Chinua Achebe's Seemingly Negative Depiction of Women in Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is a well-known African novel in the twentieth century. The novel is famous for it's depiction of a stable African society's spiral into destruction following invasion of white Europeans. Achebe tells the tale of fallen societies through the story of Okonkwo, an Igbo warrior from the village of Umuofia. Traditionally, women fulfilled subservient roles and were not important in the structure of many African stories. Women "may have been portrayed as less visible then men in Umuofia, but their roles were as important as those of men" (Ogbaa, 165). Achebe depicts the female characters in his novel mostly in this traditional way, however, upon closer inspection, some of these female characters, and the portrayal of feminine traits, are integral to the story of Okonkwo and his demise.

While colonialism plays a major role in the destruction of Umuofia and Okonkwo, Okonkwo is a tragic hero, and his inability to adjust to a different society is what leads Okonkwo to his demise. It is in the story of Okonkwo and his tragic flaw that the female characters figure predominantly. Okonkwo's relationship to and feeling towards women in the novel help to demonstrate his weaknesses that ultimately lead to his demise. Achebe remains true to his culture in the outward appearance of the female characters, however, he gives the reader female characters that are much more complicated and characters that play significant roles in the story of the fallen Okonkwo and his fallen Igbo tradition. In the novel, "Achebe's 'primary concern is woman's place within larger social and political forces'" (Jeyifo, 847).

Achebe also depicts the stereotypical vision of women in the novel through some male characters. Almost as if to balance the importance he belies on certain female characters, Achebe is careful to remain true to his culture in depicting feminine qualities as negative within the Igbo culture. At the time the novel was written, "changes in the family in this period saw women gaining greater independence" (Morrell, 625). The feminine traits Achebe bestows upon certain male characters in the novel are also significant in a study on the author's portrayal of the feminine principle in Things Fall Apart. The socioeconomic situation at the time of the novel's conception could have influenced Achebe's use of female characters.
Upon conclusion of an intense reading of the novel, it can be stated that the various depictions and manipulations of females and feminine traits in the novel exist merely to qualify the tragic flaw that eventually leads to Okonkwo's demise, his fear of weakness, derived from his father's pathetic status in Umuofia and the resulting lack of respect he received. Okonkwo's intense aversion to any association with his father leads to his eventual demise. Achebe's novel "becomes a test of the existing paradigm eventually leading to the exposure of the weaknesses of the existing paradigm when applied to the African male" (Kalu, 86).

Okonkwo's wives are the primary female figures in Things Fall Apart. His three wives each hold varying roles of importance in the household just as they do in the novel. Okonkwo's first and most respected wife is known only by the name "Nwoye's mother" in the novel. Her status as Okonkwo's first wife affords her the highest level of respect within the household, however, she is not given a name as other women were, and as we in Western cultures are accustomed to. While Nwoye's mother is certainly an important figure in the household, she is not necessarily an important character in the novel. Her appearances are brief, and seem only to qualify the complexity of Okonkwo's second wife, Ekwefi through trying to cover up the younger wife's mishaps or cooking extra to cover for Ekwefi's absences.

The third and youngest wife, Ojiugo, receives the lowest amount of respect in Okonkwo's household. Being the third wife means her status in the household is only above the children, and her presence in the novel is merely to show the number of wives traditionally held in the Igbo culture, and to demonstrate some of the roles that the wives hold. Ojiugo is practically ignored by Okonkwo compared to the other two wives, and Achebe does not spend a great deal of time discussing her or her role in the novel.

Okonkwo's relationship with Ekwefi is the most complex relationship he has with any woman in the novel. Achebe created a kind of "black sheep" wife in Ekwefi, as much tradition seems to be broken by the woman as well as Okonkwo as a result of their relationship. In a society (and novel) filled with functional relationships and marriages, the relationship between Okonkwo and Ekwefi is much more complex than these and offers a great deal of insight into Okonkwo.

