Things Fall Paper Essay Example For Students

Things Fall Paper Essay In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, women of the Ibotribe are terribly mistreated, and viewed as weak andreceive little or no respect outside of their role as a mother. Tradition dictates their role in life. These women arecourageous and obedient. These women are nurturers aboveall and they are anything but weak. In the novel Things FallApart, Okonkwo has several wives. He orders them aroundlike dogs. They are never to question what they areinstructed to do; they are expected to be obedient. Weclearly see this early in the story, when Okonkwo bringsIkemefuna into his home. Okonkwo tells his senior wife thatIkemefuna belongs to the tribe and that she is expected tolook after him. She in turn asks him if he will be staying withthem for a long period of time. This sends Okonkwo into afury. He snaps at her in a very degrading manner, Do whatyou are told woman. When did you become one of thendichie (meaning elders) of Umuofia?(pg.12) Clearly shereceives no respect. Later in the story we see this woman tryto comfort Ikemefuna. She mothers him as if he is one ofher own children. She tries to put him at ease and can almostinstinctively feel how much he miss es his own mother. In keeping with the Ibo view of female nature, the tribeallows wife beating. Okonkwo beats his youngest wifeone-day because she was visiting with a friend and did notget home in time to prepare a meal for him. Another one ofhis wives tries to cover for her when she is questioned as towhether or not the youngest wife has fed the children beforeshe left. Certainly she does this in effort to protect theyoungest wife, knowing full well what she faced. Okonkwodoes not let them down, he beats his youngest wife severelyuntil he is satisfied. Even in spite of pleas from his otherwives reminding him that it is forbidden to beat your wifeduring the Week of Peace. Okonkwo will faceconsequences, not for beating another human being, but onlybecause of his timing. He beats his second wife when sherefers to him as one of those guns that never shot. When asevere case of wife beating comes before the egwugwu, hefinds in favor of the wife, but at the end of the trial a manwonders w hy such a trifle should come before theegwugwu(pg.83). The husband considers his wife as aproperty. He either wants his wife back or his bride price. The omniscient narrator acknowledges a near-invisibility ofwomen in Things Fall Apart. Describing a communalceremony, he confesses, It was clear from the way thecrowd stood that the ceremony was for men. There weremany women, but they looked on from the fringe likeoutsiders(pg.77). They are not invited to stay when men areengaged in any discussion; they are not included in council ofwar; they do not form part of the masquerades representingthe judiciary and ancestral spirits. Okonkwo views women to be weak and foolish. He has adifferent expectation for men and women. This can be seenclearly by the way that he raises his children. He tries hisbest to train Nwoye to be strong and brave while he feelssorry that Ezinma is a girl. Okonkwo knows that Ezinmahas the right spirit, but he does not try to make her to bebrave or strong. He favors her the most out of all of hischildren, yet if Ezinma had been a boy he would havebeen happier(pg.69). This kind of contradiction comes upin the novel repeatedly. Those practical, daily life examplesof how Okonkwo views women play an important role inshowing Okonkwos real drive for his behaviors. Fromthose examples, we can see that Okonkwo hates anywomens characteristics because they remind him of hisfather. He is afraid of becoming like his father. He hates thefact that his father is so unsuccessful; therefore, he does notwant to be like his father. The underlying theme for thoseexamples is not to show that Okonkwo does not respectwomen at all. In fact they are used to show that Okonkwodoes respect women for their ability if he does not fear tobecome like his father. Unoka is considered agbala, an untitled man or a woman. .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6 , .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6 .postImageUrl , .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6 , .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6:hover , .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6:visited , .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6:active { border:0!important; } .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6:active , .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6 .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0438f8779aa20ef49376a2870a10bba6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Banking Industry Analysis Essay We will write a custom essay on Things Fall Paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Yam, of smaller size and lesser value than other yams, isregarded as female. Osugo has taken to title; and so, in agathering of his peers, Okonkwo unkindly tells him, Thismeeting is for men(pg.22). Guilt-ridden after murderingIkemefuna, his surrogate son, Okonkwo sternly reprimandshimself not to become like a shivering old woman(pg.56) this he considers the worst insult. Such extreme accent onmanliness, sex-role stereotyping, gender discriminations, andviolence create an imbalance, resulting in denigration of thefemale principle. Achebe shows that the Ibo nonetheless assigns importantroles to women. For instance, Chielo, the priestess of theOracle of the Hills and Caves, who in the ordinary life is awidow with two kids and Ekwefis friend. Clothed in themystic mantle of the divinity she serves, Chielo transformsfrom the ordinary; she can reprimand Okonkwo and evenscream curses at him: Beware of exchanging words withAgbala. Does a man speak when a God speaks?Beware!(pg.89) Yet if Okonk wo is powerless before agoddesss priestess, he can, at least, control his ownwomen. Women, also, painted the houses of the egwugwu. Furthermore, the first wife of a man in the Ibo society is paidsome respect. This deference is illustrated by the palm wineceremony at Nwakibies obi. Anasi, Nwakibies first wife,had not yet arrived and the others (other wives) could notdrink before her(pg.16). The importance of womans roleappears when Okonkwo is exiled to his motherland. Hisuncle, Uchendu, noticing Okonkwos distress, eloquentlyexplains how Okonkwo should view his exile: A manbelongs to his fatherland when things are good and life issweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he findsrefuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protectyou. And that is why we say that Mother isSupreme(pg.116). The only glory and satisfaction thesewomen enjoyed was being a mother. They receive respectand love from their children. They are strong for theirchildren. Women are viewed to be very gentle and caring. They are expected to take care of their children with thebest of their ability. Women are trusted totally by theirchildren. This honorable presentation of women is used byAchebe to identify womens role in the Ibo society. Thispresentation is necessary to show that women indeed playan important role in society.