Chinua Achebe 's Things Fall Apart Essay

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe describes the customs of the Igbo culture while telling the life story of a man named Okonkwo. Okonkwo is a man who dedicates his life towards being one of the clan’s elites. However, even though he is driven by this goal, he tends to do things which the clan does not accept. Through his actions, and the clan’s response, readers are able to see the pros and cons of the Igbo culture, and the differences between our moral ideologies. One issue presented in the book is the depiction of women. In the Igbo culture, women are shown as weak and inferior, however the author’s intention can be misleading. Although he is demeaning the value of women, he is showing readers how we as humans often contradict ourselves when trying to live by the rules society impedes on following.

Domination and authority over women are reflected by the male characters in Things Fall Apart, specially the protagonist Okonkwo, as he oppresses his wives and overly abuse his power as the male dominator. At the beginning of the novel Okonkwo displayed, this trait as the monarch of the household “He ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children” (Acebe, 10). In the Igbo community men were the domineering sex and ruled over their families especially their wives. They treated their wives with disrespect and continuously let women live in fear. As stated above, males being more powerful than women limit woman capabilities and let them fear their husband. Throughout the book the author gives a clear idea that within the Igbo culture they live in a patriarchy society and as proven above the males continuously withhold this dominate role in their household.

Okonkwo, a very demanding character, has just finished a day's worth of labor and comes home expecting food at the table and his youngest wife has not prepared it yet. Okonkwo waits for her arrival when, “she returned he beat her very heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace” (Achebe, 28). This quote displays gender inequality throughout the African villages during the Age of Exploration. The tone seen in the words “beat” and “heavily” give a sense of insecurity and negative connotation towards women during that time. In keeping with Igbo view of female nature, they allowed wife beating. It is clearly evident that tone in the book Things Fall Apart allows Achebe to get his point across that women were on the bottom of the social hierarchy and were treated like property. Women were subjugated to their husbands whims, in this case it meant beating his wife when dinner was not ready. This occurred during a Week of Peace regardless that no violence should

The way in which the women of the Igbo village are presented, by Achebe, make it seem as if they serve very little purpose to the society. The main character, Okonkwo, is infatuated with making sure he does not turn out to be like his father. By living in a village where manliness was crucial and weakness was not, Okonkwo viewed his father as being a weak and cowardly mean because he could barely support his family. To make sure he did not become an adult that resembled his father, he developed the characteristics of being brave, wealthy and even violent. Since he acquired these traits, it gave him a sense of superiority over his wives and the other women of the village. Perhaps because of Okonkwo’s behavior, the women of the village are treated with less respect. It is portrayed by Achebe that the women of the Igbo village only purpose is looking after the children and helping their husbands when or if it is needed. Although the women of the Igbo village are described as being insignificant, the women are the people that fill in the gaps in the society. For example, the women are the ones that cook, clean, take care of everyone, help harvest and grow food, as well as all the other everyday tasks that are easily overlooked.

Women are often thought of as the weaker, more vulnerable of the two sexes. Thus, women’s roles in literature are often subdued and subordinate. In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, women are repressed by an entrenched structure of the social repression. Women suffer great losses in this novel but, also in certain circumstances, hold tremendous power. Achebe provides progressively changing attitudes towards women’s role. At first glance, the women in Things Fall Apart may seem to be an oppressed group with little power and this characterization is true to some extent. However, this characterization of Igbo women reveals itself to be prematurely simplistic as well as limiting, once

The women in the book Things Fall Apart are terribly mistreated and also they are viewed as weak they receive little to no respect outside as a mother and a wife.The people in the tribe of Umuofia and the people of the society which are called Igbo use a word called “Agbala” which means that whenever a person is called Agbala he is compared to a woman who is weak and worthless and has no respect. An example is when Okonkwo went with the other men in the tribe to participate in the killing of Ikemefuna (Who is a fifteen-year-old boy from another clan that is called Mbaino he was given up to Umuofia as a sacrifice for someone killing one of the women of Umuofia). Okonkwo participated in order to show the people that he is

In his novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe describes the various aspects of Igbo culture. Throughout the story, he illustrates the assertion that each kind of person had a specific role and treatment in the community. Men of high rank commanded respect while albinos and twins were treated as outcasts. Women were no exception; they had a role specific to them, and this role determined their treatment from their community.

