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He was appointed headmaster of Ndume Central School in January 1949. It had always been an unprogressive school, so the Mission authorities decided to send a young and energetic man to run it.

At the start of the story, Obi is appointed headmaster of the Ndume Central School. This quotation sets up the action of the story and hints at the Mission’s motive for sending Obi to run the school. The school is considered “unprogressive” and needs improvement on that front. Appointing a young and energetic man seems to be the solution to the problem, but as the story continues, it becomes clear that this particular young man will not act in the best interest of the Mission or the village it serves. Obi comes to the school with ideas about modernization, but these ideas will run contrary to the traditions of the village, and will ultimately ruin his appointment as Headmaster.

One evening as Obi was admiring his work he was scandalized to see an old woman from the village hobble right across the compound, through a marigold flower-bed and the hedges.

Obi brings an array of ideas with him that he believes will reform the school. By extension, those ideas have the opportunity to reform the village that it purports to serve. In the story’s rising action, Obi’s reaction to the woman cutting across the school yard belies the confidence with which he presents himself and his work. If Obi were as confident in his beliefs as he seems to be, it would not hurt him to see the village using the path even though it is on the school property. Rather, he is deeply invested in both proving that he is right in his modern ideas and impressing his superiors at the mission.

“The whole purpose of our school,” he said finally, “is to eradicate just such beliefs as that. Dead men do not require footpaths. The whole idea is just fantastic. Our duty is to teach your children to laugh at such ideas.”

In Obi’s conversation with the village priest, the underlying contempt that he has for traditional Nigerian life and culture is revealed. He is unwilling to hear the concerns of the priest, going so far as to say that if Obi has his way, the children of the village will no longer believe in the importance of the spirit path. Obi’s zeal for his way of life does not have to crush or belittle the priest’s beliefs, but it demonstrates the work of the missionaries around the world. It is not enough to do good for its own sake, but the faith that undergirds it is held up to be the only way forward, and cultural traditions need to be forsaken.

Obi woke up the next morning among the ruins of his work.

Obi’s fanaticism spells the destruction of his project. He has alienated the priest, and by extension, the village. By his insistence on his own self-righteousness and his disparaging of the village’s culture and beliefs, he has forced the villagers into defending themselves. The referenced report by the Mission supervisor suggests that there was a fine line along which the group was walking with the village. Obi has obliterated the line and has offended not only the villagers but, to their way of thinking, their ancestors. This ignorance is an unacceptable offense, and undermines the mission’s work which relies on the cooperation of the village elders, and Obi’s reputation is in tatters.

Next section Tensions Between Old and New

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