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Things Fall Apart Gynocentric Lens

912 Words4 Pages

Analysing Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart through a gynocentric lens, she exposes the flaws within patriarchal ideals that fundamentally make up the Ibo society. Ibo culture has strict expectations of each gender to act in a certain way, preventing people from being who they are. As well as having patriarchal ideals that devalue women and systems that do not protect them. To start off, the Ibo society prevents their citizens from personal growth by abiding to the stereotypical view of men and women. For instance, the teachings of Ibo men to be warriors drives Okonkwo and Nwoye away from each other. They assume that to be masculine is to be violent and Okonkwo views anything that resembles his father, Unoka, as feminine. However, Nwoye “resemble[s] …show more content…

Witnessing each of her children die at an early age, Ekwefi “become[s] a very bitter woman” (Achebe 78), jealous of the other wives. Ekwefi goes through a lot to bear a child, yet Okonkwo’s main concern is how Ezinma is not a boy. The miracle child for Ekwefi is Okonkwo’s sadness, reinforcing the notion that Ekwefi is a failure for not giving Okonkwo a son. It shifts the spotlight onto Okonkwo, illrusting him as a victim, diminishing the hardship Ekwefi went through giving birth, making Ezinma appear more of a curse than a blessing. Additionally, women are protectors just as much as men, fighting wars for their kids. Mothers protect their children from “sorrow and bitterness” (134) providing them with comfort in order to continue moving. Okonkwo is able to find a place to stay during his exile in his motherland. However, all he cares about is going back to his fatherland and becoming a warrior. Illustrate how the mother’s sacrifices are overlooked by the father’s successes. The men are over-glorified, defined by their successes in physical labour which cement them as superior, forgetting the love and support of their mother who raised

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