Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Even though women held important roles, they were inferior to their male counterpart because of womanhood's association with weakness and fragility. Okonkwo hated anything feminine because of his father who was a failure due to his effeminacy. Consequently, he works hard to fit into masculinities' framework. . It is obvious that Okonkow is a product of a patriarchal society where gender role shaped if not all then art of his character. In order for a man to be masculine being good at physical work is a must.

Not only did Okonkwo’s father and exile impose his strive for control, but the roles of men in his society urged him as well. In his village, men were superior to women and masculinity was measured

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe has an overarching theme of gender roles within the novel. Okonkwo thinks of women as drastically less than men. His perception of his father greatly affects his views, although they are different than the rest of the village’s. Okonkwo’s negative feelings about feminine traits are caused by how he sees his father, which make his views different from the rest of Umuofia.

Women are obligated to listen and follow their husband’s orders, and put their husband orders on top of their desires. Furthermore, the part where it says "In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace." (Achebe, 29), shows that women gets to be respected and treated well only during this week. Hyperbole is added in this quotation to add more meanings to it, the author chose to exaggerate in order to the reader to get the sense of how Oknokwo is, how he is really powerful, as well as strong, and when he gets mad, he will stop fearing the goddess. The fact that Okonkwo did not stop beating his wife, even when he was not allowed to hit her, shows how he wants to teach her a lesson, and imposes his powers upon her, which is an example of how when men are challenged to prove their power, women will get mistreated. Moreover, Men are treated way better than women and are respected more, where women are considered less than the men in the Igbo society. Women in the Igbo society are obligated to fear and listen to their men; otherwise there are consequences to what they do

The stereotype of what exactly men and women need to do is ever present in this novel. The basic thing women do is work within the home, clean, and cook. Men usually go out in the field and find crops and serve in the war. A quote from page 44 of Things Fall Apart shows exactly how the stereotype is embedded, even into the children. Enzima, Ekwefi's and Okonkwo’s daughter, asks if she can bring a chair to her father. In response, Okonkwo says, “No, that’s a boy's job”. That is an example of how children are unaware of these gender roles but they’re forced upon them, even at a young age. Another quote within the book states how even crops have a gender barrier on them. In chapter 3, page 28, this topic is introduced. “His mother and sisters worked hard enough, but they grew women’s crops, like coco-yams, beans and cassava. Yam, the king of crops, was a man’s crop.” That is one of the several examples of prejudice and sexism within in this

This perception leads the characters to decisions and changes in their lifestyle in order to avoid others to believe that they had “become a woman indeed” (Achebe 65). This is based on the belief passed down from one generation to another of men that once they were old enough they should demonstrate masculinity because “his father wanted him to become a man” and in order to do this he must forget all attitudes that “were for foolish women” (Achebe 54). One of the reasons why men would be shamed and called a woman would be because they possessed no titles, land or wives. Men who own a vast amount of land and many wives and are able to pay their bride-price are considered successful. The marriages in the ibo culture are negotiations, in which like in other circumstances the compensation is a woman. During these agreements between men, the women’s opinions are not taken into consideration. These customs build up on the main character’s frustration after being exiled from his fatherland to his motherland, and the fear of being considered by others less of a man. This same fear is the one which previously leads Okonkwo to kill a young boy who was sent to give with him and whom he came to care for in his “show of manliness” (Achebe 66). The culture and traditions in the ibo society perpetuate the image of women as

The downfall of the village starts before Europeans arrive, through the severe laws that punished villagers. Throughout the novel, men in Umuofia treat the women as objects rather than humans. Ekwefi states of her husband’s treatment, “It is true indeed, my dear friend. I cannot find a mouth with which to tell the story’” (48). Instead of acting concerned that Okonkwo held a gun to his wife, Ekwefi’s friend changes the subject and proceeds with their conversation.

Normally, a successful hero arises from a rough past. However, Chinua Achebe wrote a story that contrasts with the usual pattern of a hero’s life. The novel Things Fall Apart centers on a man named Okonkwo, a clan leader in the village of Umuofia. From Okonkwo’s tragic hero qualities and struggle with his son and culture, readers can learn several qualities to consider and to avoid. A tragic hero is defined as a person who experiences a disastrous fall after accumulating high titles.

