Culture plays a huge role in Richard Wagamese's Indian Horse and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Both novels feature specific cultural sets that contribute to the characterization of the protagonist. Both Things Fall Apart and Indian Horse feature acts of assimilation committed by the colonialist nicknamed “the white man.” The protagonists of each novel are forced to conform to a new ideology where they risk losing their old way of life. This ultimatum of new beliefs against old ones creates a dilemma for both characters and changes their personalities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayThe importance of culture and its connection to the protagonists is present at the beginning of both novels. The source of Saul's Ojibway culture is his grandmother with whom he shares a close bond. While his parents were tormented by the loss of their children, Saul was able to form an intimate relationship with his grandmother as she passed on her knowledge of her tradition through such things as the "Stories of Ancient Times" ( Wagamais 12). Likewise, Okonkwo is deeply connected to his culture and it is a way of life for him. One of these traditions is wrestling, where Okonkwo garnered his fame in his fight with "Amalinze the Cat" which was "one of the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of nature" ( Achebe 1). Okonkwo is presented as honorable – a key characteristic evident within the village – through the cultural practice of wrestling. The characters from Indian Horse and Things Fall Apart are introduced to the “Zhaunagush” (Wagamais 1) or the white man. These white men bring threats of assimilation both to the book's distinct cultures and specifically to the protagonists. Although the two settings of the book are markedly different, the threat to the culture follows the narrative of the white man talking peace but turning hostile. As Saul remembers the origin of his name, he calls the white men the “people of the treaty” (Wagamais 7). This implies that these men had come to preach peace, but they still demonstrate aggression towards the Ojibway people. Similarly, in Things Fall Apart, the colonialists' plan for domination was to preach peace and religion, while becoming violent. When they arrived in Mbante and Umuofia, the white man “came quietly and peacefully with his religion,” the clansmen were “amused by his folly and allowed him to stay” (Achebe 176). The novels depict the two main characters as victims of betrayal caused by the white man. Saul's parents, who had converted to Christianity, despised his Ojibwe ways and abandoned him as a child. Okonkwo, in turn, was betrayed by his eldest son who defected to Christianity. “Nyowe was attracted to the new faith from day one” (Achebe 149) and his defection brought great shame to Okonkwo. Imprisonment is also a repeated motif in both books where it jeopardizes the main character's culture. Boarding schools were like prisons and would become the center of cultural genocide for children, including Saul in Indian Horse. “Just saying a word in Ojibway could get you beaten and banished to the basement club” (Wagamese 148). Children were given the choice between conformity or suffering which led to “bodies hanging from the rafters on thin ropes” and “cut wrists” (Wagamais 55). Okonkwo experienced similar imprisonment upon his capture by the District Commissioner, which made him appear weak1081820)