Gender roles in the Igbo community In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, gender roles are distinctly different; there is masculine and feminine tasks in the Igbo culture that everyone grew up to understand. Woman were bred to be caretakers, while men were bred to be the head of the house and lead everyone in it. During this time in Nigerian culture men were valued more than women. Men were looked at as a sign of strength and honor, in contrast, women were not as powerful or influential in the Nigerian community.

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.

Women represent an important part of present society but in the novel the reader is introduced to a society whose views on gender differ greatly to the ones in present society. In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe women are seen as property of their husbands and fathers, The author uses polygamy, violence and gender shaming to convey his message about the culture and traditions of the ibo society. Okonkwo and his family are used as an example of the traditional ibo family that follows these strict measures.

Traditions is a representation of the history, beliefs, and language of a group of people or country. Traditions usually have a symbolic meaning due to the origins in the past. Unfortunately, most traditions aren't as positive as they should be. There's really negative traditions that can sometimes effect the people and the way they think. The people can sometimes become very narrow-minded or depending on the customs and traditions, they'll become violent. In the book Things Fall Apart Umuofia's traditions have a negative effect on the people, specifically Okonkwo. Okonkwo happens to be a respected member of the Umuofia clan. Okonkwo's wealth and High-ranked position in the community makes him very powerful. On the other hand his extreme

In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the Igbo people objectify woman which shows that men are seen as superior in the Igbo culture. On Okonkwo’s first year of farming, Okonkwo worked for a prominent man in the village. He worked for a rich man “who had three huge barns, nine wives, and thirty children” (Achebe 18). The barns are filled with yams, the main currency of the Igbo. If that allows the man to be rich, the nine wives do too. Along with yams, women are seen as something that makes a man rich. Next, When Okonkwo was a young boy, a friend came and told him that his father was an agbala. He came to the realization that “agbala was not only another name for a woman, it could also mean a man who had taken no title” (13). Women, in the Igbo

Many of the men freely beat their wives when they do not behave properly or complete tasks ineffectively and there are usually no repercussions for this. Women are viewed by the tribesmen as inferior, but upon closer examination of the roles the two genders play within the novel, we can see that women are truly a source of strength and sustenance for their families. In “Things Fall Apart”, one recognizes just how much the representation by Achebe of Igbo society in “Things Fall Apart” is changing because women, who were typically restricted to the home and who possessed little decision-making power prior to colonialism, suddenly find themselves agents of important social exchanges through the roles they play in the trade that occurs in the market, as well as in the production of the crops that are sold at

Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” chronicles the life of Okonkwo, a strong man whose existence is dominated by fear and anger, and the Ibo tribe, a people deeply rooted in cultural belief and tradition. As events unfold, Okonkwo’s carefully constructed world and the Ibo way of life collapses. The story of Okonkwo’s fall from a respected and feared leader of the Ibo tribe to an outcast who dies in disgrace dramatizes his inability to evolve beyond his personal beliefs, affecting the entire Ibo tribe beyond measure. The “things” that fall apart in Achebe’s novel are Okonkwo’s life – his ambition, dreams, family unity and material wealth – and the Ibo way of life – their beliefs, culture and values.

In history many ancient and early cultures lived in a society where gender influenced their way of life. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the Igbo tribe in Africa bases their people’s social status and everyday life on gender. Women are expected to be submissive and thought to be weaker compared to their male counterparts. Men on the other hand are thought of as strong and must live up to the expectations of the clan. There are several instances in the book that strongly emphasize the masculine roles in the Ibo tribe’s society. Throughout the book, Okonkwo’s extreme views on masculinity gains him the respect of his community. In his community Okonkwo is greatly praised for his masculinity. It is Okonkwo’s desire to be accepted by his community and insecurities that leads to him becoming an outcast in his community which eventually led to him committing suicide. Okonkwo would rather die than to develop a feminine reputation like his father. As a clansman of the Igbo, being a well provider for your family, a strong protector, and an influential fatherly figure are things that define masculinity.