Irony in the story can first be seen in the fulfillment of the Christian religion's plans on establishing itself deep within the cultures of the Ibo and also of many other African tribes, especially in the case of Okonkwo and his son Nwoye. Throughout their lives, Okonkwo has always regretted h

The Ibo believed they would be dead within the first four days; however, it was not so. They even went to say that because the white man "wore the glasses on his eyes so that he could see and talk to evil spirits (Achebe, 130)." This showed to the Ibo that the white man had a seemingly strong fetish, thus winning the missionaries there first three converts. The building was built, and the Christians rejoiced; however, the Ibo still believed that there gods would "pull through" and rid the country-side of these imposters. They believed that they would be gone by the seventh market week, which is twenty-eight days. They waited, and when the day came, they expected the white man to die; they however, still carried on, much alive, building a new house for Mr. Kiaga, their teacher. The irony in the establishment of the new church upon the grounds of the Evil Forest was that the Christians did not die. They did not falter one step; they instead, contrary to popular belief among the Ibo, gained several new converts, even a woman. The Evil Forest was meant for the abominations, and thus the white men were there. However, these abominations ended up saving the Evil Forest, turning the idea of the Ibo to hurt the white man against them. Instead of forcing the missionaries out, the Ibo believed that there gods would get rid of them. There predictions and false hopes were wrong.

"...people came from far and near to consult it...came when misfortune dogged their steps...discover what the future held for them...to consult the spirits of their departed fathers... (Achebe, 13)."

"Let us give them a portion of the Evil Forest. They boast about victory over death. Let us give them a real battlefield in which to show their victory (Achebe, 129)."

The second way irony is seen is in the founding of the new Christian Church. The missionaries had an idea that if they could build an institution upon the grounds of the Ibo, they would soon not be able to leave, and the missionary's work would flourish. The Ibo wanted to deceive them, and gave them a plot of land that was "...alive with sinister forces and powers of darkness (Achebe, 129)." They did not have any reason as of yet to destroy the new religion or to ostracize them from the village, for they had just arrived and no quarrel had ensued. However, the reasons behind giving the forest was that they believed that no man in his right mind would accept the offer to take such a horrible, evil place, and in doing so, hoped for the missionaries to leave and be no more.

The final show of irony, giving to us the deeper meaning of words in the story, is the role of women in the society of Umuofia and of the Ibo who lived there. Women were regarded as weaklings, who had to be controlled by the men.

"Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength (Achebe, 24)."

aving Nwoye and Nwoye has always had a great feeling of hate towards his father. He has great respect, but does not take

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2071
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)