Okonkwo is a fictional character the book Things fall Apart, where his life begins to fall apart for him. Okonkwo had gained his fame through his wrestling and gained much respect and power in his clan. But, through the book as his life spirals, when the white men come he is forced to change dramatically due to their new rules and laws. Okonkwo’s sense of identity is challenged by the introduction of western ideas in Igbo culture because he likes violence,respect in the clan, and not to be like his father, but the british people change these and force him to give up some of these traits due to the cultural collision between the Ibo and the English people. He shapes the book as he shows the gigantic negative effects the cultural collision can have on the people living in the country as colonization takes effect.
First of all, Okonkwo loves manliness and violence, but the english condemn violence and punish those who commit acts of violence, changing how Okonkwo can act in his clan. As happens in the book, after the egwugwu burn down a church building, they gather the Igbo leaders and the District commissioner states “ I have brought you here because you joined together to molest others and burn other people’s home and places of worship”(pg…show more content… Okonkwo shows that because of a cultural collision, the home culture will be pushed aside and the people of the country end up losing quite a bit due to what is occurring. Okonkwo loses most of his characteristics due to the British coming in and forcing their culture on the people. Showing the negative impact this can have on the home people of the land. Achebe uses okonkwo as a perfect example of the negative impact of colonization, as change is not always the best thing for someone and their
