Structurally, Part 1 of the novel shows the traditional Ibo life, with no intervention from external sources. Achebe positions the reader to feel as though the Ibo society is a sophisticated society, with a council of tribal elders who make decisions for the rest of the people. Therefore, the introduction of British culture begs the question whether installing a new religion and Government, would in fact be detrimental to the Ibo culture which had been presented as such a strong and close-knit society, perhaps more than the British culture.

The imposition of the British culture on Ibo society brought significant cha

The Christian missionaries changed the attitudes and values of Ibo people by bringing with them an entirely different and “lunatic” religion. These preached values appealed to those, that under Ibo custom, were viewed as outcasts. For example, a woman who gave birth to twins would have them taken away and buried in the Evil Forrest, likewise so did people with diseases such as leprosy and smallpox. However, under Christian influence, a greater sense of equality was instilled into those who were less fortunate and socially weak. Like every other new and diverse laws and values introduced, Okonkwo rejected this new religion, believing “..the man [white man] was mad. He shrugged his shoulders and went away to tap his afternoon palm-wine”. This clearly highlights Achebe’s construction of Okonkwo as a stubborn character who, in this case, rejects and returns to his traditional practice.

Unlike Okonkwo, there were many men and women in Umuofia who did not feel as strongly about the new religion and Government. They felt that the white man had “…indeed brought a lunatic religion, but he had also built a trading store…and much money flowed into Umuofia.” thus they felt a sense of change for the good, the good of the people. The British culture that was presented to the Ibo people was vastly different to their previous culture and as a res

Some topics in this essay:
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