In Achebe's Things Fall Apart, the white man is represented by British missionaries who attempt to convert the Nigerian tribes to Christianity and also alter their culture. Although many tribesmen, such as Okwonko's own son, see them as benevolent men who wish to ensure that they reach heaven, there is also a faction of people who think like Okwonko, in that the missionaries are going to cause the downfall of their tribe. When Okwonko returns Umuofia from exile, he is appalled at the state of his former tribe. Many Umuofia villagers have converted to Christianity and the missionaries have subjected the villagers to the laws of their government. The white man's effect on the Umuofia tribe wasn't entirely negative however. The missionaries have established trading posts and have gotten money to flow in and out of the village. Fed up with the situation, the "egwugwu" of Umuofia decide to burn the missionaries' church. Okwonko and the other leaders of Umuofia are handcuffed and imprisoned for their actions against the white man. When a messenger confronts a meeting among the Umuofia tribe, Okwonko kills him with a machete. Ashamed of his actions and fearing the future of the clan, Okwonko commits suicide.
The white men in Things Fall Apart represent the colonialist ideas and oppressive practices that many British missionaries embodied during this time period. Their attempts to convert the tribesmen to Christianity and enforce their own laws were a result of the "white man's burden" felt by many missionaries at this time period. The missionaries felt it was their duty as members of the white race to save the tribesmen from their "savage" ways and culture. Perhaps what the white men really discovered in Umuofia was Okwonko's unwillingness to change. Whether the missionaries were justified in their actions is up to debate, but what is clear is the fact that Okwonko could never change his ways, even if the majority of his tribe had. This is evident from the crowd's response to his killing of the messenger; the rest of his tribe did not kill the other messengers, but simply allowed them to go. This was indicative of the fact that they had to come to terms with the white man's presence, but Okwonko had not. I believe it was his inability to adapt that ultimately made Okwonko take his life.
I wrote about the effects of the white man's introduction to Mbanta and Umuofia as well. I find it interesting to see the variety of effects, some positive, most negative, that their presence had on the tribe. What is interesting , but unfortunate, is the way they tear the clan apart from the inside. They do not attack the tribe physically, overpowering it through battle. Instead, they win converts which confuses many of the clansmen. They begin to distrust each other and this is what ultimately creates the unfixable fissure between clans members. Okonkwo's unwillingness to change highlights this effect.
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