Things Fall Apart is a novel written by Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian man. The story takes place in Nigeria during a time when the British were expanding into the area of Umuofia. Okonkwo, the main character of the story, struggles with the change of his tribal religion and that of Christianity. In the Igbo society, to be a man is to be violent and strong. Okonkwo is known for having a bad temper and is also known as a man who willingly goes out to be rude to men who are not successful. He feels like he always has to prove himself. This seems to be because he was the son of a father who was viewed as a failure. His temper gets him in trouble a lot throughout the novel with people and with goddess". In the Igbo society women are treated as property and all that is bad is thought of as feminine. Weakness is considered to be a female trait. Okonkwo shows this in his great fear of becoming womanly and following the lead of a powerless father. .
Okonkwo is well liked by his Igbo society, and is respected by the society, particularly after he defeats a well known wrestler. During a celebration, he fires a bullet from his gun in a ceremony, and the bullet accidentally takes the life of one of his clansmen son's. He is then thrown out of his village and does not return for several years.
Okonkwo goes to a village with his family that was his mother's homeland. There he learns from Uchendu, a strong patriarch and kinsman about the importance of mothers and the importance of fellowship with other members of the his tribe. He lives here with his family for seven years and then returns to his village.
Upon returning, he finds that the white missionaries have established a school and taken root in his village. Okonkwo's eldest son converts to Christianity and leaves his family for good. Okonkwo and many others begin to protest and are taken by the missionaries and beaten and shaved in captivity.