The Conflicting Methods of Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith: Who is primarily responsible for the fall of Umuofia? (Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe)
Christianity, in its entirety, is the largest religion in the world and continues to seek converts everyday. In Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart, Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith play the role of white missionaries who share that exact goal: to convert the natives of Umoufia into Christianity. However, the strict and uncompromising methods of Mr. Smith conflicts with those of Mr. Brown, who can be described as serene and peaceful. These opposing approaches take a part in the chaos that emerges and understanding their roles in Igbo society can help readers determine who is primarily responsible for the fall of Umoufia.
The religious views of the Umuofians played a large role in the downfall of Umuofia because religion is the foundation of their society; everything the Umuofians did was based on their religious views. After quickly recognizing that, Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith used many strategies to try to gain influence in the Umuofian clan and to replace the natives religious views with their own. As one of the first missionaries in Umuofia, Mr. Brown realized that a frontal attack on the clan would not succeed (166) and he spread his Christian views in a peaceful and affable manner. This brought him great respect from the people of the clan. In fact, he was even presented with a carved elephant tusk, which was a sign of great dignity and rank (164). This gift symbolizes the villagers approval of him and possibly of the Christian religion. From this position, he was able to open a hospital and a school which brought many new converts; the awareness that those who attended Mr. Browns school would learn how to read and write and the distribution of generous gifts of singlets and towels (166) attracted many people to enroll into the school. All in all, Mr. Brown uses his passive mind-set to convert the natives to Christianity. This is unlike the strict and uncompromising Mr. Smith, who harshly imposes his religion upon the natives and allows for no error in the comprehension of
The religious views of the Umuofians played a large role in the downfall of Umuofia because religion is the foundation of their society; everything the Umuofians did was based on their religious views. After quickly recognizing that, Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith used many strategies to try to gain influence in the Umuofian clan and to replace the natives religious views with their own. As one of the first missionaries in Umuofia, Mr. Brown realized that a frontal attack on the clan would not succeed (166) and he spread his Christian views in a peaceful and affable manner. This brought him great respect from the people of the clan. In fact, he was even presented with a carved elephant tusk, which was a sign of great dignity and rank (164). This gift symbolizes the villagers approval of him and possibly of the Christian religion. From this position, he was able to open a hospital and a school which brought many new converts; the awareness that those who attended Mr. Browns school would learn how to read and write and the distribution of generous gifts of singlets and towels (166) attracted many people to enroll into the school. All in all, Mr. Brown uses his passive mind-set to convert the natives to Christianity. This is unlike the strict and uncompromising Mr. Smith, who harshly imposes his religion upon the natives and allows for no error in the comprehension of