Things Fall Apart

Feminism is the study of differences in power between men and women in society—mostly originating in the 1800’s due to how women were oppressed by men in that time—as well as implementing the conduct as to which actions society should take to equalize those differences and discourage discrimination. Feminism is a belief shared by many in modern day, giving rise to a broad spectrum of differing perspectives on the topic. The novel “Things Fall Apart” by renowned African author Chinua Achebe presents the reader with the inner lifestyle of an Igbo tribe in 19th century Nigeria. If one were to examine this text through feminist lens, one would see many examples of how women would be considered oppressed by today’s standards. Throughout the book,

In turn, Okonkwo completely rejects all feminine aspects which he saw in his father as weakness, and struggles to uphold and amass power, which he believed was the definition of masculinity. Okonkwo also forces his ideals onto others, violently telling his wives to behave as a woman should “‘Do what you are told, woman,’ Okonkwo thundered.”(ch.2 p.14) As well as scolding and beating his son for his laziness. These acts superficially enhances his perceived masculinity, and Okonkwo gains power over his wives at the cost of their freedom. In Igbo culture, polygamy is practiced and a man’s worth is judged by the number of wives he has. It is in this sense that women are treated akin to objects or property, under the ownership of men. Okonkwo further establishes power over his wives by beating them on occasions and silencing their opinions. It has been demonstrated that in Igbo society domestic abuse was not of great concern, the greatest consequence being a small sacrifice when Okonkwo committed violence during the week of peace, and even then it was more of a religious issue. This further oppresses the women’s rights, yet culturally this prejudice seems to be accepted, if not, largely

In his attempt to control his own fate, he develops a desire to control and eliminate weakness and femininity within himself and his sons. He beats his sons when they display weakness, and beats his wives when they discover weakness in himself. For example, when Ekwefi mutters a remark about Okonkwo’s skill with guns, his abilities and capacities as a man was being challenged and reflexively he shoots at her in response. However this fear in losing his masculinity ended up influencing his actions, and impaired his decision making skills regarding anything challenging his masculinity. By constantly responding rashly and without judgement has lead Okonkwo into many unfortunate situations, ultimately leading to his final act of killing the messenger. When faced with the reality that his action turned out to be meaningless and he has lost all hope of regaining his power, Okonkwo commits suicide, as according to his values there was nothing to be achieved in life anymore. By being stripped of power by colonists, Okonkwo no longer had any worth deemed by himself, thus Achebe implied that he was only defined by his masculinity in