between them as one culture would often contradict with the other. This changes unfold to the reader through the eyes of the main character of the story, Okonkwo.

Igbo society are the same as any culture

Iglo traditions include their own gods and religion practices, marriage and their own justice system and court trial, through the use of the nine elders of the village that dress up as gods to settle arguments or giving punishment of a crime throughout the village. Okonkwo held a high social position within Umoufia, he is part of the nine elder who judge based on the law of the land, he have three out of four prestige title that a man could earn at his age. Until it all changes when Okonkwo was exiled from the village for 7 years for accidentally shoot and kill a boy. During those 7 years, Okonkwo lived in his mother village, Mbanta and would often hear stories about his village back home from his best friend, Obierika. Stories that include the comings of Christian Missionary arrived in the village in order to convert Igbo villagers into Christianity and introduced their own modern culture throughout the village. These Missionaries would convert everybody from men, women and child regardless of age to join their belief as they believed the singular God would accept them all