Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

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In the current world, men and women are considered equals. They all get equal opportunities at jobs, buying houses and basically anything that involves building a person up in the social pyramid. Except this was not how life was until the 1980’s, where women were considered the property of men and had no true stand in society as they do now. This is the case in the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, where Okonkwo who is a great warrior of the Igbo tribe, is left wishing that his eldest daughter, Ezinma had been born a boy. Okonkwo’s expectations and wishes are not with his sons, but with Ezinma due to her understanding of him, their relative likeness, Ezinma’s respect shown to Okonkwo and his actions towards her, but because of Igbo culture, Ezinma can not fulfill his wishes of having a child become great like him. …show more content…

Although he shows a different emotion towards her, he refused to break Igbo culture in any way for her. While discussing with her father about the wrestling, Ezinma asks, “And after a pause, she said: "Can I bring your chair for you?" "No, that is a boy's job." Okonkwo was especially fond of Ezinma.” (59-60) In a way, Ezinma knows of Okonkwo’s special likeness towards her and is not afraid to test the waters with him a bit, even if she already knows what he will do or say. This helps establish the special affection Ezinma receives from Okonkwo, although it is not

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