ipl-logo

Examples Of Masculinity In Things Fall Apart

1136 Words5 Pages

Mayson Torrence Torrence 1
Mrs. Johnson
English 10 Honors
May 16th, 2023
The DownFall Of Okonkwo
Okonkwo started as an important influence to his tribe. Overtime, he let his hardships control him, wanting to appear more dominant to others. Was the extreme amount of masculinity the reason for Okonkwo falling apart? If he was more passive, and accepted the colonist would have he still been alive at the end of the book? It is possible that his views on gender roles pushed his tribe to reject him. There are both positive and negative things that come with being masculine. Does one outweigh the other?

Positives and Negatives of okonkwo's masculinity …show more content…

On one hand, Okonkwo's masculinity and physical strength make him successful and respected by his community. He is determined to work hard and succeed to support his family. He was also an accomplished warrior and wrestler and won many awards, further enhancing his reputation. But Okonkwo's tendency to overemphasize his masculinity and repress emotions and vulnerabilities also contributed to his downfall. He is unable to express his feelings and often resorts to violence to assert his dominance, resulting in isolation from his family and community. As said in verywellminds story The Dangerous Effects of Toxic Masculinity “Being a strong man doesn’t mean you can’t show weakness or cry. Being a successful man doesn’t mean you have to marry or become a c-suite executive.” This shows …show more content…

As the arrival of European colonizers disrupts the traditional way of life in his village, Okonkwo resists these changes and advocates for violent resistance. However, other members of his tribe, including his own son, reject his worldview and choose to embrace the new ways.Ultimately, Okonkwo's inflexible attitudes and violent actions cause him to become increasingly isolated from his family and tribe. The murder of an emissary from the European colonists forces him to flee his community, and he becomes a tragic figure, devastated by his own mistakes and inability to adapt to changing

Show More
Related

Okonkwo's Response From Things Fall Apart

723 Words | 3 Pages

Okonkwo tries to fight the changes made by the Western people. Okonkwo’s response to the Western people trying to bring Western ideas into the Ibo culture are simply trying to fight back at the Western people with violence. Okonkwo is a strong and fierce leader, but throughout the story, he is challenged by the Western people and the cultural collision because Okonkwo is supposed to be the leader of Umuofia. Okonkwo is supposed to fight back for his village and not stop until he gets it done. In the story Achebe quotes, “He was a man of action, a man of war.

Read More

How Does Okonkwo Sacrifice Himself

1002 Words | 5 Pages

Okonkwo sacrificed his pride by ending his life; throughout the novel, Okonkwo made it clear his opinions on masculinity, which were that men could not be seen

Read More

Compare And Contrast Native American And White Settlers

302 Words | 2 Pages

The white settlers wanted the Native’s land, which was in the Northern and Eastern states, for its fertile ground for growing cotton. This created the first seeds of conflict. Since the Americans sold a big part of cotton to the world (Wallace), they needed more land so they could sell more and get more money. Settlers came to the Indian’s lands so they could make them profit and flourish (Trail; Indian). Americans believed Native Americans were “Unfamiliar, alien people who occupied the land the white settlers wanted” (History.com Staff), causing these two cultures to clash, creating a need for compromise.

Read More

Things Fall Apart Quote Analysis

1037 Words | 5 Pages

Okonkwo embraced the ideals of masculinity championed by his tribe in Umuofia, but he eventually took it too far. When the community around Okonkwo changes because of the arrival of Christianity and Europeans, he struggles to accommodate himself with different

Read More

Theme Of Masculinity In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

786 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, there are many references to the protagonist’s necessity to be recognized for his masculinity. Okonkwo, the protagonist, despises his father for his unsuccessfulness, and Okonkwo is motivated to become a prosperous man. His fear of being weak determines his actions in difficult situations, which causes an internal conflict. Eventually, this fear overwhelms Okonkwo, and he commits suicide. Okonkwo’s desire to be masculine in opposition to his father creates an internal conflict established in his fear of being thought weak, which ultimately leads to his death.

