The story begins with a description of nature and ends with nature triumphant, suggesting that the main conflict in “The Plantation” is between nature and civilization. Secondary conflicts and issues revolve around this primary conflict. The story avoids easy categorization of traditional people as noble or those from the city as corrupt. In the fields of the plantation, the corrupt nature of all of humankind leads to death. By the end of the story, Ochuko is the only known survivor of the characters that are named.

This conflict between nature and civilization is introduced in the first lines of “The Plantation.” Adagha writes, “The Plantation grew from the moist underbelly of the Jesse Swamps. That place where a luxuriant mesh of greenery blocked away the sun and surrounded everything in sight” (76). From the beginning, these images of a nature that is uncontrollable define the narrative. Although the signs of human civilization can be seen in the Jesse Swamps, nature is described as both magical and triumphant: “The plantation seemed to glow with a curious mysteriousness which followed him about as he moved abstractedly, slashing at the banners of plant-leaves that heaved across his path, his face a picture of dark brooding” (76).