Chinua Achebe's Narrative: Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart
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February 16, 2022
The Narrative Things Fall Apart of Chinua Achebe was written and published in the late 19th century. The protagonist Okonkwo was portrayed as a classic figure against women's rights. When Okonkwo was still a child, he was told his father was agbala (another name for a woman) because of his inability and cowardly, and his family lived toilsome due to his father's incompetence. Okonkwo was determined not to follow in his father's footsteps and believed that his father's ineptitude was all feminine. This also led to Okonkwo's contempt and disrespect for women. His distorted hatred of femininity and extreme pursuit of masculinity eventually led him trapped in his own narrow mind.
According to the belief of the society of Igbo, men have absolute status and predominance, and Okonkwo was obsessed with this idea. His almost perverted machismo and violent tendencies could be seen in his attitude towards his wife and children. He never showed respect to his wife and daughter and even thinks expressing his emotions is a sign of cowardice. All Okonkwo cared about was whether his family could bring him benefits. In Okonkwo's eyes, females were no more than tools, commodities, or a symbol of authority. Before his exile was over, he began to plan how to use his daughters to strengthen his position in the village, "With two beautiful grown-up daughters, his return to Umuofia would attract considerable attention. His future sons-in-law would be men of authority in the clan. The poor and unknown would not dare come forth" (Chapter 20). As a father, Okonkwo did not fulfill his duty but saw his daughter's marriage as a reasonable quid pro quo. Although Okonkwo appreciates the male characteristic of his daughter Ezinma, he continuing refuse to admit that women could be valuable just as men did.
Okonkwo's obsession with masculinity was a key factor leading to his downfall. He thought real men should use force to solve everything, and he does. During Okonkwo's exile, he encountered foreign missionaries, and when some villagers chose to ignore them, he advocated for everyone to use force to confront these new religions head-on. "'Let us not reason like cowards,' said Okonkwo. 'If a man comes into my hut and defecates on the ...