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Things Fall Apart Masculinity

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Masculinity: having qualities traditionally ascribed to men, as strength and boldness. Masculinity can play an important role in the belief system of a society. Many colonial and ancient societies viewed masculinity as a positive and bold trait. Femininity in this time was often seen as a negative trait and was frowned upon and made fun of. In Chinua Achebe's 1958 historical fiction novel Things Fall Apart, he uses symbolism, direct and indirect characterization, and foil to demonstrate Okonkwo and the Umuofian culture's definitions of masculinity and femininity. Throughout the story, Achebe elaborates on Okonkwo's great masculine features and attitude using direct and indirect characterization. In chapter one of the novel, Achebe explains …show more content…

The foil of Nwoye and Okonkwo emphasizes the importance of masculinity in the Umuofian society. For example, Achebe initially states Nwoye's unwillingness to change and become like his father in Chapter Seven: "Nwoye knew that it was right to be masculine and to violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother used to tell..." (Achebe 53). This quote explains his hesitation to fully becoming a man and abandoning his child-like ways. Okonkwo wants his son to be masculine, because in Okonkwo's eyes, masculinity equals great success. In contrast, Nwoye wants to continue the rituals of his childhood. In Chapter Eight, Okonkwo begins to express his frustration towards Nwoye's stubbornness of wanting to become a man when he says to Obierika "'I have done my best to make Nwoye grow into a man, but there is too much of his mother in him'" (Achebe 66). Okonkwo is suggesting that in their society, only a woman should be feminine and if a man is feminine, they are helpless and unworthy of approbation. The continuous strive to make Nwoye masculine like his father causes Nwoye to rebel which creates a conflict throughout the …show more content…

Umuofia considers a yam farmer to be masculine and hard-working. For example, Achebe states "Yam stood for manliness, and he who could feed his family on yams from one harvest to another was a very great man indeed" (Achebe 33). This quote explains the importance of yams and their affect on family and everyone around them in the Umuofian society. If a man could not maintain his yams, he had nothing and was irrelevant. If a man was unable to provide for their family, they were poor and useless. Those who did not wish to grow yams were feminine and society frowned on the feminine. Okonkwo tried to teach his son Nwoye the art of farming yams to explain how important they were to his reputation and rank. The recurring symbol of yams throughout the story reminds the audience that the Umuofian society that materialistic objects defined masculinity and your rank in the household. In conclusion, Chinua Achebe used several literary devices such as indirect and direct charactization, foil, and symbolism throughout his novel Things Fall Apart. His purpose of doing so was to give a better understanding of the Umuofian culture's views on masculinity and femininity by supporting the recurring theme that masculinity is essential in society, as well as

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802 Words | 4 Pages

Okonkwo constantly struggled to create the same masculine character in Nwoye that he made for himself and constantly found a reflection of his effeminate father, Unoka, in Nwoye. Chapter two describes the relationship between Okonkwo and Nwoye in Nwoye’s youth. “Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye, was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness... He sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating” (13-14). Okonkwo’s efforts to change Nwoye’s resemblance of Unoka were causing their relationship to be pushed apart because of Okonkwo’s violence and Nwoye’s resistance.

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797 Words | 4 Pages

Manhood is being treated as a human of mankind. Okonkwo, however, equates manhood to brute force and anger. Anything else was considered to be characteristic of a woman. It is this idea of manliness that pushes Nwoye into the hands of the missionaries. Okonkwo “wanted Nwoye to grow into a tough young man” and although Nwoye at times acted as if he was annoyed with the tasks the women would ask of him, “nothing pleased Nwoye now more than to be sent for by his mother or another of his father's wives” (Achebe, 36).

