Things Fall Apart Masculinity Essay

“Masculine and feminine roles are not biologically fixed but socially constructed” (Judith Butler). The novel Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, goes in-depth about the main character Okonkwo and his character and relationship development. Okonkwo is a man who is prideful about his masculinity. His masculinity is one of the main traits that affected his relationships with many people whom he is close to. Okonkwo’s masculinity also affects how he parents his children. Okonkwo views femininity as a weakness and as fragile. Okonkwo tries to reflect masculinity onto his children, especially his daughter Ezinma and his adoptive son Ikemefuna. Although the relationship between Ezinma and Okonkwo and Okonkwo and Ikemefuna is similar, the

Masculinity is a trait practiced worldwide, and if some are not masculine enough, they will be shamed for it. To begin, Okonkwo meets Ikemefuna as a trade from a neighboring tribe because they had killed someone from Okonkwo’s tribe, the Ibo tribe. Okonkwo soon starts to develop a father-son relationship with Ikemefuna because he considers Ikemefuna the ideal son, who is masculine and strong. Okonkwo only shows anger as he considers it masculine, “Okonkwo never show[s] any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness [...] [h]e therefore treat[s] Ikemefuna as he treat[s] everybody else—with a heavy hand” (Achebe 28). Okonkwo adopts Ikemefuna and treats him as one of his own. Okonkwo uses anger and physical discipline to strengthen Ikemefuna. Okonkwo believes that physical

Ezinma is an obanje; an obanje is a changeling; a child who repeatedly dies and returns to its mother to be reborn. Ezinma is a former obanje, so she does not get deathly sick anymore. Ezinma is sick and needs medicine, so, “Okonkwo returned when he felt the medicine had cooked long enough [...] he then rouse[s] Ezinma and place[s] her on the stool astride the steaming pot” (Achebe 86). When Okonkwo finds out Ezinma is sick again, he rushes to make her medicine. He cares deeply for her and does not want to risk her death. He helps her back to health even though nursing a child back to health is the mother’s job, which is a feminine job. Ezinma is the daughter of Ekwefi, Okonkwo’s second wife. Okonkwo shows his affection for her more openly than with his other kids. Ezinma has a masculine spirit, according to Okonkwo. Okonkwo is upset that Ezinma is not a boy and, “[h]e never stop[s] regretting that Ezinma [i]s a girl. Of all his children she alone underst[ands] his every mood. A bond of sympathy [is] grow[ing] between them as the years [are] pass[ing]” (Achebe 172). Okonkwo recognizes that Ezinma has a masculine spirit. She understands him and how he thinks and acts; Okonkwo wishes that Ezinma was born a boy instead of a girl because he thinks she could have been the perfect son. As the novel develops, so does the relationship between Okonkwo and Ezinma. Okonkwo truly cares for