The document summarizes the key conflicts explored in Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart. It discusses the fundamental conflict between tradition and change faced by the Igbo people with the arrival of Christian missionaries. This results in clashes between Igbo and Western culture as well as conflicts between fathers and sons, individuals and religion, and characters struggling within themselves. Okonkow in particular grapples with these conflicts as he tries and fails to resist the destruction of traditional Igbo society.

1. Conflicts in ‘Things Fall Apart’
• Paper No. 14:
• Name: Trivedi Hezal K.
• PG Reg. No. PG15101040
• Roll No:32, Semester-4
• M.A. – English Regular, Year: 2017
• Submitted to: S.B. Gardi Department of
English • Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji
Bhavnagar University • (Gujarat – India)

2. The Author
• Chinua Achebe is
considered one of the
earliest and best novelists
to have come out of
modern Nigeria.
• Famous for his Novels
describing the effect of
Western customs and
values on traditional African
society.
• Achebe presents native
African culture in his
stunning work, Things Fall
Apart.

3. Things Fall Apart

4. Conflict in Things Fall Apart
• The fundamental conflicts explored by Achebe in
Things Fall Apart is that of Tradition versus change. The
change that take place among the Ibo people after the
arrival of Christian missionaries are profound. Many
people not previously held in high esteem by the Igbo
are converting to Christianity and gaining prestige as a
result of their actions. When Okonkow returns from his
Exile, he finds that the religion has destroyed much of
the coherence of Ibo society. Even his son has joined
the ranks of the converted. Okonkow tries but fails to
marshal support for a return to traditional life, and so
he kills himself.

5. Conflicts between…
Culture Culture
Father Son
Man Himself
Man Religion

6. Culture VS. Culture
Igbo VS. Western
Tradition VS. Christianity
With the arrival of the “White” man,
and the ‘White’ man’s religion and
culture comes the collision. The
Missionaries come to convert the
people, they belittle the Umofia’s
religious traditions and strongly urge
them to abandon their gods. This
doesn’t go over well with the people
and conflict arises.

7. Generational Conflicts
Okonkow VS. Unoka Okonkow VS. Nwoye

8. Man VS. Religion
 Okonkow VS. Religion
 Nwoye VS. Religion

9. Man VS. Himself
• Throughout the Novel, Okonkow
struggles with his Own self- worth.
• Okonkow constantly is in conflict,
calculating his actions on a man should
Act, although they conflict with his
feelings. Against the white man himself.
• At the end of the Novel, Okonkow
struggles with himself about what to do
now that his culture is doomed. Before
he realizes how doomed it is, Okonkow
believes he will just fight against the
white man himself.
• But when he realizes how truly alone he
is he struggles with whether he can go on
living, and the implications killing himself
would have.

10. Conclusion
• Throughout the Novel, conflict within the
characters are the driving forces for actions
that create the plot of the story. It shows true
imperialist behind it.