The beginning chapter sets up the problems of the entire novel with great efficiency. It tells us what is going on at present with Obi's trial and backtracks to the past in order to reveal what kind of man Obi is: an educated man, a young man who is Nigerian but who has studied in England. Most significantly, this first chapter juxtaposes the two extreme cultures that are at work in the novel as a result of colonialism. .
The scene between Mr. Green and the British Councilman, and the scene among the Umuofia Progressive Union are juxtaposed against each other to illustrate their differences and their paradoxical similarities. This is done in order to show us the space in which Obi is caught, between the British and the Umuofians.The scene with Mr. Green, Obi's boss, is illustrative of the white, English presence in Nigeria in the late 1950s (when the novel is taking place). Mr. Green as an archetypal colonial mindset "the mindset of empire. He claims that it was the British that brought "education" to the Africans, not that, according to him, it does "them" any good because they are "corrupt through and through." Aside from Mr. Green's vocal impressions about Africans, there is also the fact that there are many other Europeans at this bar where Mr. Green is. Furthermore, when another acquaintance arrives to join Mr. Green and the British Councilman, he orders a Heineken, further pointing to the presence of Western Europe in Nigeria. Moreover, there is also an evident choice of language in this section on Achebe's part, which points directly to this archetypal figure of the colonial world. When ordering their beers, one of the men says: "One beer for this master." This is the language of the colonizer, the language of power and superiority.This scene with Mr. Green is posed against that of the Umuofian Progressive Union. This section is filled with proverbs and colloquialisms. It illustrates the desire for another kind of hold on Obi.
