Examples Of Masculinity In Things Fall Apart

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Okonkwo lived in constant terror. In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, the tough, stalwart Okonkwo has the fear of failure and weakness dominate his life. Though he may not be completely aware of it, he lives in fear of failure and weakness which leads to his destruction. Okonkwo lives in a society where masculinity is seen as something extremely important. He feels like he has to prove his masculinity and assert his dominance at every point in order to not be challenged by anyone. Femininity is considered weak whereas the men in the Umuofia who bear the most masculine traits are deemed as powerful and strong. His father Unoka is regarded as a weakling and feminine. Unoka never went to war which, as a man, he was expected to do. Because he never went to war or any type of battle, he is deemed a weakling. Okonkwo, on the …show more content…

He overcompensates by killing as many people as he can during the wars. Okonkwo also makes sure that his son Nwoye never strays onto a path of weakness by mercilessly beating him, among other things. Remembering the shame he’d felt when someone called his father “agbala,” or a woman, Okonkwo pushes himself and his son to adopt machismo habits and ideologies. However, this only makes Nwoye veer off the path of manliness, causing him to do more things his father deems as feminine or “weak.” Later when Ikemefuna joins the family, Okonkwo finds his masculinity being rattled: “Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy... [he] never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of

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