Essay on Gender in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart

This paper will look at the contradictions in the work of Chinua Achebe in relation to his placement of woman and femininity. Kristen Holst Petersen states that ‘the African discussion is between feminist emancipation versus the fight against neo-colonialism, particularly in its cultural aspect...which comes first, the fight for female equality or the fight against Western cultural imperialism’. This paper will attempt to highlight these contradictions in relation to Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Above all the tribe values physical prowess, it places a great deal of importance on individual achievement, these attributes are in fact intended to ensure the security and permanence of the group. For like most early societies this is a†¦show more content†¦It is important to note that ‘When they carried him away, he took with him his flute’. This is not a minor detail, in effect the reader’s sympathy is attracted by a certain humane simplicity. The portrait we have of Unoka is that of a folk hero whose nonchalance stands as a constant rebuke to the vanities of the great and powerful of the world. A reader will soon realize that his son, Okonkwo, forcefully repudiates the subversive significance of Unoka’s refusal to conform to the prevailing ethos of the tribe. Okonkwo in effect becomes the antithesis of all that his father represented. And whilst we are not privy to the psychological workings of Okonkwo’s mind we are made aware of his blatant physicality that is projected outward in all directions in effect incarnating him as his society’s ideal of manhood. It is this attitude and manner that develops into an overbearing masculinity. On more than one occasion we are alerted to the fact that Okonkwo’s adoption of the manly ideal is excessive. Obierika seems to have been conceived as a foil to Okonkwo so that his attitude indicates the possibility of an alternative stance. Okonkwo’s refusal to reconcile himself to the turn of events that lead to his exile provides an occasion for a reminder of the significance of the female principal, at least at the level of connotation, when he is instructed by Uchendu, his maternal uncle, in theShow MoreRelated Gender Relations in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay1498 Words   |  6 PagesGender Relations in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart      Ã‚   In Chinua Achebes novel Things Fall Apart, the Ibo peoples patriarchal society has a strict system of behavioral customs according to gender. 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While on the surface, it appears the novel narrows its focus to a single character, Okonkno and his inner battles, one can read deeper into the text and find an array of assorted conflicts in the realm on human vs. human, human vs. nature, human vs. society, and society vs. society