Chapter Twenty-Two Summary

Mr Brown’s successor was Mr James Smith, who openly condemned the former’s style of cooperation and compromise. While Mr Brown had focused on numbers, Mr Smith wanted ideal converts into Christianity.

Within a few weeks of his arrival, Mr Smith suspended a young woman from church, for a menial mistake. This woman had also allowed her husband, as per tribal custom, to mutilate her dead child which made Mr Smith seethe with rage.

Overzealous converts thrived under Mr Smith’s leadership; one such man was Enoch, the son of the snake priest who had killed the snake. He was responsible for the great fight between the church and the clan, which erupted after Mr Brown’s departure.

Enoch had unmasked one of the spirit dancers, during a festival to worship the earth goddess. This was an unforgiveable sin in the clan. This unmasking was akin to killing an ancestral spirit and the clan witnessed deep sorrow—metaphorical of its own death.

As the clansmen prepared to storm Enoch’s compound for his crime, the next day, the Christians decided to shield Enoch in the parsonage and not indulge in physical warfare. The clan destroyed Enoch’s compound and headed toward the church.

Dressed as ancestral spirits, the clansmen asked Mr Smith to move away and let them fetch Enoch, which he refused. They also wanted to destroy the church but were willing to allow him to live and practice his religion for himself. He was powerless against them and the church was destroyed completely.

Chapter Twenty-Two Analysis

With a coldhearted and practical missionary replacing Mr Brown, things begin to go downhill. His successor Mr James Smith encourages the fanatical members of his church to do as they please, with no regard for local customs.

As a result, a great rift arises and the church is demolished. However, even in their anger, the clan does not harm the missionary and allows him to stay and practice his own rituals, which is very progressive and just, considering how they have been treated so far by a foreigner who has invaded their lands.