Is change destructive in Things Fall Apart? Explore how change reshapes the Ibo culture and community.

The idea of change being destructive in the novel Things Fall Apart depends on your perspective, as well as what change you’re talking about. For instance, when the missionaries initially came in, they were led by a very generous and caring man. His actions were far less disruptive because he didn’t engage in conflict with the Igbo people but showed the love and attention. His replacement, however, was much more divisive and disruptive. In either case, though, there was some unrest caused by their arrival and actions.
While change is always disruptive, steps can be taken to prevent it being destructive. In the novel, the arrival of the missionaries ended up being destructive to the Igbo culture. However, if proper steps had been taken (and, clearly if the first missionary had remained in place), the culture could have been preserved while instilling Christianity. As it stands, however, change was very destructive in the end.

Achebe examines how the Igbo villagers react to change as the Europeans establish their settlements on the outskirts of Umuofia and gradually begin to convert the villagers to Christianity as their presence becomes more prominent. While some villagers enjoy the new opportunities provided by the Europeans, which include accessing schools, missions, and trading posts, others resent the colonists and attempt to challenge the changing environment.
Okonkwo is vehemently against the changing culture and is depicted as a rigid traditionalist who refuses to compromise with the Europeans and believes that violence is necessary to prevent them completely corroding their traditional Igbo culture. Despite Achebe's negative portrayal of Okonkwo's inflexibility and intolerance, the European colonists do indeed threaten the traditional methods of farming, harvesting, and storytelling, which are cornerstones of the Igbo culture. Achebe illustrates the fragile nature of the Igbo traditional culture in the face of European expansion and depicts how quickly the culture can eradicate. Therefore, one could argue that change is destructive to a certain degree and colonialism does threaten to reshape traditional cultures.