Things Fall Apart

Examine closely the prison and the reasons those imprisoned were locked away. Look at how they were treated. Is this group of people better off now, or should they have been left alone to continue life in their traditional ways?

Chapter 20

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In a land dispute, Aneto struch his neighbor Oduche; he did not mean to kill him, but he did. In accordance with Igbo custom, Aneto prepared to flee. But he was seized, with all his family, and thrown into prison. He was taken to Umuru, where the whites have a major center of government, and hanged. The religion and the new government are wreaking havoc on the harmony of Igbo life. Social instability and the threat of violence have arrived in full force, and armed resistance is impossible. The old religion is threatened; with humiliation, the Igbo are forced to bow down to white authority. Chinua Achebe is not absolute about the evils of the white man. Certainly marginalized people of the Igbo, like Okonkwo's son Nwoye, find validation with the Christian Church. On the other hand Igbo culture is changed forever. The loss of any culture is cause for sadness.

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