Okonkwo's Struggles In Things Fall Apart

How does one interpret being challenged? In the novel Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe. This novel is about Umuofia losing their religion and their tribe because of the missionaries coming over and trying to recruit new members to their religion. Okonkwo, the main character, appears weak later in the novel because the missionaries became more powerful than Okonkwo would ever be. Okonkwo has been challenged by the collision of the missionaries by being downgraded and becoming depressed over time. Okonkwo was a strong and powerful figure. After his exile he came back to Umuofia feeling like a lower class Ibo. For instance, “Seven years was a long time to be away from one’s clan. A man’s place was not always there, waiting for him.
As soon as he left, someone else rose and filled it” (Achebe 160). This quote is significant because it explains how weak Okonkwo seems after his exile. All of Okonkwo’s accomplishment where no longer acknowledged after his exile. Although he was not personally replaced, the missionaries did replace most of his clan. The missionaries brought over their culture, Christianity. Most of the clan’s men transferred over to Christianity because their morals fit the clan members better. For example, Umuofia believed twins were dangerous and would kill them but in Christianity twins are not seen as dangerous and are kept alive. Therefore, the missionaries took over most of the clan leaving Okonkwo by himself wanting to try and save his clan. No other Ibo person wanted to do anything about the missionaries. Everyone thought the missionaries would get bad luck and eventually leave. Hence, Okonkwo strives to save his clan. Okonkwo becomes depressed as time goes on and the missionaries’ followers grew.
Okonkwo was upset that the missionaries’ religion, Christianity, inspired more Ibo’s to join them. Especially Nwoye, Okonkwo’s son, left his family and culture to join the missionaries. Nwoye left his father and changed his name to Isaac. This made Okonkwo become more frustrated. He was so mad at the missionaries he eventually killed one of the missionaries’ messengers after a meeting with his clan’s leaders. After he killed that missionary Okonkwo knew it was the end of him. In addition, Okonkwo took his own life, “Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was dangling, and they stopped dead” (Achebe 191). Okonkwo knew there would be consequences of killing a missionary so instead he showed his weakness and killed himself. Okonkwo did try to fight for the clan but the leader of Umuofia didn’t mind the missionaries. This caused Okonkwo to get mad because no one wanted to do anything about the missionaries, and this left Okonkwo to become depressed. Okonkwo soon realized there was no longer hope in saving his clan because the missionaries were developing and expanding their religion every day, until one day Okonkwo had enough and took his own life. This proved he was a coward and was no longer a powerful man. As a result Umuofia was left to die and the missionaries would eventually take
over.