arent in the interactions between the lbo and the British missionaries. One of the missionaries, Reverend James Smith, viewed the lbo as "heathens." The lbo were just as guilty of this cultural misunderstanding, they saw the missionaries as "foolish" and initially criticize their beliefs.Another theme is that of how the flexibility of one's character affects one's fate. We see that Okonkwo's stern nature plays a part his eventual downfall. On the other side, it is Mr. Brown, the missionary, whose acceptance of some lbo culture that allows him to gain many converts to Christianity. Another example of this theme, is the loss of lbo traditions due to the lack of resistance to the introduction of a new religion in their midst.We see the idea that the lbo's relegating of certain members of the group hastened the downfall of their society. These certain members were the outcast group and the women, who were always kept in a subservient role. When the missionaries arrived, they accepted these people as humans. It is this contrast to the mistreatment they had always experienced, which made the outcasts and women the quickest converts to the new religion. The introduction of this new acceptance causes a state of confusion that leads to the decline of the traditional lbo culture.We see the theme of destiny throughout Thing Fall Apart. Each member of the lbo has their personal god or chi. They can equate this personal god to the person's abilities and fate. In different instances, Okonkwo sees his chi in good and bad ways. At one point he feels his personal god supports his goals: "When a man says yes, his chi says yes also" (p.27). At another point, Okonkwo feels his chi was not meant for success: "Here was a man whose chi said nay despite his own affirmation"(p. 13 1).Achebe illustrates the need for a balance between the needs of the individual and community needs. The lbo feel the actions of the individual can affect the whole comm...