“Religious wars are not caused by the existence of more than one religion, but by the spirit of intolerance. . . whose spread can only be seen as the total eclipse of human reason,” a famous quote from the French philosopher Montesquieu that can accurately summarize Chinua Achebe’s masterpiece, Things Fall Apart. The story of an Igbo, Okonkwo, who had an unhappy childhood and inherited nothing from his shameful father. Through his tenacious efforts, he became one of the most influential men and enjoyed high esteem among the nine villages of Umuofia. Returning from his exile in Umuofia, he realizes that his homeland has been culturally invaded by Europeans. Outraged by this domination, Okonkwo seeks revenge and drives the British out of the country. He killed a church messenger to provoke a war but unfortunately chose to hang himself. With this plot, Achebe effectively shows a "balance of cultures" by describing Western religion in both its positive and negative aspects to criticize the idea of ​​a single story, which illustrates the main character Okonkwo that its negatives do not are just one story and one facet. of his true character. From a secular point of view, there is no religion or culture better than another, but it is the idea of ​​a cultural misunderstanding and its consequences for the rest of humanity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In the book, Achebe views Christianity as an invasive religion not only towards the Igbo tribe but towards the entire African continent. As the religion began to spread, it created much controversy and unrest among the indigenous people. Achebe wrote in chapter sixteen: “We have sent this great God to ask you to abandon your evil ways and your false gods and turn to Him so that you may be saved when you die. » Obviously, the missionaries are trying to convert people to Christianity by offering them something that would benefit them, but they use a condescending tone to portray Africans as savages who needed Western enlightenment. Ironically, the missionaries treated the natives with poor manners by hanging people for killing their followers, as well as kidnapping and extorting money from the rulers. Even though the Christian Church has many positive influences, such as providing a place to live for lower class people like twins and women, the horrific consequences of Christianity's invasion of Umuofia overshadow their generous attempt to help the people . The plot of the story featured many aspects of Christianity rather than a single story of criticism of Western culture which effectively shows the "balance of cultures" for the Western presence in Africa. From the perspective of the Igbo tribe, the Western warlike culture full of arrogance and ethnocentrism takes it upon itself to invade another civilization. This example of “cultural balance” and the idea of ​​multiple aspects characterize the characteristics of the main character Okonkwo. He is often portrayed as an abusive and vicious person, but his ironic action suggests that there are misconceptions about him. The novel is often compared to the great Greek tragedies, with Okonkwo presenting himself as a tragic hero. Although Okonkwo seems to be an aggressive person who has no positive impact on society, there are many aspects that make people admire him. From a child of a failure to one of the most influential men in Umuofia, Okonkwo shows what true bravery and manhood is. Despite his erratic mood,.