Things Fall Apart Gender Roles

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“Things Fall Apart was written by’ Chinua Achebe in 1958. Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian but brought up in a Christian household. While in college Achebe studied history and theology from which he developed his passion for Indigenous Nigerian culture. After reading books that showed just how backwards and primitive African cultures are he published ‘Things Fall Apart’” (SparkNotes Editors). The book showed the “culture clashes between the Native African culture and Traditional White culture of the missionaries” (Bio.). The African society was shown for what it was in the eyes of an actual African. However, the book focussed more on the superiority of men than the women did. They have been neglected and not given the value they deserved. Women are “a significant aspect of things fall apart but are always overlooked as secondary roles” (Classics Network). They were shown inferior to men and unimportant. Women were known as Agbala (also referred to as a man with no title) and if any man were to be associated with it, they would be an outcast of society. Their only duty was to bear children, cook, look after their house and listen to their husbands every command. The voices of men were overruling the voices of the women. Men freely beat their women as Okonkwo did to his “second wife for supposedly killing off the banana tree” (Achebe, 38). Women…show more content…
This is because the book was a reflection of the true African culture at the time. Like other cultures, the African one was also male dominant, which resulted in the women being shown in minor roles. Men were considered strong and powerful while women were gentle and caring. Women would be used as mere possessions as one man would marry many just to show his status in society. Many differences were shown in the roles of men and women in society. Jobs done by women were considered subtle and weak, while a man’s job required strength and
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