The Relation between Self-interest and the Struggle of ‘Change and Tradition’ in Things Fall Apart

The struggle between change and tradition is universal. In any society that is on the verge of changing majority of the people do not at first accept the change as it is the tradition of their community that they have ever known and sustained. People usually have unconditional faith in their traditional beliefs and ways of life which make them blind to some faults their society has. Despite the majority of people who continue to follow traditional practices of their society a small group of others question them, especially those who are deprived. Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is to a great extent a story about a culture that is about to change. The change is inevitable and almost every character faces the reality. Different characters respond to this change or react differently. The conflict between whether one should accept the change and adapt or adhere to tradition often involves questions of personal status. Behind every positive or negative attitude towards the change there is always a personal interest that had made them either to accept or reject the new religion and ways of life.