Igbo Culture

1. In traditional Ibo culture, women are not treated as equals and are equivalent to possessions. In a family, the children always belong to the father, not the mother. “I have even heard that in some tribes a man’s children belong to his wife and her family” (74). Okonkwo appears appalled to this blasphemy. It is common and ideal for a husband to possess multiple wives, and men beat their wives for even the smallest infractions. During the Week of Peace, the goddess forbids wife beating, such as when Okonkwo beat Ojiugo. “And when she returned he beat her very heavily …It was unheard of to beat somebody during the sacred week” (29-30). To live in a culture with so many threats to them, women are required to be mentally and emotionally

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.

Okonkwo’s Uncle, Uchendu, preaches , “ But when a father beats his child, it seeks sympathy in its mother’s hut. A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland… And that is why we say mother is supreme.” (134) This is saying that women are loving and sympathetic. Achebe’s diction such as sorrow and bitterness gives a better image of the severity of the problems that women help with. Also, by calling mother’s supreme, the readers learn that mothers are revered for their love and sympathy. This quote shows that feminine characteristics are being loving and sympathetic and masculine characteristics are the opposite. Another feminine characteristic is devotion. The readers see devotion in Things Fall Apart through Ekwefi, Okonkwo’s wife, when Chielo took Ezinma, their daughter. Devotion is shown after Chielo picks up Ezinma and “Chielo began once again to chant greetings to her god… The two voices disappeared into the thick darkness… “Where are you going?” he[Okonkwo] asked. “I am following Chielo,” she[Ekwefi] replied and disappeared in the darkness.” (103) Chielo took Ezinma for some reason and Ekwefi went chasing after Chielo because she is worried what will happen to Ezinma. This shows that Ekwefi is so devoted to her daughter that she is willing to cross

An example of this “ ‘Who killed this tree? Or are you all deaf and dumb?’ As matter fact the tree was very much alive. Okonkwo’s second wife had merely cut a few leaves off it to wrap some food, and she said so. Without further argument Okonkwo gave her a sound beating and left her and her only daughter weeping” (Achebe, 1994, p.38). This emphasizes that Okonkwo beat his wife for a stupid reason for she didn't commit of killing the tree but it was her talking back that made him infuriated. Okonkwo beats his wives in order to show his masculinity and shows to his wives what happens if they contradicting him. Although this may be true not all men beat their wives or think its right to do so. For instance when Egwugwu was deciding a verdict for the punishment of the husband when he beat his wife everyday the Egwugwu said “ ‘Our duty is not to blame this man or to praise that, but to settle the dispute’... ‘It is not bravery when a man fights with a woman’ ” (Achebe, 1994, p. 93). This proves that Egwugwu the most respect/ feared people in the 9 clans agree with how women should be treated. They believe that men are stronger than women and it would be easy for the man to win and that’s not courageous it's

In general, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is an interesting outlet to the old ways of the Igbo culture and people. The novel provides insight into the actions and behavior of the Igbo people that we do not get to witness today. After doing online research, the difference between the past culture and modern culture is obvious and sad. Regardless, they try to remain peaceful. Overall, everything the Igbo did was to please their gods and try to live a happy peaceful life with the people and earth surrounding

Women like Chielo who are priestesses play an important role in the religious life. Chielo, the priestess, is a spokesperson for one of the Igbo gods, Agbala. Achebe writes in the novel, “But Chielo…went on shouting that Agbala wanted to see his daughter” (p. 90). In this example, Chielo is no longer Ekwefi’s friend whom she often talks with, but a spokesperson becomes possessed by Agbala. A priestess is very powerful in Igbo culture. People regard the words through a priestess’s mouth as oracles. Therefore, God’s spokesperson is actually the spiritual leader of the people who hold in awe and veneration. No one can challenge Chielo’s authority in front of their god. The novel describes Okonkwo’s failure to prevent his daughter Ezinma from

The narrator states,“The law of Umuofia is that if a woman runs away from her husband her bride-price is returned” (81).This shows that if a woman of Umuofia leaves the village, the price that was paid for the woman could be refunded to the man like a piece of property. When Obierika states, “My daughter's suitor is coming today and I hope we will clinch the matter of the bride-price”(57), it proves that a woman’s can be negotiable, and that they are looked as property and not women.

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

The position and image of women in Things Fall Apart is an important topic. In the novel “things fall apart, by Chinua Achebe”, women in the Ibo tribe are terribly mistreated, and viewed as weak and receive little or no respect outside their role as a mother. The people in the Ibo tribe uses a description “Agbala”, which means that whenever a person is called Agbala, he is compared to a woman, who is weak, and pretty much worthless. Another example is when Okonkwo participates in the killing of Ikemefuna He participates in order to show the people that he is not weak and “Agbal” like his father, who is said to be useless and worthless like a woman. In the Ibo culture, women are only viewed to be gentle and caring.

They were presented as the ruler of the family, because in the Igbo culture women are presented as the weaker gender, which leads the men to be the ruler and having control of everything. Men

Since men have power over women, they tend to abuse that power. For example, Okonkwo regrets that his child, Ezinma, is a girl. He believes that that “She understood everything so perfectly.” on subjects such as leadership and strength (Achebe 173). In the Ibo society men are expected to become strong leaders while women are expected to be housemoms.

Women routinely perform the role of a priestess. The narrator recalls that during Okonkwo’s boyhood, “the priestess in those days was woman called Chika. She was full of the power of her god, and she was greatly feared,” (Achebe 17). The present priestess is Chielo, who is also a woman. This ability of women to occupy roles as spiritual leaders elevates them and commands respect from their society.

Women in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe are depicted as puny, emotional objects. Whenever a man is not aggressive or being masculine enough, he is immediately accused of acting like a woman. At the starting of the novel, we learn that Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, was known for being a failure. When Okonkwo was little, “a playmate had told him that his father was agbala” (Achebe, 13). Agbala was another name for a woman, and Unoka was labeled this because he showed weakness by not being able to care of his family. Later, when Okonwo kills a clansman with his gun, he committed “the female [crime].” Even in the justice system of the Igbo people, “female” crimes are less solemn than “male” crimes (Achebe, 124). From this we can understand

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 Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe portrayed men as the dominant sex in Igbo culture; however women were as dominant or potentially more dominant than men in their own ways. He