Role of Women in Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe

The role of women in society has grown and changed tremendously with the development of the world. Within the American culture, women’s rights have expanded to the extent of being able to vote for who runs our country or even possibly being the person that does run our country. Although the American culture has somewhat promoted the growth of a woman’s role in society, does not mean women receive the same respect in other cultures around world. For example, in Africa women are viewed lower on the totem pole of importance even though without them the village would fall apart. Chinua Achebe is an author that was born and raised in a village of Nigeria. From growing up there, Achebe understands the culture of Africa better than some. Since he does have a better understanding of the culture he decided to make it his own personal duty to share the cultural differences with the world. How does Achebe do this one may ask? Well he reflects the culture in his writing. By sharing stories of what a village in Africa is like, Achebe is able to portray the village exactly the way it is in real life; first hand. In his novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe presents women in the Igbo society as lesser individuals but their influence overwhelms daily life in the village. Although Achebe portrays women as being of lesser importance, does that mean in Africa they view it similarly or is it just the western way of thinking that makes it seem women are being treated with less respect.

Women are presented as being insignificant individuals to the African societies. The way in which Achebe portrays the women, shows their not treated with much respect but have an unrecognizable impact on the village. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe isolates ...

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.... Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, focuses more on the violent, cruel and overbearing side of main character, Okonkwo. For this reason the novel is frequently perceived as being sexist.

Works Cited

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print.

Cobham, Rhonda. “Problems of Gender and History in the Teaching of Things Fall Apart.” Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart: A Casebook. Ed. Isidore Okpewho. Oxford: New York, 2003. 165-180. Print.

Hiatt, Kimberly. Discerning Truth from Perception. The Role of Women in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. N.p. June 5, 2006. Web. April 8, 2010.

Jeyifo, Biodun. “Okonkwo and His Mother: Things Fall Apart and Issues of Gender in the Constitution of African Postcolonial Discourse.” Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart: A Casebook. Ed. Isidore Okpewho. Oxford: New York, 2003. 181-196. Print.