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Reverend James Smith is the second missionary to arrive in Umuofia, and he brings a much harsher approach to religious conversion than his predecessor, Mr. Brown. He views his purpose as black and white, believing that the Igbo people must either fully embrace Christianity or face rejection from the church. Mr. Smith demonstrates his use of this philosophy, for example, when he bans a young woman for allowing her husband to mutilate their dead ogbanje child. This all-or-nothing approach to engaging with native tribes represents a far more aggressive form of missionary work and highlights the continuing dissolution of a traditional Igbo way of life. Unlike Mr. Brown who willfully engages in dialogue with leaders in Umuofia, Mr. Smith stubbornly refuses to discuss anything other than Christian principles. The consequences of this strict worldview prove themselves to be wide-reaching. Mr. Smith’s leadership style inspires religious fanaticism among some of his followers, and since he allows such behavior to go unchecked, greater conflict between the converts and the village breaks out. Even when the egwugwu come to burn down the church, Mr. Smith stands resolute in his beliefs and inevitably inspires others to fearlessly confront the Igbo. Through Mr. Smith’s character, Achebe demonstrates how a multicultural dialogue can quickly devolve into systemic oppression and violence. The series of events that occur as the novel concludes represent only the beginning of the suffering that ultimately unfolds in Africa as the result of missionaries like Mr. Smith.
