. As a background to the novel, the author views the world of the Ibos as a modest, simple, and yet a unified and cultured civilization, where the Ibos are satisfied with their circumstances and living conditions. As described by the author, the Ibos live their daily lives with little complications while operating on a well-organized and lawfully stable community.
Okonkwo emerges as a traditional hero of the Igbo Village. However, his hidden desire to be the antithesis of his unsuccessful, “feminine” father elicits his own volatile, self-destruction. It is Okonkwo's inner, psychological fear that compels him to commit three personal errors, break the laws against the Igbo Tribe, and rebuke his only son, Nwoye. Okonkwo is described as a “strong” man whose life is dominated by fear and anger. He has a slight stammer and uses his fists when words do not come quickly enough. Although Okonkwo was "not a man of thought but of action" (Achebe 69), he did consider that it was his destiny to be a brave man, and become a traditional hero of the Igbo Village.
Okonkwo believes that when a man says yes to greatness, his “chi” would concur. The central image of balance is contained in the Igbo concept of "chi.” This idea occurs throughout Achebe’s novel. A persons "chi" is their destiny, their inner self, and any bad luck that occurs, people of Ibo culture would say that you have a bad "chi." Okonkwo's own destiny is marked by bad luck. He is completely driven by the fear of resembling his father. Achebe explains early on that Okonkwo: "Had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father" (Achebe 4). This passage reveals his struggle to repress part of his personality that leads and dominates every aspect of his life. It also suggests that Okonkwo hated that his father was unsuccessful, and not respected by the Ibo people.
Aggressiveness is tolerated in the Ibo Society. The Ibo culture defines the place of women in the village and the treatment they receive. Ibo clan regards women as gentle, weak and obedient to their men. A woman's place is in the house; taking care of the children, preparing the meals, and raising easy crops. Thus, subsequent to the appearance of the white man on African soil, it is clear that the Ibos feel nothing but pride from their successful society, although it is considered relatively extremely retreated in terms of its development progress/progress in development. Most importantly, the author views the Ibo civilization as a solidly unified society, and its unity is considered the most vital force that endorses its stability. Prior to the white man’s appearance in Abame, the Ibos have the stereotypical impression that white men are colonists who are willing to spread destruction among the villages. “The elders consulted their Oracle and it told them that he strange man would break their clan and spread destruction among them.” Pg. 138. This quote clearly proves the Ibo’s negative impression towards the arrival of the white man, and it also reveals their level of concern towards this issue since they have decided to consult their god before taking immediate action. This impression is derived from the Ibo’s familiarity with rumors of destructive colonization in nearby villages. In the eyes of the Ibo, their society also seems flawless, and thus it is completely normal for an Ibo villager to sense nationalistic feelings towards his prized culture. Such nationalistic feelings stem from their expectations that the white man would spread disunity throughout their land, and thus, it is their duty to protect it. “He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.” Pg.176. This quote is told by Oberieka, Okonkwo’s friend who comes to visit him during his exile period. It proves the validity in the Ibo’s impression of the white man, since he has spread disunity between the Ibos by bringing forth a new religion that divides them into separate societies. . Most Ibo perceived Christianity to be abominable, and Christian colonists believed the Ibo way of worshipping multiple gods was wrong. As the clan started interacting with the missionaries, the Christian faith was appealing and changed the lives for some of the Ibo people including Nyowe, Okonkwo’s son. He begins to attend church without his father’s knowledge and also started to separate from Ibo traditions which he deeply captivated by ‘their’ poetry. Therefore, the destruction of Abame clearly highlights the Ibo’s impression towards the issue of colonization.
