The two most prominent themes of "The Village Saint" are the social façades that people wear and power and control.

The author lays out the first theme in the first few lines of the text. The opening of the story says, "People were never fooled by façades. They would look quietly and humorously behind the façade at the real person . . . and not their heads in a certain way until destiny caught up with the decrepit one" (Head 285). The main subject of the story, Mma-Mompati is thought to be perfect by her village for 26 years. She is married to an important man and she is known as a great lady of the town. She prays for everyone, arranges all the funerals, visits the sick, and is generally thought to be the town saint. Even after her husband leaves her, the village continues to think well of her due to her speech in the divorce court about how greatly she has been wronged. However, the narrator tells the reader that her care and attention was really only the "professional smile of the highborn who don't really give a damn about people or anything" (Head, 286). The village discovers her true character after her son marries, and she begins to mistreat her daughter-in-law. She makes the daughter-in-law give her all of her money, and she makes her go all the way to the town water tap for water, even when her house already has a water tap. The daughter-in-law tells the village people her troubles, and Mma-Mompati's image is ruined.

Mma-Mompati is also obsessed with power and control. Although her husband leaves her, she controls the narrative by going to the divorce court and turning the town against him. When her son gets married, she feels that "she need[s] to dominate and shove the wretch around" (Head 288). However, all of Mma-Mompati's power comes from her status and reputation. Therefore, when it is discovered that she has been mistreating her daughter-in-law, her reputation is ruined and all of her power is lost.