Division of Labor Between Men and Women in Things Fall Apart

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Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart was written about European colonization Africa. Throughout the novel language, social structure, and religion are all brought over by Europeans. Things Fall Apart focuses on the difference between genders in Igbo culture, a system of tribes, in Nigeria. Achebe uses a patriarchal society to describe the divide between the Igbo people. Okonkwo, the protagonist, is a great example of how all the authority in this African culture belongs to men. The representation of demanding African men, story telling, deprived African women, and Okonkwo’s fatal falling in Igbo society all contribute to the significance of what masculinity really is throughout Achebe’s book. The theme of masculinity in this novel is made very evident by Okonkwo’s character description and actions. Okonkwo is fixated with proving his masculinity and gaining recognition within the clan. This character fault leads to despair for him and his family. Nwoye, Okonkwo’s first son, doesn’t fulfill his father’s masculine standards whether it’s working out in the fields or enjoying listening to his mother’s creation stories. Okonkwo attempts to correct Nwoye’s “incipient laziness” by “constant nagging and beating” him (Achebe 10). This act of violence from Okonkwo is a way of Achebe showing the characters masculinity and power over his family. Achebe stated, “No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man” (Achebe 32-33). The author is trying to get the point across that masculinity means everything to this society. In that scene, Okonkwo is trying to push Nwoye to become more like him and less like his mother. The characters that... ... middle of paper ... ... [clan elders] of Umuofia’ “ (Achebe 11)? Okonkwo’s violent response to his wife’s question proposes that he has no respect for her opinion and that she has no right to back talk him. Perhaps Umuofia's derogatory treatment of women emerges from the unintentional fear of the universal earth goddess Ani. The earth goddess is responsible for many of the cruel traditions that Okonkwo’s tribe participates in, and those traditions relate to the tribe making sacrifices to satisfy the gods. One major incident that the gods play a big part in is Okonkwo’s fatal falling. Okonkwo completed “a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman” and he “committed the female, because it had been advertent” (Achebe 74). Okonkwo killed the clansman on accident so in their tribe that is the female crime and he had to take the 7-year female punishment expelled from society.

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