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387 Words | 2 Pages

The author, Chinua Achebe, used Okonkwo as an example of the father/son conflict and how the conflict affects a man’s life. Just because one does not always act like the typical strong, almost emotionless man, that does not mean one is coward. Okonkwo’s thought process leads to his demise because he cannot bear to see the strong willed tribe and culture he has known his whole life fail him: just

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755 Words | 4 Pages

Okonkwo was a big supporter of physical and verbal abuse in his home, especially towards his wives and Nwoye. To Okonkwo, physical abuse was another language. This is how he spoke, and punished, on the occasion of the abuse, and how he had handled the situation. Women was treated poorly in Umuofia because men believe that they were weak and in inadequate. “ Even as a little boy Okonkwo had represented his father 's failure and weakness, and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was Agbala.

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728 Words | 3 Pages

In most fairy tales and novels a humble male role is used to dictate the normality of writing. In “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo, a strong male role is not only that, a lead character, but he is also cruel and prone to violent tendencies In the novel Okonkwo experiences harsh changes when the white men first came and at the beginning of colonialism. In “Things Fall Apart”, Achebe uses Okonkwo to display the negative change in everyday Igbo culture after colonialism. In this novel by Achebe, before colonialism was introduced, Okonkwo was a known masculine member of Umuofia.

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786 Words | 4 Pages

Okonkwo devotes his life to becoming the opposite of his unsuccessful father. This need to become masculine introduces his fear: “But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of

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479 Words | 2 Pages

As a child, Nwoye is the frequent object of his father's criticism and remains emotionally unfulfilled. Okonkwo, “wanted Nwoye to grow into a tough man capable of ruling his father’s household when he was dead and gone to join the ancestors”(38). When Nwoye finds out that it is Okonkwo who killed a “brother” who he is extremely fond of, and grows very close with, he loses all appreciation for Okonkwo and decides to go against his father and his cultures.

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970 Words | 4 Pages

Memorable Quotes “Yam stood for manliness, and he who could feed his family on yams from one harvest to another was a very great man indeed”(Achebe 33). Throughout the novel, yam is mentioned pretty consistently. This emphasizes masculinity which help define Okonkwo and his character. The quote shows how important it is to Okonkwo to show status and masculinity to the people of his village.

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1346 Words | 6 Pages

In Umuofia, traditions and beliefs are to be strongly respected. The line is clearly marked between men and women. Boys are taught to hide their feelings and be strong, while girls are expected to be more sensitive and caring. Okonkwo’s son, Nwoye is an example of that value which was taught : “Nothing pleased Nwoye

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855 Words | 4 Pages

Among those of the same culture, individuals who are adaptive and open-minded can be successful when there is cultural collision. When the Igbo and European cultures collide, Okonkwo gradually spirals out of control, losing everything he values and his own sense of self. From the beginning of the novel, Achebe depicts Okonkwo as a virile warrior and a successful farmer within the Igbo tribe. Reacting with violence to anything he considers “womanly” or “weak”, “He was a man of action and man of war” (10). Because of his reputation as a warrior he is highly respected by his community.

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1774 Words | 8 Pages

Okonkwo strives to be everything but his father. This is clear from the very beginning when it says, “He had no

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1083 Words | 5 Pages

Gender roles in society are defined differently in many manifestations. For example, countries in the Middle East and Africa have male-only judicial branches while educational systems throughout the world are mostly made up of women. But how are these roles determined? It may be the location of a civilization or the traditions and religions that a group of people adhere to. In Igbo society, these roles are defined by both their culture and beliefs.

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895 Words | 4 Pages

His fear of weakness and failure is derived from his father, Unoka’s failures, which ignite Okonkwo’s misogynistic views. Throughout his lifetime, Okonkwo associates femininity with weakness because of Unoka, who was called an “agbala” or woman by the people of Umuofia. Since women have this reputation for weakness, Okonkwo lives with constant fear that he will be given the same title as his father. Okonkwo’s first son, Nwoye’s effeminacy reminds Okonkwo of his own father. He says, "I have done my best to make Nwoye grow into a man, but there is much of his mother in him ."(Achebe, 66).

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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.

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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

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