Paper 2 Practice

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart intends to recreate the traditional and cultural if you will, fabric of the Igbo life between the 1850’s - late 1900s. The novel itself can be read from many lenses, whether it be feminist, insightful, or complementary, allowing the reader to understand  Achebe’s works and provide a more profound awareness of the cultural context of the novel itself.

The novel revolves around the main character Okonkwo, a man who is most respected and defined by the idea of “masculinity”. He values respect and tradition while being a strong-willed, and somewhat stubborn male character, eventually leading to his downfall. As a person, Okonkwo has embodied who he is based off the failure of his father Unoka. Through Okonkwo’s perspective, his father is weak and cowardly as he was unsuccessful at maintaining a strong masculine identity in the past. Although he is depicted as a negative character, Okonkwo’s perspective of Unoka enables the reader to feel pity for him, viewing him as innocent, and dumbfounded by other people’s opinions. With a fear of being defined by his father’s past, Okonkwo has set a path of success for himself, in which he goes to great lengths to showcase his masculinity and opposition to femininity.

The social and cultural context of Achebe’s novel allows us to understanding and establish connections with the identified Ibo culture. As Things Fall Apart was written in the mid 1800s, societal views were very much different from those of today in regards to women’s rights and the fight for equality. Using a feminist lens to analyze the novel, there are many instances of oppression against women, thus emphasizing one of the major themes; Societal Position and Gender. For example, while Okonkwo resides in his private hut, his wives must stay in smaller separate huts, furthermore emphasizing the imbalance of power throughout the Ibo community. Whilst approaching this from a feminist lens, the reader must keep in mind that these ideas of “masculinity and femininity” were very must opposing values amongst the Igbo tribe. Furthermore, the fixated idea of “gender roles” stood as opposing theories. As a second example, we can look at Okonkwo’s daughter Ezinma, one who carries a masculine personality. Ezinma is considered to be Okonkwo’s most favourited child as she manages to carry more masculine tones in her personality than others would expect. We can directly comment on the difference between Ezinma and Okonkwo’s son Nwoye, who appears to be a weaker character who portrays a much more feminine side, one that Okonkwo is not pleased with and looks down on. These sexist connotations are purposefully applied to the novel and it’s characters in order to effectively showcase the Ibo social structure and cultural values.

In order to approach this idea of femininity vs masculinity and how each gender role is defined, one must have a profound understanding and reminder of the relationship between Okonkwo and his father. One one hand, we have Unoka, one who treats woman with respect and kindness. In Okonkwo’s eyes, this is seen as a weakness and lack of evident courage, yet this is still not an accurate representation of the Igbo culture and their values. Okonkwo is disgusted with his father’s actions, and avenges them by becoming an exemplary version of his father.

Lastly, from a postcolonial perspective, the actions that the Ibo tribe take against the colonizers is seen as form of resistance towards colonial oppression. Based on the nature of colonization, the actions taken are nothing but expected.

Ideally, Chinua Achebe allows his readers to fully appreciate the novel and it’s origins; an upstanding form of African anti-colonial literature and a “set form” for any future African writers, a global inspiration.