Things Fall Apart Chapter 16 - 20
Okonkwo receives his friend Obierika once again, two years after his first visit, and he attempts to discuss the case of Nwoye with Okonkwo. The white missionaries have increased manyfold since the last time they first discussed them, and Obierkia had seen Nwoye with the white men in Umuofia. Okonkwo refuses to talk about Nwoye, but Obierika learns about the reasons for Nwoye’s conversion from Okonkwo’s wife. He learns that the white missionaries had come with translators some time ago, and though the translators had been unskilled, their hymn had left an impact on Nwoye. The young man was overcome with emotion at hearing the Christian hymn about a pair of fearful siblings as it reminded him of the cry of the twins that had been abandoned in the forest. Nwoye had secretly watched as the missionaries came together to sing, and he decided to join them on a single occasion. However, his father learned of his visit and threatened him with violence, but this was stopped by Uchendu. Nwoye never returned home after that incident.
The missionaries were given cursed land to build their church, and the villagers watched in wonder as their survival in that hated place earned them the trust of the first few converts from among the people of Mbanta. The church thrived even as the villagers expected the missionaries to be struck down by their gods, and they gained more followers the longer they survived. There were several hiccups along the way, as the new converts were more zealous than even the missionaries, and confrontations broke out between the two groups. The most heightened tension arose between the groups when the villagers learned that one of the converts had killed the sacred python, and they decided to ostracise the people of the church, preventing them from even using the common resources of the village like the river and the quarry. However, the offending man died soon after the event and the villagers of Mbanta took this to mean that the gods could fight their own battles and thus did not need to be defended against the white men.
The church caused further controversy by beginning to accept the Osu, outcasts, among their members. A fact that could not be stomached by some of the converts who still believed in the tradition of the Osu, and so many of the converts returned to the village. However, the outcasts that remained became devout followers of christ and they became wholly loyal to the church. The villagers of Mbanta were unable to formulate any plan of opposition, and rumors began to grow that the white man’s religion would soon usher in the rule of the white man’s law as well. Okonkwo tried to muster the people of his motherland to take violent action against the white men, but he won little support. He believed that the people of his motherland were essentially good, but that they lacked the courage that had made Umuofia one of the most successful villages in the region.
Okonkwo anxiously waits for the seven years of exile to elapse to begin the plans of his return to Umuofia, plans that he had begun to hatch on the day that he had come to Mbanta. His first course of action is to express gratitude to his maternal relatives who had given him a place of refuge during his time of hardship. Okonkwo prepares a lavish feast for his family members, and he spares no expense in trying to show the family members that he appreciated their support and care. One of the elders in the family praises Okonkwo for his adherence and understanding of their culture. They all express their appreciation and hope that he continues to excel as he returns to Okonkwo.
Okonkwo is saddened that he had lost so much time in being exiled, as it meant that he had lost precious time in setting himself up for the highest titles in the village. However, Okonkwo thinks of several other ways in which he can make his return to the village memorable, and prime among these plans are those for the marriage of his daughters. In the past seven years, Ezinma had grown up to become one of the most beautiful women in the village, and the most prestigious suitors of Mbanta had expressed an interest in marrying her. However, Ezinma had understood her father’s desires without requiring an explanation, she had come to understand that Okonkwo would much rather marry have her marry a man from Umuofia. Okonkwo had also planned on inducting his sons into the society of the Ozo. Alas, all of these plans eventually failed as Umuofia had changed quite significantly since Okonkwo had last left it.
Okonkwo learns from Obierika about how the white missionaries had brought along a government as well as religion. They had built a courthouse in addition to a church and used foreign messengers to enforce their laws. The courthouse was managed by a district commissioner, who was said to be backed by a higher authority that was located in a town nearby. The court messengers were a hated people, and the warriors of the Umuofia were unable to act against the church since many of their members were their fellow clansmen. The problem had been exacerbated as some men with the highest titles in Umuofia had abandoned their gods to embrace Christianity.
Analysis
This section develops the theme of religion, as the Igbo culture is forced to contend with the religion of the colonials. Nwoye’s account is the perfect vehicle for understanding why some people in the Igbo culture felt drawn to Christianity. The Igbo culture deals with the harsh gods of nature whose laws are mostly concerned with survival as indicated by the ritual of abandoning twins, or revenge murders like that of Ikemefuna. Nwoye is deeply affected by both of these instances, and he yearns for a gentler aspect of religion. He finds this gentleness in Christianity, which accepts abandoned twins, as well as those that the clans have exiled.
It is interesting to note that the most zealous among the Christians are not the missionaries but rather the recent converts. This is most likely due to their desire to prove to the other members of their community that they have made the right choice in siding with the Christians. However, the white man’s religion soon proves to be as harsh as the Igbo, which is exemplified in the case of the man that the District commissioner hangs who would have merely been exiled if he had been judged by the Egwugwu.
