Things Fall Apart: Missionaries and Village Elders Compared

Introduction

In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe deliberately portrays the process by which the village of Umuofia is drawn into Christianity and gradually pulled away from its traditional cultural foundations. To dramatize this transformation, Achebe uses two missionaries as central figures: Mr. Brown and Reverend Smith. Both men share the same ultimate goal, yet they pursue it through radically different methods, and their contrasting approaches produce very different outcomes for the community they seek to convert.

Mr. Brown: The Tolerant Missionary

Mr. Brown is the first missionary to arrive in Mbanta and Umuofia. He is depicted as a kind, understanding, and patient man who is genuinely open to diverse opinions and ways of life. He makes deliberate efforts to understand the beliefs and religion of the Igbo people without showing contempt for their traditions. His patience and tolerance are evident in the restraint he exercises over overzealous church members who are eager to provoke a confrontation with the village elders. He values peaceful coexistence and shares that instinct with the Igbo community itself.

Mr. Brown's open approach to Christianity is further demonstrated in the regular debates he holds with Akunna, one of the most respected elders in Umuofia and a committed defender of Igbo tradition. The two men meet frequently to discuss their respective religions and beliefs. Although neither abandons his faith, both develop a deeper understanding of the other's convictions, and mutual respect grows as a result.

Mr. Brown also makes a visible effort to bring material development to Umuofia alongside his religious message. He supports the construction of a school and a health facility for the community. He travels through the village encouraging parents to send their children to school so they can learn to read and write and not be left behind as broader changes arrive. He also proves tactically astute by distributing tokens such as towels and clothing to children who agree to attend school. Furthermore, he is candid with the Igbo people, telling them directly that their future leaders will need to be literate and that adapting to British ways does not require abandoning all of their Igbo cultural values.

These qualities made Mr. Brown genuinely popular. Many people in both Mbanta and Umuofia heeded his call and converted to Christianity. Some, like Umoye — Okonkwo's son — were drawn in partly by admiration for the way of life that Mr. Brown and his fellow Christians modeled.

Reverend Smith: The Rigid Successor

When Mr. Brown left Umuofia due to persistent illness, he was replaced by Reverend James Smith as head of the Christian church. Smith appears to be the direct opposite of his predecessor in almost every respect. He is rigid and allows no compromise between Christian converts and the traditional Igbo community. He sees no meaningful connection between Christian faith and Igbo spiritual life, and he views the world in stark terms: what is not Christian is evil and must be condemned without tolerance.

Smith's influence inflames the congregation. It is during his tenure that tensions boil over: at a village celebration, Enoch — a Christian convert — unmasks an Egwugwu, an act of profound desecration. The villagers respond the following day by burning the church, and further violence looms. Smith equates the Igbo faith with the worship of Baal as described in the Biblical Old Testament. His policy on conversion is absolute: any elder who joins the church must immediately and completely abandon all traditional practices. His severity is illustrated when he suspends a woman from the congregation for having carried out the customary rites for a dead Ogbanje child — rituals believed necessary to prevent another such child from being born.

The More Successful Missionary

Comparing the two men's contributions and character, it is clear that Mr. Brown was the more effective and successful missionary. He brought more people into the Christian faith through persuasion, development, and goodwill, and he did so with far less violence and social disruption than Reverend Smith generated. His approach respected human dignity and left the community more stable, making him the superior agent of the church's mission in Umuofia.

Conclusion

Both comparisons in Things Fall Apart reveal a consistent pattern in Achebe's characterization: tolerance, adaptability, and empathy produce more lasting and constructive outcomes than rigidity and extremism. Mr. Brown's inclusive missionary approach outperformed Reverend Smith's fire-and-brimstone severity in drawing genuine converts and preserving social peace. Similarly, Obierika's measured wisdom and emotional intelligence made him a more effective village elder than Okonkwo, whose fear-driven inflexibility led to self-destruction. Through these contrasting pairs, Achebe invites readers to reflect on how communities — and individuals — navigate the collision of tradition and change.

Reference

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: First Anchor Books, 1994. (Originally published 1958.)