Read More

Pride In Things Fall Apart

1119 Words | 5 Pages

He was too proud to let his tribe give up their warlike history. He was to proud and self-assured to accept his son's choices. Okonkwo is a sad character whose pride has constantly led him down the crooked path. Achebe shows that being proud isn't a constructive thing for the future. That development can only occur when pride is put aside, and people think logically instead of

Read More

Examples Of Masculinity In Things Fall Apart

419 Words | 2 Pages

In the text “Things Fall Apart”, Okonkwo defines masculinity in a variety of ways. Okonkwo defines masculinity by showing emotion of anger, being violent, being ill-considered, and not being able to able to express his feelings when dealing with different situations. He basically had problems with controlling his emotions. This viewpoint impacted characters such as his wives, and his son. An example of such would be … “He was ruler heavily over his household”.

Read More

How Okonkwo's Change In 'Things Fall Apart'

965 Words | 4 Pages

In the book “Things Fall Apart“ Okonkwo is a very strong man and from time to time he starts showing his true self. He has a lot of responsibilities and other things he has to do around the living environment and interact with lots of people. Okonkwo changes from being that strong man, to a man who feels like his tribe is not with him when he wants to go to war with the missionaries. For someone like Okonkwo a lot of people looks up to him and while in the tribe Okonkwo beats his wives and children. Not good behavior for someone who is supposedly looked at as strong.

Read More

Hierarchy In Things Fall Apart

981 Words | 4 Pages

Okonkwo then goes to kill that same elder’s son, and he is banished for seven years as a consequence. This banishment leads to him being gone as the hierarchy among the Igbo people begins to change. When colonial forces arrive in their village, things take a drastic turn for

Read More

Similarities Between Things Fall Apart And Othello

910 Words | 4 Pages

Similarly, Okonkwo’s misogyny is exceedingly apparent and eventually Okonkwo’s masculinity becomes a defensive resource, therefore, his adherence to a masculine philosophy will order his world (Osei-Nyame 3). Okonkwo’s character development is not a long path to a life-changing, mentality-transforming moment, but instead he essentially lacks character

Read More

Cultural Collision In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

855 Words | 4 Pages

Okonkwo’s values are restricted to physical strength, power, and prosperity, and when the Europeans suddenly arrive, the cultural convergence prompts Okonkwo to respond with even more violence. While the majority of his tribe, including his son Nwoye, is open to considering

Read More

Violence In Things Fall Apart Analysis

917 Words | 4 Pages

Being the only one left who wants to overthrow the missionaries, Okonkwo is driven to kill himself. Many of the things Okonkwo does in his life tend to make things worse for him. Okonkwo’s actions before and after the cultural collision he experiences when

Read More

Compare And Contrast Okonkwo And Nwoye

1890 Words | 8 Pages

Fear is the core cause of the dramatic shift of lifestyle for both Okonkwo and Nwoye. Through the management of reputation and the avoidance of their father’s likeness, Okonkwo and Nwoye built new lives for themselves. Okonkwo sought power and authority to prove his masculinity and make up for Unoka’s reputation as a weak man. He did this to the point where manliness became his character. Fearlessness and violence were masculine qualities that in Igbo culture signifies strength and influence.

Read More

Theme Of Colonization In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

1152 Words | 5 Pages

All throughout the book, Okonkwo emphasizes the importance of not presenting himself as weak, fearful he may mimic his father. However, the colonization process completely destroys him representing the psychological effects colonization has on the

Read More

Theme Of Masculinity In Things Fall Apart

702 Words | 3 Pages

He was a caring man down in his heart but “his whole life was dominated by the fear, the fear of failure and of weakness” (Achebe 13), and his mission to become one of the greatest men of his clan. Okonkwo was devoted to masculinity, he put it above anything else preventing anyone from questioning his masculinity. When he felt a slight sign of weakness it reminded him of his fathers failure to being a true man not providing for his family or ruling women and his children, therefore “he was not really a man” (Achebe 53).There were many traits to being a masculine man but to Okonkwo the main one was ruling his wife and children, if any of them had disobeyed him he would beat them without hesitation or regret. Although Okonkwo is influenced by masculinity it is because the Ibo culture believes in men dominating women which leads their society to fall

Read More

More about Examples Of Masculinity In Things Fall Apart

Related Topics

Open Document