Masculinity In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

“Be a man” is common quote heard involving males in American society, especially when they are young. It is used to prompt one to be independent and tough and it seems that not only the Igbo tribe is concerned with a man’s masculinity. It is widely known throughout the world that the man of the house provides and protects the family. In Chinua Achebe’s book, Things Fall Apart, being a masculine and strong male is important and even accentuated to where it is the only thing a male focuses on. In this book, Achebe portrays a man, Okonkwo, who is obviously obsessed with masculinity and power while claiming the new religion, brought by the colonists, to not be manly enough. This happens while his tribe falls apart since they do not share Okonkwo’s

radical view. Okonkwo seals his and his tribe’s fate when Okonkwo takes violent action against the colonists, he kills himself and the tribe will be unable to fight the colonists. Then when Okonkwo’s abusive nature drives Nwoye to convert to Christianity. There is also a connected problem involving the far less radical men in Okonkwo’s clan, Nwoye and Ogbuefi Ugonna, who accept change with less resistance and lead to the demise of the clan.
Probably the most overlooked factor in the tribes downfall is the tolerance among Okonkwo’s fellow tribesmen towards the colonists and their religion. Although they still mostly oppose the colonists, they do not share Okonkwo’s old radical views and this leads to their own downfall. There are instances of “worthy men” of titles who would convert the new religion (174). “Such a man was Ogbuefi Ugonna, who had taken two titles, and like a madman had cut the anklet of his titles and cast it away to join the Christians (174).” This act of defection shows how far the tribe has come from the old days when the tribe was warlike and would not accept this rule of the colonists. The men of past in Umuofia would never accept this rule and Okonkwo is one of those strong men. However, the men of Umuofia do take some action but they do not go as far as to kill and expel. In the eyes of Okonkwo,“It was like the good old days again, when a warrior was a warrior. Although they had not agreed to kill the missionary... they had agreed to do something. (192). The tribes reluctance to kill and drive off the Christians sealed the tribes fate and allowed the reverend to report to the district commissioner. If the tribe would have resisted occupation, then they might have gotten independence and even expelled the colonists and their religion. Ultimately, the tribes divergence from their traditional warlike custom allowed a feeling a appeasement which destroyed the tribe from the inside out.
Although it is true that the tribes hesitant attitude towards violence was a major factor in its own downfall, Okonkwo’s treatment of his son Nwoye leads Nwoye to convert to Christianity which worsens Okonkwo’s view towards the colonists. This happens when Okonkwo is informed of Nwoye’s involvement in the church and waits for him to come home where he “hit him two or three savage blows” however an elder stops him and he lets go “of Nwoye, who walked away and never returned” (152). It is seen here that Okonkwo’s actions of aggression have driven Nwoye to convert to Christianity and abandon his family forever. For it is Okonkwo’s excessive rage that tears his own world apart. Not only does Okonkwo leave a physical toll on Nwoye but an emotional one as well. When the the missionaries come and visit the village of Mbanta, Nwoye is captivated by the poetry of the new religion and he feels “a relief within as the hymn poured into his parched soul.” This suggests that Nwoye is deprived of meaning since his father gives him little emotional comfort along with is earlier killing of his best friend, Ikemefuna. This further contributing to the fact of Okonkwo’s policy of only showing one emotion: anger. All this meaning that Okonkwo’s emphasis on sternness and masculinity leaves his oldest son parched of meaning that eventually drives him to betray his father.
In addition to emotionally depriving his family and beating his son, Okonkwo’s fatal flaw is his quickness to violent action and his heavy emphasis on masculinity and strength.

It is said that that Okonkwo is a very imposing figure and ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives,...lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper (13).” This reveals that Okonkwo was subjecting his family to fear and beatings which although effective in controlling people, it will end up unraveling his life later on. Near the end of the book, Okonkwo’s weakness finally kills the spirit of the tribe when he decapitates the colonial messenger. Immediately after killing the messenger, Okonkwo “knew that Umuofia would not go to war. He knew because they had let the other messengers escape . They had broken into tumult instead of action. He discerned fright in the tumult (205),” Okonkwo’s killing of the messenger was during a clan meeting on how to deal with the colonial threat and Okonkwo was furious from the previous day having been imprisoned and beaten with a whip. Therefore, when he saw the messenger, anger overtook him and he lashed at the man with his machete and killed him. The next day, Okonkwo was found to have hung himself because he had lost all hope in his tribes’ independence. He killed his tribe because his action was too soon and too violent, and it was something the tribe was astonished at seeing. In turn, the tribe panicked while the other messengers escaped and the Igbo’s fate was sealed. He Killed himself because his tribe had fallen apart and lost touch of

culture.
The tribes fate can be attributed to a disconnection to one's culture which lead to many religious conversions and a tolerance towards the colonists, something Okonkwo would never accept. In the end, the fate of the tribe was tied to the only man who held it together and the man who held it together, dealt the final blow on because of his violent nature. Furthermore, it lead to his own death and it can be said that Okonkwo’s fatal flaw, his emphasis on strength and masculinity, is what caused it. The tribes’ downfall serves as an example to what happens when one loses touch with their culture and family, and at the same time it is an example of what happens when one becomes too radical with their beliefs.