During the Egwugwu ceremony, the women are treated as outsiders. They also were not allowed to “[ask] questions about the most powerful and the most secret cult in the clan” (Achebe 88). Women are still expected to clean the huts used in the ceremony, but only the men are allowed to know about one of the most important parts of Igbo culture. In Igbo culture, women are considered delicate and non-violent, so when Okonkwo accidentally kills someone, the crime is considered female because it happens inadvertently. After Okonkwo is exiled to Mbanta, he calls the new clan womanly because they are not as violent as Umuofia, once again showing that being violent is associated with masculinity. When Okonkwo returned to Umuofia he discovered that the missionaries had taken over Umuofia and gained a following. Since Okonkwo doesn’t believe in peace as a priority, he immediately introduces the idea of war between the natives and the white men. The tribe disagrees and Okonkwo “mourn[s] for the clan, which he [sees] breaking up and falling apart, and he mourn[s] for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women” (Achebe 183). Achebe uses femininity as a negative thing, relating the breaking apart of Igbo customs to the natives becoming passive like women. In the final chapter, Okonkwo kills himself, the final feminine act in the book. In Igbo culture, suicide is considered weak, so Okonkwo’s death is shunned by his community, and he has to be “buried like a dog” (Achebe 208). Ironically, Okonkwo’s legacy is destroyed, and he will be remember as weak and an abomination, which is what he has been working his entire life trying to

In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Achebe narrates the complicated life of a man named Okonkwo. Okonkwo is a man that fears weakness and failure while always striving to be great. This fear of failure was instilled in him by his father's lack of fathering. Okonkwo’s dad was in deep debt and was unsuccessful. This picture of his father is what Okonkwo strived not to be. Okonkwo was a very successful man and to great pride in all that he had learned. He had three wives and many children which was a social status of that time. Okonkwo’s passion to not end up like his father, ultimately was what caused him end up like his father. His impulsive and materialistic behavior puts blinders on his life's vision and leads him to become someone

Throughout the novel, Okonkwo frequently subjugates the women in his life, beats his wives, and shows that he does not think very highly of the female gender. When a man contradicts him in a meeting, he snaps back saying, “this meeting is for men”, (Achebe 26) implying that in his mind being called a “woman” is a nasty insult. In fact, when Okonkwo feels guilty for killing his adopted son, he attributes his emotions to weakness that is typical of femininity and says to himself, “when did you become a shivering, old woman?” (Achebe 65). This shows that Okonkwo views women as incapable of so called “masculine” strengths and powers.

It is seen that for the majority of the book the women are either tending to crops or cooking. Women would traditionally grow the crops deemed fit for a woman such as cassava, coco yams, and beans. Additionally, after cooking a meal the women would serve it to their husband first and he would taste it.  A section of Chapter 7 page 54 portrays this explicitly, “ When they each finished, each brought her bowl of foo-foo and bowl of soup to her husband. An oil lamp was lit and Okonkwo tasted from each bowl.” Comparatively, nowadays both men and women make an effort to provide food for their family. Furthermore, a family will usually eat together and at the same

Historically, women have been viewed as inferior to men due to a female's lack of physical strength. In the candid novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe clearly defines gender roles; women are the caretakers and cooks- simply existing to satisfy men’s desires. Although “Things Fall Apart portrays the women as weak ,inferior, and being put in their place by men; however, Achebe also notes their importance during several parts of the story. By incorporating powerful dialogues and scenes to develop gender conflicts, Achebe uses the completely divergent character of Okonkwo, who constantly strives to achieve manliness to demonstrate that although women in the Igbo society are important, they are not treated as such. Chinua Achebe, the author suggests that there is a constant conflict which exists between the two genders and the expectations of the roles in which each of them must play.

It is said that Okonkwo ruled his house with a ‘heavy hand’. The women had no say in the justice, so the

Women are treated like servant and they are always being submissive wives to their husbands. According to Saikia, “Woman, as reflected in the novel, is supposed to be an incarnation of weakness.” (81) Okonkwo’s first wife can be seen as an example. When Okonkwo’s first wife asks whether the new child is staying with her, Okonkwo “thundered, and stammered” with his command: “Do what you are told, women.” (Achebe 18) She then takes the child with her and “asked no more questions.” (Achebe 18) Okonkwo’s first wife has to do whatever he demands without asking any questions. She has to be obedient and silent. Women are expected to listen to their husbands and they are not allowed to fight against their husbands’