novel, Achebe also presents some of the positive aspects of Western influence. More specifically, the introduction of Christian missionaries and Western forms of government opens up financial opportunities to the people of Umuofia:

“There were many men and women in Umuofia who did not feel as strongly as Okonkwo about the new dispensation. The white man had indeed brought a lunatic religion, but he had also built a trading store and for the first time palm-oil and kernel became things of great price, and much money flowed into Umuofia” (178).

Moreover, this quote demonstrates that while some clansmen in Okonkwo’s village in Umuofia resisted Western influence, others found the effects of colonialism to be beneficial. Thus, the onset of Western colonialism actually has a positive financial impact on the villages in Umuofia.

Chinua Achebe's post-colonial novel Things Fall Apart depicts the rise of British colonialism as experienced by members of a prominent Igbo family. Okonkwo, the patriarch of this family, is well-respected by relatives and clan members.

British invasion fundamentally changed life and social structure for people living in Okonkowo's village. Sociologically, the impact of these changes was devastating. At the same time, it is also true that some of the changes brought forth by the British invasion had a positive impact on particular villiagers' lives. 

For example, Okonkwo's son Nwoye found meaning in life as a Christian missionary. Nwoye was soft-spoken and gentle-hearted. As a young man, he had trouble finding his place in a world that so revered warrior-like behavior in males. Nwoye was despised by his father and had no true friends. When the British arrived, a group of Christian settlers took him in. They became like a family to him. Nwoye found fulfillment and community in his work as a missionary.