The English government and Christian missionaries that encroach upon the Ibo peoples bring with them their own cultures and beliefs. Although this doesn’t automatically result in violence when concerning the people of Umuofia, in the long run this results in a major culture clash between these new beliefs and the traditional cultures of the people of the Niger River valley. One of the first converts to the newly imported religion of Christianity is Okonkwo’s own son, Nwoye. Upon hearing the missionaries break out into their evangelical style singing Nwoye is enthralled by everything about the religion. After some of the missionaries made it out of the Evil Forest alive after securing their new plot of land, three new Ibo are converted to Christianity. The osu, or outcasts, begin to attend the church after awhile, and the falseness of the Ibo taboos placed upon them is shown when nothing happens to them when they cut their hair. This wins the Christians even more converts, as they had already won over many of the efulefu, or titleless men. The impact of all these inroads made by the church are huge, as they expose many Ibo people to Christianity and also subjugate many of the villages under European judicial rule. The run-in with the sacred python also further separates the new Christian converts from the Ibo who remain faithful to their traditional beliefs. When the man who killed the python dies of an illness, the elders believe the gods have served justice for the killing of the sacred animal, and their beliefs are reaffirmed. This separation leads to further distrust between the traditionalist Ibo and the Christian missionaries. All of these events lead up to the confrontation between the people who hold fast to their ancestors’ beliefs and the new Christian converts which results in the burning of the Christian church.
Upon returning to Umuofia from Mbanta Okonkwo slowly separates himself from the new society he finds waiting for him. He...