Conflict of Values Between Cul
It is evident that the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe strongly reflects that the extent of the conflict between the Igbo and British is one of differing values of each individual culture. There are many examples of this divergence recurring in the novel itself and these coincide with this idea of very different societies having very different views and beliefs. While the Igbo society robustly imitates the "traditional society," the British are much more modernized and almost completely approaching the industrial society. The Traditional societies are "guided by principles of kinship." This is seen quite often in The Igbo society as Things Fall Apart describes in detail. Okonkwo is quite upset when his first and only son is not close t
The story about the tortoise shows the firmly held stories explaining many occurrences having to do with nature. As the book goes on to explain and detail, these differences ultimately cause tension between the cultures which leads to much conflict as well. o him and doesn't revere him as the boy is supposed to within his culture. Furthermore, the evil spirits of the dead body of Okonkwo show the superstitions of Igbo people to the point that they make things such as suicide a taboo and looked down upon. Another way that the Igbo society can be seen as traditional is its firm "pre-scientific beliefs" such as myths and superstitions. The more industrial society of the British is also reflected in the novel. These actions are an example of values that are conflicting, and thus cause this very conflict between the two dissimilar cultures. While they might be strong believers in religion as the church and its people show in the novel, they also are more accepting of others. It is not until Ikefuma becomes part of the family that his first son becomes more close to Okonkwo himself. Examples of these in the novel are the myth about the tortoise and how it got its rough shell and the refusal by the tribesman who refused to touch Okonkwo when he committed suicide. When the British begin converting clansmen to Christianity and the Igbo's burn down the Christian church, they are taking action for their own beliefs and for their own benefit. These differences in cultural values and acceptances between the Igbo and British societies are obviously reflected in Things Fall Apart quite soundly in more than one case. For example, the church goers in the novel strongly question the validity of the tales and myths that the Igbo live by. Okonkwo does not believe that this is "proper" for his own son's job is to follow in his father's footsteps and legacy. They even go as far as to unmask a "spirit" that the Igbo regard highly, during one of the clan's ceremonies.
Common topics in this essay:
Okonkwo Okonkwo,
Igbo British,
Fall Apart,
Christianity Igbo's,
Chinua Achebe,
igbo society,
fall apart,
,
son close,
society british,
industrial society,
traditional societies,
igbo british,
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Acceptance Essays
