Good changes
Umuofia can financially prosper due to the white missionaries bringing in a trading store
Schools and jobs
Bad changes
Mr Brown being replaced by Rev Smith
Changes in the structure of the clan
Changes in the family (Nwoye leaving)
Corruption in the clan as opposed to the generous communal harmony in the former parts of the novel
change is a significant theme in the novel, especially with the arrival of the white men.
Umuofia transforms over time and the characters react to this change
• Nwoye changes as he matures. He becomes manlier owing to Ikemefuna’s influence. When Nwoye learns that Ikemefuna is dead, something changes within him as he feels devastated by his loss. Nwoye recalls the time when he heard an abandoned baby crying in the forest and feels lost without Ikemefuna. Nwoye converts to Christianity and changes his name to Isaac
• the arrival of the Christians challenges Igbo (Ibo in the novel) society. When the Christian church is built, it divides families and society
• when Okonkwo returns to Umuofia after his seven-year exile in Mbanta, he discovers that the village has changed significantly during his absence and he feels deeply unhappy
• Okonkwo is a traditionalist and will not compromise. He is unable to adapt to the changes in Umuofia and feels that life as he knew it is ‘breaking up and falling apart’. Okonkwo’s position changes throughout the novel. He begins by being respected and successful but at the end is a failed outcast from society
• Obierika questions some tribal laws and believes that some changes can improve Igbo society. He is more receptive to change • other villagers welcome change, as the white men are bringing wealth to the village through the export of palm oil and palm nut kernels
• the white man’s government introduces the court, ‘court messengers’, the prison and executions. The nature of the village changes beyond recognition.
(AO4)
• when Nwoye mourns the loss of Ikemefuna, Igbo customs and traditions are remembered, such as the custom of leaving twins in the forest to die
• Achebe implies that clinging to old traditions and an unwillingness to change may contribute to their downfall. Achebe does not pass judgement on the point of view of indigenous tribes, but he illustrates the kinds of circumstances that could make things fall apart
• Obierika questions the Igbo traditions and rituals, as well as their tribal law. He thinks that change may improve the Igbo society
• as the Christians begin to gain power, the villagers see their traditional beliefs as outdated and powerless. For example, Mbanta's Evil Forest proves to be less sinister than they have believed.