In the novel, the destruction of Abame also summarizes the Ibo’s experience of colonization by exposing their expectations towards this matter. Prior to the white man’s appearance in Abame, the Ibos have a general notion that the white man is stronger and he seeks to posses their defenseless villages. This belief is derived from the Ibo’s realization that the white man is clearly more progressive and developed. It is through their wide amazement at the white man’s methods of transportation that a reader comes to the conclusion that the Ibos feel weak and submissive to their more powerful opposition. For the Ibos are astonished when they witness the white man’s bicycle, which they refer to as an “iron horse”. Therefore, with the white man’s opportunity to take control, the Ibos expect that at some stage the white man would seize this opportunity and spread destruction among the villages. “I forgot to tell you another thing which the Oracle said. It said that the other white men were on their way. They were locusts, it said, and the first man was their harbinger sent to explore the terrain.” Pg. 138-139. This quote is also told by Oberieka on his visit to Okonkwo. It represents the complete level of confidence in the Ibos that their expectation is true, since the Oracle is a trusted source of information and guidance. Therefore, the Ibo’s expectation towards the issue of colonization presents a summary of their experience, since it provides the reader with a clearer vision of the circumstances among their environment and the resulting unavoidable consequences.
An alternative analytical approach as to how the destruction of Abame sums up the Ibo’s experience of colonization is to view the actual outcome or reaction of the Ibos towards the actions of their opposition. According to their expectations, the Ibos are aware of the dangers they are to face when the white man establishes himself in their land. Through the consultation of the Oracle, the Ibos are assured of their disastrous future, however, they are not advised by the Oracle to undergo any procedures. This shows that the Ibos themselves are not sure whether they should react or not, and whether their reaction should be peace seeking or contain violence as means to overcome their opposition. When the white man finally establishes himself as the main force in control of the villages, the Ibos berate themselves for not defending their villages. However, they do not actually react towards the actions of their opposition except for some villagers like Okonkwo, who sacrifice their lives for modest attempts to oppose the white man. “They should have armed themselves with their guns and their machetes even when they went to market.” Pg. 140. This quote is told by Okonkwo who talks about the people of Abame after their village is destroyed. It clearly shows that Okonkwo berates himself and regrets the fact that the people of Abame have surrendered to the white man. In this case, the Ibos are only equipped with nationalistic feelings with which they effortlessly condemn the actions of the white man, and not advanced warfare machinery. As a result of their effortless reactions towards their opposition, the Ibos also seem to depend on their fate or destiny to take its course. Since they have surrendered to the white man and aware of their incapability to oppose his actions, it seems as if the Ibos have lost their lively spirit and have simply nothing more to contribute to their village. Therefore, the reaction of the Ibos towards the white man sums up their experience by viewing their incapability of defending themselves despite their strong nationalistic feelings.
Through the event of the destruction of Abame, Achebe also exposes the experience of the white man by analyzing some of the events through his (the white man’s) point of view. In viewing the white man’s impression of the Ibo culture, the author portrays the British colonists as people who mistakenly believe that their religion is supreme, and that the Ibos are uncultured followers of a false religion. So, this acts as a reason for them to colonize the Ibo, however, it also foreshadows future miscommunication and misunderstanding between the two forces in the novel with the rising of several conflicts. “We have been sent by this great god to ask you to leave your wicked ways and false gods and turn to Him so that you may be saved when you die.” Pg. 145. This quote is told by a white missionary to an Ibo tribe, and it clearly represents the man’s impression of the Ibo, since he criticizes their false religion.
In the destruction of Abame, the author also focuses on the expectations of the white man in order to explain his (the white man’s) experience of colonization. In the process of the colonization of the Ibo villages, the white man expects that the Ibo would easily accept the colonist ideas and offerings. This is due to the white man’s stereotypical impression of the Ibos as uncultured people. The white man’s expectations can be proven false through the continuous conflicts he faces such as the destruction of Abame. These disagreements between the white man and the Ibos prove that the white man’s mission of colonization is more complicated than it seems to him. The white man’s expectations can also be viewed as typical expectations of a colonist towards the colonized, since he decides to control the Ibos using simple methods of colonization.