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Obi is a figure entirely invested in modernity and the correctness of progress for its own sake, which foreshadows a conflict between new and old ideas. In the first paragraph, he is described as being outspoken and condemning other teachers he feels have less expansive views of the world, or are simply older than him. He believes himself to be not only correct, but also infallible by holding his beliefs. He wants to storm the school, implementing his ideas without, seemingly, much interest in learning about those who are already there. He has high expectations of his teachers, which comport with his own attitudes, and wants to make the place more beautiful, suggesting he does not view the surrounding area as aesthetically pleasing. One of the teachers also mentions that there was a problem when there was previous talk about closing the titular path. These details place the dominos of foreshadowing, setting the stage for Obi’s downfall. His conversation with the village priest sees him hewing to his beliefs and standards at the expense of cultural sensitivity, eventually leading, it seems to be argued by the village, directly to the death of a young pregnant woman. By keeping the child’s soul from arriving, the garden and fence have disrupted the village’s way of life. In response, the village destroys the garden, reopening the path and ruining Obi’s reputation, undermining both goals he began his administration with.

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