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Things Fall Apart, written by the foundational figure Chinua Achebe, problematizes the regular social norms of men and women in Umuofia. Through the repetition of using words that are unique to the peoples culture, we are able to become “insiders” as we read about the impact gender has on society. To some, these stereotypes give structure and justice, but because the men and women are defined against each other, it is problematic and needs change. This male dominated society confines women into being oppressed and exaggerates the idea of females being weak and men having to be powerful.
Women of the Igbo tribe are subordinate to men, making this book an example of a patriarchal society. Men are viewed as strong and tough and feel as though they must live up to these standards. However, by reading this novel, we have hope that men can begin to understand it is important that they know they can stray from these norms without consequences.
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Achebe brings attention to gender roles in their society, which makes the readers more aware of the present stereotyping of gender roles today.
Things Fall Apart has hopes of accomplishing many things. In my opinion, one recurring theme is the lack of men being able to show emotion. Several times throughout the novel, we see male characters wanting to be able to show emotion, but they simply know they cannot, or they do and there are consequences. In both literature and everyday life, there are gender roles that we are used to seeing each gender portray.
For example men are brave, strong, don't cry, aggressive, in-control, etc. Conversely, women are viewed as weak, caregivers, passive, emotional, etc. For the most part, the characters in Things Fall Apart fit all these stereotypes, but we do see a few characters eager to break down these walls. Chinua Achebe is trying to get his audience to notice the men wanting to be emotional, and the women wanting to be strong. He is trying to bring attention to this so we can do our best to no longer make it a problem today. Men should be able to show emotion, and they should not feel guilty when doing so. These gender norms that we feel we must follow, lead to such things as toxic masculinity. Okonkwo is tough, violent and “ruled his household with a heavy hand”. We sympathize as we read because he often takes his anger out on others, but he is just depicting the male characteristics he “should” be following. Okonkwo being the way he is in the novel draws the reader's attention. Okonkwo’s son Nwoye wants to be able to show emotion more than anyone else in the novel. He was raised by Okonwo, so he knows he is never to show any sign of weakness or vulnerability, and if he does he will be beaten: “Later in the day he called Ikemefuna and told him he was going to be taken home the next day. Nwoye overheard it and burst into tears, whereupon his father beat him heavily”.
As I read this scene I want to crawl into the book and let Nwoye know it is okay to have a weak moment. At this moment I also think Achebe begins to accomplish his mission. As readers we finally begin to understand that some men yearn for weakness and want to be able to be vulnerable. I think Achebe focuses on this problem because it is still so relevant today. Along with the focus on men, Achebe stresses the difference in roles of men and women. We see women being submissive to men in several different ways. It is the woman's job to cook and serve Okonkwo his meals, and if they do not do so they are beaten. When meetings are called for the entire village to attend, the women are often in the back while the men take charge. Women are supposed to be emotional and scared of things, so when they see people running into their villages with masks, they run away scared even if they are not. All of these examples help us focus on the central idea. That being the need for change between genders, which Achebe accomplishes as he writes. Men need to be able to break down if they need, and women need to be able to take a break from “serving” men.
Achebe uses his unique and profound ability of writing to demonstrate gender roles in this novel. Throughout Things Fall Apart, we begin to gain a sense of Achebe’s belief in the power of English: “But let us not, in rejecting the evil, throw out the good in it”. Some authors neglect English because it comes with baggage; bringing up horrific memories from the past. This short essay written by Chinua Achebe himself, “English and The African Writer”, gives details about Achebe's thoughts and actions of African literature; more extensively the power English has in writing. English is a powerful language to write in, however it is not everyone's first or preferred. Achebe understands and takes this into account, but lets the idea of it being able to reach a larger audience encourage him to write in it. He does this to his readers by carefully articulating every word he chooses to put in his novel. This book is told through the third person point of view, allowing the narrator to be able to communicate and comprehend all characters' thoughts. Allowing the narrator to have such a deep connection with the tribe, causes the readers to also have that relationship. In my opinion, how an author sets the tone of the book can have a major effect on the overall impact. Things Fall Apart leaves it’s readers wanting to turn every page. Achebe uses repetition, imagery, and symbolism to leave the readers feeling uneasy, upset, yet sympathizing for every character. This book is informing the readers about the negative side effects of stereotypes, and we are able to understand this on a deeper level as we connect to Onkonkwo. Allowing this information to be brought to us through a novel rather than a textbook is very powerful. As we read the mini stories that make up this one big story, we connect with each character along with the Igbo tribe.
