Patriarchal Society in Things Fall Apart
Women have always lived in a misogynists world, where women are inferior to men. Men are the head of the household and make all the rules that contain their family. In Things fall Apart, the way men view the women in their society is very prominent that they are considered property. Gender roles conclude that the different mentions of male vs female, how men ruled their household, and women are seen weaker than men that dominates a patriarchal society.
When Ogbuefi Udo’s former wife died the village had to choose a replacement for her, when this was decided a girl was chosen automatically. In the text it says, “The elders, or ndichie, met to hear a report of Okonkwo’s mission. At the end they decided, as everybody knew they would, that the girl should go to Ogbuefi Udo to replace his murdered wife. As for the boy, he belonged to the clan as a whole, and there was no hurry to decide his fate.” The boy’s decision on what was soon to come was indefinite because it had to be thought upon first, but the girl’s life changing movement was quickly decided. This goes to show that women were being tossed around like they mean nothing to the Igbo people and that are objects that are traded and bought. Okonkwo’s wives were perceived as human devices that meant nothing.
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It was known that, “ Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper.” Men were seen as the dominant sex and controlled lifelly decisions, including their wives. Women were forced to deal with their husband’s bad personality and didn't have a way to get away from it or even get a divorce. This means that the Igbo women are directed to a subservient role to their husbands. Even Igbo’s insults concluded that women were a ‘lower