Science isn't discussed in the book because it is set many years ago in a developing village in Africa. Religion is discussed throughout the book. In Mbanta they believe in many gods that do all different things. Okonkwo believes strongly in this and when the Christian missionaries come he is furious. The missionaries are able to build a church in the "Evil Forest" without anything bad happening to them. They are also trying to convert people by saying they will be "saved" if they come. Okonkwo's son Nwoye joined. Not until the end of the book do the Mbanta people and the missionaries work together. They finally realize how they can work together with all their differences. For example when the Christians took Okonkwo's body down from the tree because it is bad for the Mbanta people to touch his body after committing that crime. Therefore a theme is believe what you believe and let others believe what they believe. If Okonkwo hadn't been so against the missionaries he wouldn't have taken his own life. HE might have been able to get help from them. Philosophy isn't discussed but is present in the story. Okonkwo is an existentialist. An existentialist is a person that is free because they choose their own way of doing things. This was Okonkwo's fatal flaw. This didn't work out for him very well. Okonkwo was told not to come with to the killing of Ikemfuma but he went anyways and ended up killing him himself. He also kinda drove Nwoye away because he never liked him. Nwoye joined the missionaries because he felt like part of a family there. Although it wasn't totally Okonkwo's fault for being exiled he still didn't make the exile enjoyable. He just waited and thought about what he would do when he got back to Mbanta. In the end his fatal flaw drove him to suicide. His suicide didn't help gain him any awards. It made him look worse because he just gave up. One theme from Okonkwo being an existentialist is what you think is best isn't always right.
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