Okonkwo Culture Analysis

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Nwoye’s Response To Cultural Change A sense of identity is developed by everyone as they mature, but it is always changing as culture changes. The novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, follows the development of several characters in response to a cultural shock caused by the Westernization of the Ibo tribe in Nigeria. The protagonist of the book, Okonkwo, was a strong leader who ruled with a heavy hand. Nwoye, Okonkwo’s first son, was very different however. Although he tried to shadow his father, Nwoye always had a soft side to him. His father's morals never meshed with Nwoye’s morals which caused a great number of conflicts, especially when it came to religion. As a result of the introduction of Western ideas in the Ibo culture, Nwoye’s…show more content…
Missionaries poured into the village preaching about Christianity, much to the discomfort of most of the clan. Even from the beginning, Nwoye was intrigued by the new culture and religion. As described by the book, “but there was a young lad who had been captivated. His name was Nwoye, Okonkwo’s first son...The hymn about brothers who sat in darkness and in fear seemed to answer a vague and persistent question that haunted his young soul- the question of the twins crying in the bush and the question of Ikemefuna who was killed” (147). This shows Nwoye attraction to the Christian religion from when it was first introduced. Additionally, Christianity provided an answer to several unanswered questions of Nwoye’s old Ibo religion. For the first time in his life, Nwoye desired something other than pleasing his father- Christianity. Shortly after the introduction of the Christian religion, Nwoye began contemplating joining the church. As described on page 150, “Nwoye passed and repassed the little red-earth and thach building without summoning the courage to enter. He heard the voice of singing and although it came from a handful of men it was loud and confident”. At this point, Nwoye was considering joining the church. Soon enough, Nwoye joins the church and becomes a Christian. Although Nwoye’s own personal cultural identity was hidden for fear of Okonkwo, Nwoye eventually became more independent and began to escape from the Ibo cultural
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