Okonkwo has a powerful need for acceptance and admiration from the people in his clan, which shows that he values the opinions of the clan more than his own interests. Okonkwo’s mistake which created everything to fall apart was that he did not come to realize that as the clan was evolving, he also had to adapt together with his community. The author’s purpose for this event in Okonkwo’s life may have been to remember that although it is important to be part of a community, it is necessary to be able to adapt and shift ones values if needed, depending on the interests of the community.
The obvious cause for the falling apart of the Ibo culture is because the missionaries come and invade the clan. However, it is worth examining whether there may also have been certain internal forces that could have also brought the gradual destruction of the culture. The missionaries brought religion, commerce, government and law to Umofia. This is no doubt a disruption to the Ibo’s ordinary lifestyle but many Ibo people find something appealing in the missionaries and decide to follow their God instead ,as Nwoye had does. The fact that so many Ibo people joined the church shows that they might not have been happy following their own culture and the missionaries arriving was just a way for them to show