Ekwefi was actually married to another man before she was betrothed to Okonkwo. Okonkwo actually went to her home and carried her off to his own abode to make her his wife. Achebe does not elaborate much on the motivation for this or on any real specifics of the marriage dynamic between the two; however, a great deal of valuable insight into Okonkwo can be derived from the divulging of this tale. Okonkwo was an important warrior in the village of Umuofia. He already had one respected wife, and after working his land to a high production and his status as a high-ranking figure in the tribe, Okonkwo could have chosen anyone for his second wife. For Okonkwo to defy societal décor to steal a woman from another demonstrates a passion between the two that otherwise may not have been noticed. The story of how Ekwefi became Okonkwo's wife is also important when combining the insights from that action with other actions Okonkwo commits in the novel, such as the severe beatings and treatment he gives to Ekwefi compared to others in the novel.

One such beating occurs during the sacred Week of Peace in the village of Umuofia. Okonkwo becomes enraged at his wife for no reason and beats her unmercifully during a sacred time of peace. Okonkwo's intense passion toward his wife and his resulting feelings of weakness caused a rage strong enough for Okonkwo to disavow any tradition and savagely beat his wife, much to the dismay of the village. The "tribe talked about the nso-ano Okonkwo committed" (Achebe, 2630). Okonkwo's sin against the deities of the village was all the tribe noticed.

Without the story of Okonkwo and Ekwefi joining together, any hint of underlying passion or love might be missed when analyzing the seemingly cruel treatment and beatings Okonkwo gives Ekwefi. When examining the two incidents together, it seems readily apparent that Okonkwo is conflicted over his intense feelings toward his second wife, and interpreting those feelings as weakness, he lashes out at the one woman for which he may have true feelings of love. By beating his wife, Okonkwo goes against the belief that the Igbos "seek to limit a male's abuse of his control over the female" (Rhoads, 66). He completely disavows the regulations of his culture, and without the other story to provide that insight, one may mistakenly believe only that Okonkwo is a barbarous husband who picks on one wife unmercifully.

This examination of instances between Okonkwo and Ekwefi is valuable in the analysis of Okonkwo's demise. What may seem to merely qualify Okonkwo's brutish behavior actually demonstrates the tragic flaw that leads to Okonkwo's demise, his fear of weakness. The weakness Okonkwo fears so much that defined his father's life is misconstrued by Okonkwo to mean anything feminine. As a child Okonkwo endured taunts from other children labeling his father an agbala, or "woman" or a man without a title in the village. "Okonkwo both loathes the memory of his father and represses the lore of his mother; in the process he distorts both the "masculine" and the "feminine," by keeping them rigidly apart and by the ferocity of his war on the "feminine" (Jeyifo, 851). Despite the fact that the "entire Igbo society is based upon the combining of the male and female principles," Okonkwo does not embrace any aspects of femininity (Rhoads, 65). Okonkwo's warped sense of masculinity and honor due to his father's unfortunate position in the village of Umuofia is what causes his perverse relationship toward Ekwefi and his intense feelings towards his son, Nwoye. Nwoye is a constant source of frustration for his father due to his inability to fulfill a traditional role of masculinity for a young man in the Igbo culture. Okonkwo's disdain for his son results from his comparison to Okonkwo's father, Unoka.

Nwoye preferred his mother's stories of lessons and trickery to his father's tales of war and masculinity. "Whenever Nwoye's mother sang this song he felt carried away to the distant scene in the sky" (Achebe, 2640). Achebe describes Nwoye as feeling carried away to the sky as he similarly described Unoka chasing a kite early in the novel. When Okonkwo recalls his mother's stories from his childhood, his "memory of his mother's stories in his childhood is very easily suppressed; and it is easily consigned to the domain of "silly women stories"" (Jeyifo, 849). Achebe carefully constructs Nwoye as a young version of Unoka in certain ways; in order to help demonstrate the intensity which Okonkwo feels distaste for anything feminine, or anything that reminds him of Unoka. Okonkwo's "whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness" (Achebe, 2622).

Okonkwo seems to think of Nwoye more positively when he is around Ikemefuna. The adopted son of Okonkwo seems to be the model interpretation of how an Igbo boy should be to Okonkwo. Nwoye is enamored with his new, older brother, and takes on some of his traits as a result, traits that Okonkwo deems admirable in a young boy. Any growth toward Okonkwo's ideal vision for the boy ended after the savage murder of Ikemefuna.

