Things Fall Apart, a novel based on the cultures and traditions of the Igbos, depicts a very strong sense of struggle between change and tradition. This story is something of an archetype of To Kill a Mocking Bird. Not only focusing on socio-political views but also on cultural and traditional beliefs, Achebe specifically defines every aspect of this Eastern Nigerian culture, from the breaking of 'kola – a caffeinated evergreen tree nut to the unmasking of egwuegwu and spiritual sacrifices for the gods and ancestors. Kola, an essential part of Igbo culture, is represented in many ways; above all it means peace, blessing, wealth, abundance and respect. In this society, the struggle for wealth, titles and success was very important, it was a great legacy that any man could leave. Okonkwo, being the strongest and most powerful man in the village, had more than set a standard in this village by conquering the greatest warrior of all time. He had a symbiotic relationship with his community, as much as he benefited from the community's societal and cultural values, they benefited from his strength and drive to succeed. In this story, Achebe defines societal norms as the basis of personal status. This is evident throughout the story as we see Okonkwo, a very strong and fierce character, struggle to adapt to the new changes and technology that the missionaries had to offer. These changes were not just religious, the Europeans were there to expand the village, but in turn they changed and removed what it was built upon. The people of Umuofia were proud of their founding traditions, soon these traditions would be considered impractical, and these same traditions that people considered to be in the middle of a paper ......with him on his ideas unbelieving, he hates them. As important as the variations between the sexes were, so was language. When Europeans first arrived in the community, language was a major barrier because people could not understand the language of white people and vice versa. Achebe wrote this story in English not only to put himself on the level of his people, but also to educate Westerners and improve the portrait of Africa in the eyes of the white man. His inclusion of proverbs, folk tales and songs was a means of communication that everyone could understand without destroying the beauty of the Igbo language. He was able to spread this book far and wide and give people an unbiased detail of what his tradition was; the good, the bad and the ugly. He tried to make things as simple as possible compared to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness..