1. I believe that the problems that Reverend Smith caused between the church and the clan, are meant to depict the issues with the European colonization. The scene in the novel that I felt showed this was when the egwugwu assembled to destroy the church in response to Enoch killing an ancestral spirit. During these events, Okwonko wished to respond to the church in an even more violent fashion. Rather than simply destroying the church, Okwonko wanted his clan to kill the Christians. Even though Okwonko wanted to kill the Christians, it was not mainly due to the disrespect that they showed to his culture. The main reason was to gain greater respect by the village. After his exile, Okwonko was looking for some way to redeem himself. I think that similarities can be drawn between Okwonko and European colonization. Both had ulterior motives for their actions. The reason for European colonization was not to simply spread Christianity. Some of the primary reasons for the colonization were economic and political. Just like Okwonko, the colonist justified their actions as something for the greater good even though their motives were most beneficial to themselves.

“As Okonkwo sat in his hut that night, gazing into a log fire, he thought over the matter. Sudden fury rose within him and he felt a strong desire to take up his machete, go the church and wipe out the entire vile and miscreant gang. but on further thought he told himself that Nwoye was not worth fighting for. why, he cried in his heart, should he, Okonkwo, of all people, be cursed with such a son?”

From this scene you can see that Okonkwo pride is getting the best of him, we are shown even more how Okonkwo doesn’t care about his family  he only care about himself and his self-image. Okonkwo care about using the land he was given by his uncle in his motherland to try to prove that he will never give but he doesn’t worry about this own family feeling about be exile all he care about is when the seven years will end and he can go home to gain back his respect from his fatherland. Okonkwo hate the fact the these white man come to his country and try to destroy his faith to his gods. For Nwoye making one mistake by talking to one of the priest, Okonkwo go crazy and beat his son and almost try to kill him if wasn’t for his uncle to stop Okonkwo from doing that to his son, Nwoye would’ve die if he didn’t answer his father and from that Okonkwo disown him and told his son to never  come back. That was not fair for Nwoye because when his father made that mistake by killing his own clan mate, his son never said anything or hated his father for having to leave his home and friends for seven years. He just went with his family and never argue about it but Okonkwo doesn’t care about his son he wouldn’t even understand what his son was doing or try to convince him to not do what Nwoye was going to do because Okonkwo only cares about his self, he doesn’t want to know why Nwoye was doing this but why he was cursed with such a son.