Okonkwo decides to hate everything his father loves.
Okonkwo and other men in the village are closely tied to the land, but Okonkwo is forced to flee from that land because of the crime he commits:
The only course open to Okonkwo was to flee from the clan. It was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman, and a man who committed it must flee from the land (Achebe 124).
The crime had been an accident, so Okonkwo can return in seven years. When he does return, he finds the village changed, for the white missionaries have brought a new religion, a new government, and many social changes, Okonkwo finds to be harmful rather than beneficial. The nature of the village both before and after the changes is made clear by Achebe and is reflected in the attitude of the main character. The African people in the story are subject to the intentions and w
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