Imperialism In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

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Imperialism has the ability to completely destroy an entire civilization. Chinua Achebe points out the true horrors of imperialism in Things Fall Apart. The story shows not only how a country so caught up in imperialising another country can completely wipe out a culture of a whole village, but an individual itself. Okonkwo changed throughout the story due to the ever so power hungry Europe. A once hardworking man soon became depressed and eventually unsettled, due to process of imperialism. European missionaries came to Africa and tried to take over Umuofia, and the nine surrounding villages. They tried to change their elements of culture. Okonkwo was one of the leaders of the Umuofia clan. The African clan in Nigeria, respected masculinity …show more content…
Achebe states, “Okonkwo was deeply grieved. And it was not just a personal grief. He mourned for the clan, which he saw breaking up and falling apart, and he mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women” (183). Okonkwo was so unsettled that the villagers became soft like women, Umuofia did not stand up for themselves to the missionaries like Okonkwo hoped. Okonkwo was all about showing strength within his village but seeing his village after being converted made him upset in seeing no masculinity or strength within the people.
In Things Fall Apart Okonkwo changes from diligent, to sad, to worried. Okonkwo was a hard working and respected man to the villagers, who worked day and night on his farm to show masculinity. After Ikemefuna's death Okonkwo became depressed, he had to kill Ikemefuna for sacrifice to the gods and to not show fear or weakness. When Okonkwo returned from his exile he was unsettled with the fact that the villagers converted to Christianity. Imperialism not only affects the country targeted but also the surrounding countries along with the individuals
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