Gender Roles In Things Fall Apart

For some time there has been a debate on the difference between a man and a woman. In most societies, a person’s gender will affect how they are treated. Both men and women have roles in society that are usually dictated by the community and depending on the community the roles change. In the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the same thing happens, the Igbo tribes of Nigeria categorize people based on their gender. Women are perceived as weaker than men and possess a softer nature. On the other hand, men are viewed as influential and powerful individuals who have high expectations of them. Achebe clearly shows how gender is placed in their society. In Igbo culture, early in life, young men are forced to develop a masculine identity

The idea of a man hiding his feelings is to show how strong he is. For instance, Achebe states, “Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength.”(Achebe 28). This quote demonstrates that men only show strength and have to suppress any other emotions, despite the fact that only displaying strength can seriously harm a person's self, family, and community. If the head of a household reveals signs of weakness, the image of his family is also tarnished by weakness. Another way this is shown is, “He is afraid of being weak.” (Achebe 61). This illustrates that Okonkwo would go to any lengths to stop negatively affecting his social standing. He even went as far as to kill Ikemefuna, whom he loved as a son. The text describes how he was forced to strike him down with his machete by command of the Oracle, by word of Agbala. His heart may have been against it, but if he didn't murder the child the village members would view him as weak and begin to turn against

Achebe writes, “We all know that a man is the head of the family and his wives do his bidding. A child belongs to its father and his family and not to its mother and her family.” (Achebe 133). In other words, it is shown that a woman’s purpose is to get married and have sons who can carry on their father’s name. The son who is born would then have to follow the father’s family tree, and the mother’s side will later be forgotten. As proof, Achebe states “Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children” (Achebe 13). This quote illustrates that Okonkwo is continuously asserting himself with dominance over his wives because that is what he grew up learning. It is the only way he knows the standards of his culture and his community. This is an example where masculinity is forced upon boys at a young age. As a child, Okonkwo was taught the ways of the world around him, which he still follows as an adult. Along with that, the dominance he is asserting over his wives gives him a sense of accomplishment that he is not