Masculinity In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
In the historical fiction novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the social issues of the maltreatment of women and the upkeep of the masculinity of men are prominent and are illustrated by the characters and events in the story. In the village, wrestling matches signal rite of passage and masculinity of boys. The whole village attends these matches since, in Umuofia culture, masculinity and strength are highly valued. The protagonist, Okonkwo, established his power in the village as a young man when he “...had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat. Amalinze was the great wrestler who for seven years was unbeaten, from Umuofia to Mbaino. He was called the Cat because his back would never though the earth. It was this man that Okonkwo threw in the fight which the old men agreed was one of the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights” (3).
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After this wrestling match, Okonkwo became honored and respected throughout the nine villages.
While maintaining this outward appearance of masculinity, however, he also had the viewpoint of men being superior to women. When pertaining to his son Nwoye, Okonkwo wanted him to be “...able to control his women-folk. No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man He was like the man in the song who had ten and one wives and not enough soup for his foo-foo” (53). As the Ibo retain the view of female nature as weak and frail, they allowed wife beating. In one instance, Okonkwo beats his second wife when she refers to him as a “...gun that never shot. Unfortunately for her, Okonkwo heard it and ran madly into his room for the loaded gun, ran out again, and aimed at her as she clambered over the dwarf wall of the
barn. He pressed the trigger and there was a loud report accompanied by the wail of his wives and children. He threw down the gun and jumped into the barn, and there lay the woman, very much shaken and frightened but quite unhurt” (39). Nonetheless, the Ibo assigns women important roles, but they aren’t guaranteed to be treated fairly in domestic settings as men actively try to assert their control and power within their families.
After this wrestling match, Okonkwo became honored and respected throughout the nine villages.
While maintaining this outward appearance of masculinity, however, he also had the viewpoint of men being superior to women. When pertaining to his son Nwoye, Okonkwo wanted him to be “...able to control his women-folk. No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man He was like the man in the song who had ten and one wives and not enough soup for his foo-foo” (53). As the Ibo retain the view of female nature as weak and frail, they allowed wife beating. In one instance, Okonkwo beats his second wife when she refers to him as a “...gun that never shot. Unfortunately for her, Okonkwo heard it and ran madly into his room for the loaded gun, ran out again, and aimed at her as she clambered over the dwarf wall of the
barn. He pressed the trigger and there was a loud report accompanied by the wail of his wives and children. He threw down the gun and jumped into the barn, and there lay the woman, very much shaken and frightened but quite unhurt” (39). Nonetheless, the Ibo assigns women important roles, but they aren’t guaranteed to be treated fairly in domestic settings as men actively try to assert their control and power within their families.