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Things Fall Apart Chapter 21
Although Okonkwo saw the destruction of the clan and believed that the white men were the source of it, not everyone in the tribe agreed. Many appreciated the introduction of a trading store among other innovations of the white men and they had no problem with most of the Christians there because their leader, Mr. Brown, worked to keep his converts from provoking the villagers. Mr. Brown made it a point to learn more about the religion of the natives so that he could better understand them. He even built a school to educate their children so that they could be the leaders of their own village rather than have the white men rule them. After a while many people came to the school to learn, children and adults alike.
Mr. Brown had to leave Umuofia because his health was deteriorating, but just before he left, he made a visit to Okonkwo to tell him of Nwoye's progress. Okonkwo chased him away with threats. Okonkwo was disappointed that his return to his native village had been insignificant to most other villagers. He'd married his daughters off to worthy suitors, but no one had taken great notice. He'd also been unable to have his sons initiated into the prestigious society he'd planned on because the initiations only occurred every three years and they hadn't made it back to their native village in time. Okonkwo's insignificance grated on him as much as the presence of the white men and the way that they unraveled the tapestry of Ibo society.
