This book takes place in two Igbo villages, Iguedo and Mbanta, in Nigeria, with no specific time span, but the time period is the late 1800s. This time period is important because it shows the effects the Europeans trying to change the Igbo culture has on Okonkwo. The beginning of the story introduces us to Igbo traditions immediately, as well as Okonkwo, who is determined to succeed despite the legacy of his father, Unoka, who really wasn’t much of a father. The whole story solely focuses on the struggles the Igbo clans, and specifically Okonkwo, go through while the British try to change their culture. Tensions begin to rise, causing Enoch to unmask an egwugwu, thus, “ killing the ancestral spirit”. This leads to the egwugwu burning down the Christian church. Due to this, many Igbo clan members are thrown into jail, they eventually get out of jail, with their minds set to take a violet approach against the British and white men.
During a speech the next morning, five court messengers enter the meeting, demanding the meeting ends, this leads to the climax of Okonkwo murdering the leader of the messengers with a machete. The crowd erupts, but the British messengers are able to escape unharmed, ending the meeting. The leader of the Brits shows up to the home of Okonkwo, finding some Igbo men outside. He asks for Okonkwo twice, the men telling him both times that he is not home at the moment.
The leader threatens to throw the men into jail if he doesn’t agree to take him to Okonkwo, the men then agree and take the man to a bush behind his home, to find Okonkwo hung from a tree, an act of suicide. We don’t know who the narrator is, but the story is told from a third person omniscient point of view. I believe there is an emotional distance between the narrator and Okonkwo because some of the language he uses suggests how important Okonkwo is to his clan and shows the narrator cares about him.