The story begins by telling of the upbringing of a young native, Okonkwo, in the rural areas near Nigeria. Okonkwo was raised by a lazy father, and had little given to him in life. His father was deeply in debt, and never paid them. As Okonkwo grew older he began to resent his father, and swore never to be like him. He strayed away from any attribute he saw in his father, which made him a powerful, but uncompassionate man. Compassion, as he had seen in his father, was a sign of weakness. In spite of his upbringing, he rose to be one of the most respected men in the village.

The next few chapters follow normal life in the tribe. Okonkwo is sent to avert a war when a kinsman�

During the meeting, they are interrupted by a messenger from the commissioner. They are told they must break up the meeting by order of the British Queen. Okonkwo, outraged by this then murders one of the messengers. Knowing, by the reaction from the tribe, that there would be no fighting back, Okonkwo runs off.

The commissioner shows up to take Okonkwo into custody, only to learn that he was dead, by suicide. The end of the book really puts it all into perspective. In the last paragraph, the commissioner is contemplating the events of the story. He states that it would make an interesting passage in his book titled “Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger”

Considering that this book is not historically factual, I do believe it is historically accurate. It gives the long lost perspective of an African in the time of the colonialization. So many books written on the subject, written by Europeans and missionaries, cannot show the entire picture. Most importantly, it displays the culture of the tribes, and the beginning of the effects of the colonialization.

Some topics in this essay:
Character Okonkwo, Nigeria Okonkwo, Queen Okonkwo, Niger” Considering, West African, Chinua Achebe, book story,