Achebe's use and repetition of words from the Igbo tribe is his biggest strength in my opinion. The word Agbala meaning women, or man with no title lets the readers realize the power of their language. This word is repeated allowing the readers to begin to understand it without having to look at a reference. Other words such as ekwe,kwenu,obi,etc are words the readers start to familiarize themselves with as we continue through this novel. This lets the readers feel as though they are one of the tribe members, and are engaging in their everyday lives. When folktales are told, we get a glimpse of symbolism. The beginning of chapter nine focuses on a folktale Okonkwo begins to remember from his childhood, when he is bitten by a mosquito. Stories containing animals can be a symbolism of femininity. Girls and even some of the boys would rather listen to folktales than be involved in violence. On the contrary, a sign of masculinity we see throughout the entire novel are the yams. They represent power, and are a man's crop. Imagery is the last major aspect of the story that contributes to the readers being able to understand the gender roles. Achebe puts careful detail into each of his scenes, so the readers can get a better understanding of what is going on. Because women are the ones who do the most housework, they are incharge of decorating the huts but are never allowed to enter them: “These women never saw the inside of the hut. No women ever did”. This scene in particular lets us imagine the roles of the women and men in the Igbo tribe. The women not being able to enter something they spent hours working on, helps encourage the idea of men having power over women. As they work for hours scrubbing and painting, a man is constantly supervising them to make sure they never act out. This scene allows us to paint a picture in our head. When I read Achebe’s words, I picture a woman working endlessly and exhausted, while a man of power stands and watches. Things Fall Apart incorporates figurative language allowing it to have a soothing and comforting form as read through the struggles of gender in the Igbo tribe.
When reading Things Fall Apart and trying to understand the importance of it, we must remember the needs of the texts meaning in the moment but also the meaning it has on society today. Things like sexism, toxic masculinity and other ideas that relate back to gender roles are still present today, although they are not as severe. Rather than working on huts, and house labor, today women are expected to take on professions like teachers and nurses. While we see women pursuing nurturing and safe careers, we see men taking on the more dangerous roles of being cops and firefighters. This is not what every male or female does, but because of events in the past this is what is expected as a society. I believe that in society we do not even realize when we are stereotyping based on gender. We are so used to it happening that we are accustomed to it. For example, we dress baby girls in pink forcing them to believe the fact they will grow up to be feminine, and baby boys in blue for the opposite reasons. This novel makes us aware of those that want to be different. For example, Nwoye wanting to show emotion, and all the silent women that I am sure dream of being able to voice their opinions. Making people aware of the women being oppressed, viewed as weak, and taken advantage of makes us more alert today. We now feel for the men that want to be able to express emotion and start to accept it. At the end of the novel, Okokwo is driven to kill himself because he can no longer handle the intense change that has been brought upon his community.
After reading this novel, I start to wonder if Okonkwo being able to show he is weak and vulnerable could have altered the outcome. Perhaps if enough people saw he was struggling, he could have gotten help and made it out alive. Things Fall Apart has a meaningful purpose, and matters today. I think this book should be continued to be taught as years go on, because it does such a good job of drawing attention to problems we see today.
Gender Roles Throughout The Things Fall Apart Novel. (2024, Feb 11). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/gender-roles-throughout-the-things-fall-apart-novel-essay
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