The book opens with Obi’s trial, where he is charged with corruption; by accepting a bribe. Also, Achebe indicates that everyone was shocked at Obi’s current situation, including the judge, who is filled with disbelief as he says "I cannot understand how a young man of your education and brilliant promise could have done this,"
The plot then backtracks to the period when Obi appeared to be a man of steel in his resolve to remain pure and incorruptible. And after searching for the fatal flaw that causes his downfall, the most apparent and stand-out cause is his EGOTISM. Obi is portrayed to be a prime example of a tragic hero. Just as Shakespeare did it with Macbeth, Achebe gives Obi a similar story. The main theme being the Moral Decomposition of the protagonist; our hero. As we see in the end of the book, Obi is too proud to go to the Umuofia
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He had learned to adapt to the way the White man thought, as well as his way of life. Obi returns to Nigeria, seeking to save it from the ‘Corrupt African’. This also contributes to his prideful attitude as he views himself as a saviour to his people, armed with the knowledge and power of the White man. Obi’s isolation from Igbo culture and values, leads him to assume that he could follow his own path without consequences. A good example of this being a problem in Obi’s life is his argument with his father. Obi is torn between two worlds as his parents refuse for him to marry Clara, as she is an Osu, and it is against their culture. And his view that discriminating against people is not right. This attributes to one of the main themes of the book; Traditionalism vs Modernism. With Joseph, his mother and His father all disagreeing with him, Obi uses his education to dismiss them as he feels since he is educated, he must be correct, which is a prime example of his moral decay, in the sense that he does not respect his parents views and