Examples Of Masculinity In Things Fall Apart
Masculinity in Umuofia
The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe follows the character Okonkwo, an influential and powerful man in the village of Umuofia. Through the book he goes through the intense inner struggle of trying to be the man his father never was and also makes quite a few big mistakes along the way. Some mistakes include beating his wives and even killing a young man. He is exiled from his village for seven years and he seeks a place he can call home in the motherland. During his exile white missionaries come and settle in the surrounding villages including Umuofia. When he returns to Umuofia, it is not the same as it was before and many people including his own son had been converted to christianity. After being sentenced to be hanged, Okonkwo kills himself in a desperate attempt to protect his pride and to prevent himself from seeming weak to other. Throughout the novel, figurative language devices like metaphor, simile, and personification is used to display the theme of the culture fueled pressure of masculinity. Okonkwo’s focus on cultural masculinity throughout the novel Things Fall Apart is portrayed in multiple was one of which being metaphor. The author writes in chapter seventeen “Okonkwo was popularly called the “Roaring Flame.” As he looked into the log fire he recalled the name. He was a flaming fire. How then could he have begotten a son like Nwoye, degenerate and effeminate?” …show more content…
The specific way that is being pointed out is through the different uses of figurative language in the story. The author repeated used metaphor, simile, and personification. Figurative language in a story adds flare and variety to otherwise boring descriptions and comparisons. Figurative language in this context helps the reader better understand the culture of the people in Umuofia through
The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe follows the character Okonkwo, an influential and powerful man in the village of Umuofia. Through the book he goes through the intense inner struggle of trying to be the man his father never was and also makes quite a few big mistakes along the way. Some mistakes include beating his wives and even killing a young man. He is exiled from his village for seven years and he seeks a place he can call home in the motherland. During his exile white missionaries come and settle in the surrounding villages including Umuofia. When he returns to Umuofia, it is not the same as it was before and many people including his own son had been converted to christianity. After being sentenced to be hanged, Okonkwo kills himself in a desperate attempt to protect his pride and to prevent himself from seeming weak to other. Throughout the novel, figurative language devices like metaphor, simile, and personification is used to display the theme of the culture fueled pressure of masculinity. Okonkwo’s focus on cultural masculinity throughout the novel Things Fall Apart is portrayed in multiple was one of which being metaphor. The author writes in chapter seventeen “Okonkwo was popularly called the “Roaring Flame.” As he looked into the log fire he recalled the name. He was a flaming fire. How then could he have begotten a son like Nwoye, degenerate and effeminate?” …show more content…
The specific way that is being pointed out is through the different uses of figurative language in the story. The author repeated used metaphor, simile, and personification. Figurative language in a story adds flare and variety to otherwise boring descriptions and comparisons. Figurative language in this context helps the reader better understand the culture of the people in Umuofia through