Ouphone Bounsourath Dr. Jackson H. S. English 2: Per. 1 May 19, 2010 Okonkwo’s Disagreement of Christian Religion The Christian religion believes in one God, the God is the father of all children in humanity. Chinua Achebe describes the impact of Christianity towards the Ibos of Umuofia in his historic novel Things Fall Apart. In a land where ancestral spirits hold powers to the Ibos, it settles in section three when Mr. Brown (the father of the Christian church) preaches the Christian faith by using a translator towards the Ibos.
An Ibo with title, Okonkwo, builds up anger towards the Christian religion when he views his people of Umuofia changing their ways of the beliefs of ancestral spirits, transitioning those beliefs to the pathway of Christianity. Chinua Achebe uses the religion of ancenstral spirits and Christianity for the readers to have an ideal thought on how religion plays a large role to the ill temper man, Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s anger results from his disagreement with the Christian religion that has moved in to his tribe, Umuofia.
Okonkwo’s aggression commence in chapter seven-teen for the pathway of the religion, Christianity, when Okonkwo’s cousin states that he perceive Nwoye (Okonkwo’s first born son) inside the Christian church. The news of Nwoye has cause Okonkwo to build up anger, waiting for him inside his obi silently. Okonkwo patiently waits for Nwoye return, Nwoye enters the obi, salutes his father, but his father did not salute back. Nwoye turns to walk into the inner compound, but suddenly Okonkwo sprang to his feet and grips Nwoye by the neck.
Okonkwo states, “where have you been, answer me, before I kill you! ” (chapter 17. page 151) with a fearsome roar. Okonkwo stammered this statement to symbolize how angry he is directly at Nwoye since he is contributing himself to Christianity. To exemplar those angry results, Okonkwo decides to choke Nwoye, then seize a heavy stick to strike him with two or three savage blows. Okonkwo use these terrifying punishments until a sound of a women screamed became heard from the outer side of the compound, because she distinguish the punishment that Nwoye is being involve with.
The fearsome anger of Okonkwo causes Nwoye to be brutally beaten continuously until a loud voice of Uchendu, Okonkwo’s uncle, became heard from the outer compound. “Leave that boy at once! ” (chapter 17. page. 152), Uchendu shouts. Because of Okonkwo anger and determination towards Nwoye, Uchendu steps into the obi to create an end to the scene that Okonkwo causes. If Uchendu did not step into the obi, surely the results of Nwoye would have become more than a beaten, but instead a resolution of death.
Thus, this describes the anger of Okonkwo because of the pathway religion, Christianity. Progressively, however, Okonkwo anger continues to expand violently when he speaks about the destruction of the Christian church. Okonkwo believes that the Christian church is sabotaging the people of Umuofia. He believes that the clansmen of Umuofia should become more like warriors, violent and bloodshed. Once the District Commissioner learns about the destruction of the church, he asks six leaders of the village, including Okonkwo, to meet with him in the church.
The leaders agree to the meeting and came in armed force with their machetes. The District Commissioner began to ask for their explanation, once an explanation was about to be heard, twelve government officials surrounded the six leaders and hand cuffed them. The leaders were sent to the guard room and were set free after paying two hundred bags of cowries. The leaders were release since the two hundred cowries has been paid, leaving directly toward their homes quietly and miserably.
Unlike the other leaders, Okonkwo lies awake, thinking of his revenge towards the Christian church. He began to think of war, if Umuofia decides on war towards the Christian church, all would be well. But if the Ibo’s chose to become cowards he would go alone, and avenge himself. Okonkwo states, “Isike will never forget how we slaughter them in the war, we killed twelve of their men and they kill only two of ours, before the end of the fourth market week they were suing for peace, those were days when men were men” (chapter 24 page. 00). Okonkwo makes that statement to describe that the clansmen of Umuofia should not be afraid of death, but yet let their enemies be afraid of the bloodshed of their own death. He believes that going into war with the Christian church would not only help maintain his vengeance, but also provide the fact that he was not afraid, but only became fearsome even more when entering into battles. The town crier held a meeting at the market place to discuss to beginning of war to all the clansmen of Umuofia.
Once the meeting became settle, five court messengers from the church enter the market place and order the meeting to stop. The man who has spoken out of the five messengers was slit by the head with Okonkwo’s machete. The drip of blood that has lain on his machete is wiping away with the sand on the ground. With the one of the court messenger killed, this provide an image to the readers presenting how angry Okonkwo is towards the people who is involve with the Christian faith.
Achebe uses the religion, Christianity, to describe the anger from the disagreements that Okonkwo has build upon towards that faith. He uses Nwoye to specified how large Okonkwo’s anger has become by detailing a struggle of Nwoye being choke and being beaten. Achebe introduces the court messengers in the novel to symbolize the fearsome action that Okonkwo has become more furious and that he is not afraid. By detailing each scenario in Things Fall Apart it describes that through the selection, Okonkwo becomes additionally angry, and becomes more violent and brutal towards his actions.