Okonkwo cared for Ikemefuna as if he were is own son. The boy lived with Okonkwo and his family for several years, and Ikemefuna even called Okonkwo "father." Umuofia tradition called for the killing of the boy after he had lived with Okonkwo for several years. As a respected man in the village, Okonkwo would normally be expected to engage in this activity, however, do to his complicated relationship with the boy, the elder Ogbuefi Ezeudu warned Okonkwo not to participate. "But I want you to have nothing to do with it. He calls you his father" (Achebe, 2642). Okonkwo fears chastisement from the other men in the village and accompanies the men on their journey with Ikemefuna. Okonkwo's presence on the journey makes Ikemefuna feel safe, however, when it came time to strike down the boy, Okonkwo did not bow aside, he struck the hardest blow. Okonkwo's fear of weakness and femininity caused him to strike a fatal blow on someone he considered his son. Okonkwo's seeming love for the boy only fueled Okonkwo's fear and ultimately combined with Okonkwo's other delusional feelings and expectations for himself to contribute to a murder of his own son, which in turn leads to the stunted relationship between Nwoye and Okonkwo deteriorating further, which then helps lead to the demise of Okonkwo himself. This chain of destruction and death stems singularly from Okonkwo's warped perceptions of fear and weakness.

Nwoye's only positive relationship with a male figure in the novel is the one between himself and Ikemefuna. Once Ikemefuna is removed from the family setting, and Nwoye realizes Okonkwo participating in his killing, Nwoye's relationship with Okonkwo is past all possibilities of closeness and growth. Nwoye's disdain for his father and resulting disdain for what his father stands for (strangely similar to the disgust Okonkwo felt toward his father) ultimately makes Nwoye an easy convert for the arriving European Christians. While Nwoye has always felt unwelcome by his father for his emotional attachments and aversion to war and violence, the Christian church offers an all-welcoming faith that embraces everyone and also encourages nonviolence and love, things that Nwoye has always preferred to the masculine traditions of the Igbo culture. The Christian culture that invades Umuofia and threatens Okonkwo's position embraces Okonkwo's oldest son and easily accepts him into their culture. Okonkwo's alienation of the boy because of his feminine tendencies leads Okonkwo's own son into the group whose invasion leads to the realization for Okonkwo that he cannot cope with changing societies and his own tragic flaw.

Nwoye is incapable of fulfilling the role of the ideal son within the warped boundaries Okonkwo has set. The ideal son for Okonkwo is actually his daughter with Ekwefi, Ezinma. Ekwefi has several miscarriages and children that died early in their lives, and as a result, she is insecure about her inability to bear children for Okonkwo, especially a boy. It is ironic that Okonkwo's "son" in the truest sense based on his expectations is found in the daughter that is considered an "ogbanje," a child that dies and resurfaces to cause his mother pain. The complicated relationship between Okonkwo and Ekwefi is complicated further with the introduction of Ezinma. Okonkwo takes great care of the girl and shows tenderness that is not otherwise apparent anywhere in the novel.

Okonkwo seems to love this girl who is the only child of his favorite wife, the only wife he seems to truly love as well. When the priestess, Chielo, takes Ezinma in the middle of the night, Ekwefi follows the woman and girl to be sure her daughter is safe. When she follows them to their final destination, she encounters Okonkwo. Okonkwo was also consumed by such fear for the girl's safety that he ignored Chielo's orders to remain where he was and followed to ensure his daughter's safety.

When Ezinma is sick with convulsions one night, a frantic Ekwefi runs to Okonkwo to ask for help. Instead of chastising Ekwefi and beating her, Okonkwo rushes to the girl's side, comforting his wife and gathering the medicine Ezinma needs to recover. Okonkwo feels affection toward his daughter who is so eager to please him and toward the wife who bore him this girl after many sad attempts.

Achebe weaves an intricate story of the demise of traditional African cultures through the story of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart. Achebe mixes many stories of brutality and rebellion against weakness and femininity with a few tender moments to portray a conflicted figure in the powerful Okonkwo. These tender moments for Okonkwo are a rarity in the novel, however, they help to demonstrate the complexity of Okonkwo, the tragedy in his fear of weakness, and Achebe's deftness in utilizing seemingly minor female characters that are traditionally found in African culture to portray important aspects in the novel and fulfill important roles.