The Role Of Masculinity In Things Fall Apart And Modern American Society

Despite the vast cultural differences between the Igbo tribe presented in “Things Fall Apart” and modern American society and the massive strides made in gender equality in the past few decades, the definition of masculinity in both societies has remained remarkably similar. Masculinity in both modern America and the Igbo tribe circa 1930 is associated with aggression, dominance, displays of physical and mental resilience, a resistance to emotion, and the ability to provide for one's family - although the extent to which these characteristics are displayed has changed over the decades, the basic standards remain intact. The displays of masculinity have evolved into something less overtly violent over the interceding decades, but the fundamental
characteristics of masculinity have not varied significantly. Providing for your family- one of the core characteristics of masculinity- was demonstrated in the Igbo tribe by men farming yams for their family, and “he who could feed his family on yams from one harvest to another was a very great man indeed” (page 21, “Things Fall Apart”).
In modern American society, even with the revolution of women in the workforce that swept through America as early as the 1940s, women earning more than their husbands is viewed as marriage poison- despite the fact that 38% of American women do just that. Although women and men are now roughly on the same footing in the workforce, there are countless discussions devoted to whether it is acceptable for a wife to earn more than her husband, and it is clear that providing for your family is still viewed as a key characteristic of masculinity. Another remnant of archaic definitions of masculinity lingers in the domestic lives of the average American- although the amount of american men doing housework on a day to day basis has skyrocketed in recent years, it is still lower than women’s rate by 30%, and the conversation still rages on about whether even this is
acceptable. It’s clear that the ideas of women being more subservient than men exists in some form even to this day, and this idea is obvious in “Things Fall Apart”- Okonkwo is thrilled that his son grumbles when asked to do housework because it “showed that in time he would be able to control his women-folk”. (pg 33) The Igbo’s traditional traits of masculinity are still present in the domestic lives of Americans, albeit in a far less strict and violent manner.

The traditional traits associated with masculinity are present not only in the domestic sphere but in almost every aspect of the American male’s life.
Just as in the Igbo tribe, modern men are discouraged from displaying too much emotion for fear of looking weak. Although this presumably does not extend to assisting in the murder of someone you call a son, this idea is still very much present in today's society- and the jury seems to be out on whether this is a positive or negative attribute. Psychology Today runs articles describing the “male indoctrination” and encourages men to share their feelings, while Men’s Today’s headlines declare that emotions simply aren’t necessary. But one thing is certain: men are discouraged from displaying emotions from a young age and this training lasts for their entire lives, just as is seen in the Igbo society. All of the traits of masculinity are ultimately rooted in one thing- fear of weakness. Everything Okonkwo does is based in fear of weakness, a fear “deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw”. This fear of weakness is seen in modern American society as well, and is demonstrated by nearly every aspect of traditional masculinity, from avoidance of emotion to the innate need to be the primary provider for their family to the constant facade of strength displayed. In essence, American and Igbo masculinity are
so similar because they are both based in crippling fear of weakness that drives the perpetuation of outdated stereotypes.

Okonkwo would likely define manhood as being courageous and emotionless, in working endlessly to support his family and never displaying emotions beyond anger. He appears to take even Igbo standards to an extreme, but the standards are the same- aggression and domination are critical in preventing weakness. It is obvious, however, that Okonkwo would be immensely displeased by American men, as they follow the same standards of masculinity yet are much less extreme in it’s application. Despite Okonkwo’s likely displeasure with the actual application of standards of masculinity in modern america, the standards of Igbo and American masculinity are overwhelmingly similar for two contrasting societies in completely different eras.