The Power Of Religion In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

In the village of Umuofia, the Igbo people worship a religion of many deities. Their polytheistic religion consists of gods related to nature such as rain, sun, etc. The most important deity is the goddess of the Earth; Igbo people frain from committing sins against the goddess of the Earth in fear of complete genocide. The European missionaries introduce Umuofia to a monotheistic religion, Christianity. The Igbo people fear what they can’t understand, such as medicine. Igbo people feared the “white man”, however, missionaries successfully convert some Igbo people into Christian, causing them to be shamed by the hierarchy of men in the village. The conversion caused changes in Igbo culture and influenced the Igbo people to behave in a way that was unheard of before the European missionaries arrived. Enoch, a recently converted Christian, committed one of the worst crimes in

In the novel Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, religion, an indispensable tradition is celebrated within the Igbo people. The Igbo people, hosts gatherings, worship, and celebrate their ancestors. They are polytheistic, in other words, they believe in many gods. The Igbo people also believe in sacrifices to their ancestors and crimes are considered as sins. Their ancestors and gods serve as a role model, or a sculpture, to whom they worship and sacrifice in Igbo society. However, the arrival of the European Missionaries not only brings tremendous changes to Igbo religion and culture, but also creates conflicts among them.

In the novel, Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is a sympathetic character and unsympathetic character in regards to his family relationships with his adopted son, Ikemefuna, his daughter, Ezima, and his father, Unoka, as a result of he appears to genuinely care about his family; but, the pride within himself prevents his expression of such pride and concern openly.

A religion to some is the basic world views for a person, to some it is the basic behaviors and practices and to others it is an order of existence. Throughout history, the world has witnessed a religions power to guide a society, but many have also witnessed a religion destroy a society as well. Within the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the world witnesses many religions, for example the Ibo religion and Christianity. We are able to get a delightful insight on their ways of functioning and beliefs. For the durations of the book, we observe the destructive power of religion. Religion can absolutely destroy a society and break it into pieces because religion creates fear within the people who follow it,

Post colonialism deals with cultural identity in colonized societies and the ways in which writers articulate that identity. Things Fall Apart is a good novel that serves as a reminder of what Nigeria once was. It shows how a society can deal with change, how change affects the individuals of that society, and how delicate a change can be; so much so that the people themselves are surprised at the change.

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, presents the result of colonization of the Ibo people by the European missionaries. The Ibo culture is threatened to change by the European influence. Villagers are divided between resisting a new lifestyle or embracing it for better opportunities in society. The struggle to keep Ibo traditions alive is reflected in Okonkwo and Obierika’s relationship to one another. Okonkwo represents the resistance of change by keeping traditional values in high regard while, Obierika signifies the openness to opportunity by questioning the current Ibo values. The arrival of European missionaries persuades the exchange of traditional Ibo methods, customs, and community for Christianity, resulting in the community to fall apart.

In the book Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, we are able to read about the social changes the white missionaries had on an African tribe. Mr. Achebe describes the way of life before the missionaries arrived and then records some of the changes, which occurred due to the changed belief system introduced by these missionaries.

In his novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe introduces his readers to the Nigerian village Umuofia and its culture through the protagonist, Okonkwo, a well respected Umuofian leader. Umuofian culture is centered around pleasing and respecting spiritual life. Everything within this culture and religion has a specific order; however, the Umuofian culture ultimately reaches its demise when Evangelists arrive to convert the Umuofians to Christianity. As seen through the events that transpire in this novel, from Nwoye leaving his family to letting the osu have a place in society, religion has the potential to both build and break a society. Specifically, religion has the power to break apart families, introduce new ideas into society, and bring hope into one’s life.

The breakdown of Okonkwo’s relationship with his son is evident throughout this novel. The reason for this tumultuous relationship is, Okonkwo is too engrossed in maintaining his status quo, and his relationship was governed by his own beliefs, principles and his own “right way to do right things”. He treated his family very strictly as he believed that showing affection revealed a sign of social weakness; thus the disheartening lack of respect and love was a mal nourishing factor with in the family.

A major aspect of one’s society is religion. Without it, the way people hold themselves accountable would be nonexistent. In addition, many moral standards that exist today are values taken directly from religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Currently, there exists a feud between people who believe in a god, and of those who do not. Eventually those who believe in a higher power will fight against each other. In “Things Fall Apart”, Chinua Achebe brings to light the differences and similarities of Christianity and Animism in order to demonstrate the effects of religion upon one’s society, which is exemplified by Okonkwo and his people. This is noticed in the lives of the Ibo, the missionaries, and

Before being forcibly removed from Umuofia, Okonkwo is able to live with his success on his farm among individuals of strong moral beliefs. However, after Okonkwo moves to the village of his maternal family, he loses his prestige in Umuofia and is forced to live in an environment where he has no power. Because of this, Okonkwo has a strong desire to move back and gain back all of his strength and influence among the Igbo society. When Okonkwo’s exile is eventually over, he discovers that Umuofia has been transformed by white Christians and the Igbo people are conforming to the Christian faith and morals. This drastic change in Okonkwo’s environment and exposure to a new society of people cause him to lose hope in his community and upholding their cultural values and faith, “Okonkwo was deeply grieved […].

Achebe introduces Okonkwo as a strong and humbled leader of the Igbo clan, but his own power destroys him. In the novel, “Okonkwo was well-known throughout the nine villages and even beyond” (Achebe 1) and his popularity increases his fear of being viewed as weak, which is one of his tragic flaws that drives him to his own downfall. Achebe adds that Okonkwo’s “fame rested on solid personal achievements”(3) and he had no help from a parent figure to get a start in his road to fame, this leads to the start of his hate against his dad. Finally,

Religion provides people mental peace and acceptance among society. In the book things fall apart written by Chinua Achebe the Igbo Religion brings people together physically to an event or ceremony. Many religions come together to worship different gods which give people a common interest. Religion brings people together mentally by providing a sense of belonging. Everyone is different especially among the Igbo people who have people of different titles but by having religion it provides them something in common. Belonging is a human need we want to feel accepted and wanted among a community. Last religion brings people together because it stops conflict among many people. By preventing conflict it keeps communities united together. Overall religion brings people together as a community.

Umuofia is a village in Africa, and the inhabitants there are usually united. However, when the Christians arrive and permeate the village, the clan changes but also falls apart. The novel in which this story takes place is called Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The story is about a well-respected man named Okonkwo who has three wives and many children, the oldest being Nwoye. Okonkwo is banished for seven years from Umuofia, and during those seven years, Umuofia is changed fundamentally by the Christian faith. Many people are converted, but the whole clan is in conflict. This novel demonstrates that Christianity destroys but also guides the Ibo culture in Umuofia.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe holds an array of emotional events that lead to one final decision: to trust and convert, or to follow familiar practices. Okonkwo, leader of the tribe, must guide his people away from what seems to be chaos introduced by the white visitors. Though not entirely portrayed until the end, the novel shows one specific event that most represents globalization. The event takes place in the Umuofia and Mbanta villages of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria. Six missionaries traveled to Mbanta with one motive. The leader of the missionaries, Mr. Brown, speaks to the villagers through an interpreter named Mr. Kiaga. He tells them that their beliefs are false and that it is an act of idolatry to worship more than one God. The villagers cannot comprehend how the Holy Trinity can be represented by one God. Although his aim is to convert the