How Does Nwoye's Culture Change

Culture has challenged young individuals since the dawn of civilization and its ideas have always lead pathways for adolescents to mature into adults. In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, a young male is challenged to accept the harsh reality of his native culture or seek an alternative. This young male, Nwoye, is the son of a headstrong man who is overpowering and controlling when it comes to their culture and being as masculine as a man can be. Nwoye’s father, Okonkwo, strives to become a fearless man and loses his son along the way. His desire to be anything but weak causes rifts in the father-son relationship which leads Nwoye to convert religions. Nwoye’s personal identity changes when his culture challenges his values due to the

While the true conflict is internal and within Nwoye himself, the external stress from his father increases his internal struggle to balance his culture’s beliefs and his values. His first true act of defiance began when, “…Okonkwo’s cousin, Amikwu, was passing by the church on his way from the neighboring village, when he saw Nwoye among the Christians,” (Achebe 145). Nwoye is intrigued by the Christians ideas which concur with his own. For instance, both Nwoye and the Christians disagree with throwing children into the Evil Forest because they are twins. Because the Christians beliefs are more like his, Nwoye seeks comfort in their culture. He has been demanded to rely on his culture for justifications towrrds difficult

Nwoye even thought, “he would later return to his mother and brothers and sisters and convert them to the new faith,” (Achebe 146). This task would be difficult with Okonkwo around. He would never let more of his children convert let alone his wife. Although Nwoye knows his family would never defy Okonkwo, he still has hope that they will join him. Nwoye’s character is hopeful and soft unlike his foil Okonkwo. This sets him apart from Okonkwo and is why he was impacted by the introduction of Christianity the