The Conflict Between Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith: A Clash of Religions in Things Fall Apart

💥Mr. Smith is a strict zealot who views the world in black and white, imposing his fire and brimstone religion on the villagers.

🗡️The conflict between the church and the clan escalates when Enoch, a convert, unmasks an important figure in the village, leading to retaliation.

👥The clash between the Old Religion and the new converts represents a larger conflict between tradition and change.

💒The church becomes a symbol of Mr. Smith's oppressive and rigid religious beliefs.

🌍The clash between Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith foreshadows larger conflicts and cultural clashes to come.

What is the role of Mr. Smith in Things Fall Apart?

—Mr. Smith replaces Mr. Brown as the missionary in the village. He is a strict zealot who imposes his fire and brimstone religion on the villagers.

What sparks the conflict between the church and the clan?

—The conflict escalates when Enoch, a convert, unmasks an important figure in the village, leading to retaliation from the villagers.

What does the clash between the Old Religion and the new converts represent?

—The clash represents a larger conflict between tradition and change, as well as the clash between different belief systems.

What does the church symbolize in Things Fall Apart?

—The church becomes a symbol of Mr. Smith's oppressive and rigid religious beliefs, as well as the imposition of a new belief system on the villagers.

What does the conflict between Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith foreshadow?

—The conflict foreshadows larger conflicts and cultural clashes to come, as well as the tensions between different worldviews and belief systems.

00:01[Music]

00:08In Part three chapter 22 of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Mr. Brown leaves the village and is succeeded by Mr. Smith, a strict zealot.

00:17Smith only cares about strict adherence to the faith and imposes his fire and brimstone religion on the villagers, sparking a conflict between the church and the clan.

00:43Enoch, a convert, commits a terrible crime by unmasking an important figure in the village, causing confusion and retaliation.

00:49In retaliation, the egwugwu, a powerful ancestral spirit, destroys Enoch's compound.

00:58Smith and his followers hide in Enoch's compound, but the villagers demolish the church, symbolizing their rejection of Smith's oppressive beliefs.

01:16Smith's rigid worldview and the clash between the Old Religion and the new converts foreshadow larger conflicts and cultural clashes to come.

01:32Enoch, Smith's disciple, mirrors Okonkwo in his belief that confrontation is the only way to solve problems.