The role of the missionaries in Achebe's Things Fall Apart - Essay Example

The role of the missionaries in Achebe's Things Fall Apart Missionaries play various roles in Achebe's Things Fall Apart. First,the role of missionaries in this novel is to cause socio-cultural transformation. The ultimate definition of a great man was the one who was able to feed his family with yams, from one season to the other (Achebe, 33). In the history of the Igbo people, before the missionaries arrived, the people had a very rich culture, which provided for the way their community was to be administered, while they also had a religious culture that catered for their spiritual needs. However, the arrival of the missionaries in the Umuofia village completely changed every aspect of the Igbo peoples’ culture and social construct, through the introduction of the civilization of the west to the people, not through any harmonious way or even through any agreement, but through force (186). The consequence of this action was the creation of a deep rift between the two set of cultures, with the Missionaries culture presenting itself as superior, and thus undermining the traditional culture of the Igbo people. On the other hand, the Igbo people saw the newly introduced western culture as incompatible with their customs, traditions and cultures, and thus sought to resist its introduction into the community (Achebe, 147). As a matter of fact, it is though the imposition of a new western culture to the Igbo people through force; that ‘things fall apart’. The Igbo people had solid religious and spiritual practices, such as the Yam Feast which was held every New Year before the harvest, to honor the gods for the provision of food (Achebe, 36). Should the introduction of the culture have been smooth, through seeking consensus and creating a mutual understanding, then, it would have been possible for the western cultures of the missionaries to be introduced to the Igbo people, without causing a rift that further tore the relationship between the two set of cultures. In portraying the role of the missionaries as causing socio-cultural transformation, Achebe aimed at portraying the stereotype that the African culture was inferior and thus needed replacement with a more civilized culture was misplaced (Achebe, 147). This is because, the African communities throughout the continent had social, political and cultural values that served them just fine, and therefore they did not need to be saved from the uncivilized culture, through the intrusion of new religion that was forced and imposed on them against their wishes. The second role of missionaries in Achebe's Things Fall Apart is complementing colonialism. While the missionaries came into Umuofia village to spread the new religion among the Igbo people, they appeared as genuine Christians whose intentions was to spread the new religion, and thus enlighten and civilize the Igbo community. However, realizing that the Igbo people had their own cultures, religion and spiritual values, the missionaries sought to enforce the new religion on the community, despite the apparent resistance that was demonstrated by the community (Achebe, 191). The missionaries enlisted the help of the colonial government to be able to force the Igbo community to ‘tore the line’, through intimidating, arresting and harassing their leaders, so that they would instill fear on them, and consequently force them to adapt to the new religion and culture. Through the belief that the Igbo people worshipped false gods, the missionaries sought to replace the religion of the Umuofia village entirely, and at all costs, even if it meant through intimidating, harassing and even torture. However, the reality is that the two religions were not very different, considering that the Igbo people believed in the existence of one supreme deity, Chukwu, who made the world and everything in it, including the other gods (Achebe, 179). This is a similar belief to the Christian belief in one God, who is the creator of heaven and earth. Therefore, it was possible to harmonize and integrate the two religions, without the use of force, violence or political conquest. Nevertheless, the notion of the missionaries was that the African people worshiped false gods, and thus they ought to be fed the new religion, through enlisting the help of the colonial government, where the African communities showed some resistance to the intrusion of their culture and religion (Achebe, 120). In fact, following the introduction of the Christian religion by force, intimidation and harassment, it became difficult to differentiate the colonialist from the missionaries, considering that theirs was the same strategy in ensuring to conquer the African community (Achebe, 195). Therefore, the leaders of the Umuofia village were humiliated by the colonial government which took over the village, through imprisonment and holding the leaders for ransom, for their perceived resistance of the introduction of the new religion, through the notion that such efforts to protect the primitive culture was evil (Achebe, 184). Thirdly, the role of missionaries in Achebe's Things Fall Apart was to bring a reversal of fortunes. The Igbo people had made various gains through the prevalence and the operation of their cultures and religion (Achebe, 167). It is through such cultures that men like Okonkwo was able to have three wives and many children, and still adopt another son, Ikemefuna. Yet, the missionaries believed that the cultures, religion and the social norms of the Igbo people was inferior, while Christianity was superior, and therefore they sought to replace the inferior culture with the more civilized Christian model. However, the missionaries did not seek to introduce Christianity so that they could help or improve the lives of the Igbo people, but to completely erase what they considered evil and undeserved cultural practices (Achebe, 80). In doing this, the Igbo people were completely disoriented, and their social-economic activities were brought to a halt, since they were required to henceforth take their children to the missionary schools, while they themselselves were required to attend the church. Thus, the gains that the culture of the Igbo people had made through establishing a social structure where the elders in the community were at the helm of leadership, settling the cases amongst the village members and imposing the deserved fines and punishment was replaced by a system of courts, where those who went against the wishes of the missionaries were to be tried. This resulted to the commitment of an abomination by some village elders like Okonkwo, who preferred to commit suicide despite such an act being abominable in the community, since he was set for trial in a colonial court under the authority of a District commissioner (Achebe, 209). Another role of the missionaries in Achebe's Things Fall Apart is to cause family disintegration. Before the arrival of the missionaries in Umuofia village, families were upheld together by the social and the cultural values that defined the village of Umuofia (Achebe, 96). However, after the arrival of the missionaries, things started going wrong in the family systems, where children would no longer adhere strictly to the ways of their African culture, but started being attracted to the western cultures brought by the missionaries, eventually causing the degradation of the cultural and social values of the Igbo people. The arrival of the missionaries in the village tore down the once coherent social structure of the Igbo, breaking down the institutional framework that had installed men as the head of their families (Achebe, 81). Okonkwo’s family disintegrates, courtesy of being unhappy with his son and heir, Nwoye, who seems interested in the ways of the western culture and the missionaries, as opposed to the following the culture of the Igbo people, which required that he heirs to the family throne should display characteristics of men who are strong and able to undertake farming, for the sake of being able to supply their families with food, and especially Yams, throughout the year (Achebe, 156). However, Nwoye does not show any interest in sticking to the social and cultural values of his community, and therefore a rift arises between him and his father, eventually causing Okonkwo to part ways with his son, for departing from the ways of his community. This result to the disintegration of Okonkwo’s family, since it no longer has a leader and an heir, after he himself commits suicide. Finally, and in conclusion, the role of missionaries in Achebe's Things Fall Apart was to make way for colonization of the Igbo people by the colonial government, no wonder the Igbo people could not differentiate between the colonists and the missionaries (Achebe, 195). The missionaries arrived first in the village of Umuofia and constructed a church, from where they started to preach their new religion. However, on realizing that only a few people were interested in the new religion and culture, they sought to impose the religion and culture of civilization on the whole of the Umuofia village, through enlisting the help of the colonial government (Achebe, 178). Therefore, the missionaries paved way for the colonial government, through first exploring and testing the waters of the Africans willingness to cooperate with the missionaries, after which they invited the colonial government to take control of the African community, so they could be assisted to enforce the Christian religion. That explains the reason the elders of the Umuofia village, at least those who were brave enough, embarked on resisting the imposition of the Christian religion to the village through physical confrontation, and right there, ‘things fall apart’. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1959. Read More