With reference to Things Fall Apart, discuss how an understanding of
gender influences how the text may be understood.
Throughout the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe the
concept of gender is explored through the eyes of the ancient Igbo culture,
view which in the modern society can generate different responses from an unaccustomed
Western audience.
As opposed to the modern Igbo culture, where the attitude
towards women presented in the novel is not anymore applied yet it is accepted
as a value of the past, members of a modern Western audience could consider the
novel as being sexist and violent.
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Members of the modern Igbo society accept the
described attitude towards women and consider that if this would disappear from
a novel such as Things Fall Apart, it would lack authenticity
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Violent attitude of Okonkwo towards his wives
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The use of the name Agbala or woman for a man with no titles reflects the lack of
appreciation towards women as members of the Igbo culture with no titles. Only
the first wife of a man was allowed to carry her husband’s titles.
Western audiences might interpret Achebe’s novel not only as
a representation of a misogynistic society, but also a society of anomalies where
a man is allowed to “own” multiple wives who are considered solely means of
boosting his social reputation.
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Polygamy in the Igbo culture
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Advantages and privileges of the first wife in
front of the other wives
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Representation
of Okonkwo’s wives
Both the power and role of the women in the Igbo society
portrayed by Achebe are greatly reduced and this is not only a deviation from
the actual life of ancient Igbo women, but also a factor which could give birth
to anger and frustration from the Western audience, accustomed to the gender
equality mostly present in a modern society.
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Igbo women and religion
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Chielo, an exception from the rules
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Role of women in the society as seen through the
representation of Okonkwo’s wives’ activities.
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