Feminism in Achebe’s novel

Each novel can be considered like the heavens. While one can see the stars twinkle in plain sight, he must use a telescope to view the night sky in greater detail. And with the slight change of angles, he is often awed by a new perspective. Likewise, a reader must have his own literary telescope to focus deeper into the novel’s richness. Also likewise, even a tiny shift of perspective can open new levels of meaning he did not realized were there.

Things Fall Apart can be analyzed as a psychological study of masculinity. It is hard not to view the novel in this manner, for the focal point is a man who possesses every clichéd trait of the “man’s man.” He is physically strong, emotionally remote, and steadfast in his beliefs. The cultural setting of the lot is dominated by men who govern every aspect of Ebu life. One could go on forever about how Achebe’s tale is all about man, but shifting the literary telescope a bit, one would see a complementary perspective that balances the novel into a perfect yin and yang. Things Fall Apart is just as much a psychological study of the wo-man.

Women play a pivotal role in the story. Though they are casually beaten, bought, and brushed aside, without them the masculine world Okonkwo lives in would have fallen long before the “white men” set foot in Niger. The image of the woman defines what is feminine, and thus sets the definition of masculinity. The rich sub-culture of the tribeswomen is subtly interwoven into the fabric of Achebe’s novel.

In the work the men would box and drink during festivals, while the women had their own little gatherings, swapping gossip and sharing meals. They formed their own hierarchy in which either the first wife or the wife who bore the most sons were on top. Also, the single most powerful figure in the Ebu culture was a woman. The priestess of the Ebu religion had the final judgment in every major decision the tribe made. When Okonkwo was exiled to his mother’s land, he was told the importance of the “mother,” for she was the one turned to for comfort, for advice. It was she who brought up the boys who would become the men that ruled.

Also, Okonkwo’s daughter, Enzinma, proved that superior talents are not limited to the male gender. Enzinma was perceptive and strong, becoming her father’s favorite child. Okonkwo often wished she were a boy because she exhibit every trait he wished for his heir. She was her father’s other half, complimenting his masculinity with the strength of her femininity.

  • This essay was an in-class essay and was never finished due to time constraints. I may finish it at some point, but for now, I’ll leave it as it is.