Masculinity in the Novel Things Fall Apart - Research Paper Example

06 December Masculinity in Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” In a patriarchal culture steeped in masculine notions and heroic traditions, where a male’s virility is measured in terms of the number of men he has beheaded in a battle, how will a man define his identity? Things Fall Apart, an English novel written by the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, and first published in 1958, attempts to answer this question through narrating the saga of Okonkwo, a wealthy warrior hero of the clan called Umuofia. While the tribal society holds their hero in high esteem, he remains haunted by the deeds of his father Unoka who died a dishonorable death with his debts in the village unpaid. His father’s lack of courage and financial insecurity stirs his obsession for masculinity and he is motivated to become a chivalrous warrior and a man of great wealth, who could provide everything his family needs. Thus, Okonkwo’s character thrives on the notion of filling a vacuum in the realms of masculinity that his father so cowardly left. On the other hand, he remains concerned about his son Nwoye of 12 years of age, whom he perceives as lazy. This causes the anguish in Okonkwo that his son will grow up to become an ‘efukfu’, a worthless loser like his father. Consequent to a settlement, Okonkwo acquires a virgin and a 15 year old boy named Ikemefuna as reward from another tribe and he envisions an ideal son in the latter. However, despite his love for Ikemefuna, he kills him just to save himself from appearing weak in front of others. Thus, through each thread in the fabric of TFA’s plot, Achebe emphasizes Okonkwo’s yearning for recognition as a manly hero in the patriarchal society that values masculinity as the most honored trait. Right from the beginning of the story, Achebe illustrates the significance of masculinity in the Umuofian society by referring to the fact that at the age of 18, Okonkwo has earned honor in the village by winning a wrestling contest with ‘Amalinze the Cat’ who has been the unbeaten champion for over seven years. Even while describing the fight, the author strives to accentuate the masculinity of both warriors by showing how every vein and “every muscle” on their arms, back and thighs stands out (Achebe Ch.1). Thus, the audience receives a clear idea of the pivotal role of masculinity in the Nigerian culture and how male characters in the story cherish the notion of manliness. On the other hand, Achebe also distinctly depicts the motivation of the male protagonist by orienting the readers about his father’s lack of masculinity by portraying Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, as a cowardly and indulgent character who purchases palm-wine for “any money” that comes his way, which happens rarely (Ch.1). Similarly, the son perceives his father as a weak person and the image he carries in his memory is that of a thin figure with a stoop, wearing a “haggard and mournful look” except when he plays flute, which is the only thing that makes him happy, other than drinking (Ch.1). He dies, with no claim to any title, leaving unpaid debts to everyone from the village, and leaves no inheritance for his son. This deprivation of inheritance as a result of his father’s “anomalous lifestyle” preempts Okonkwo from accessing material things that can facilitate a reference to his identity (Cobham 513). Thus, Okonkwo becomes obsessed with the construction of a “masculine identity” for mediating his connection with the “past, present and future communities” (Cobham 513). Deprived of any material inheritance that could act as a point of reference to his identity, and his perception of his father as ‘unmanly’, he is rather forced to manipulate a “social context for his identity” (514). The growing desire in Okonkwo to prove himself as a masculine person makes him shed the softer sides of his personality such as love and compassion, and to him manliness translates into a man’s ability to perform tough tasks and often doing the most “distasteful jobs without flinching” (514). Thus, he feels no remorse in killing Ikemefuna who calls him father, when the oracle predicts that his life be taken. However, despite the oracle’s warning that Okonkwo should not directly involve in the killing, he slaughters the boy himself because he does not want to look weak to others, and thereby he projects an image of his manliness. Similarly, he also has only a “limited personal understanding” of the concept of courage and equates it with masculinity and, thus, harbors the notion that tenderness is not a masculine trait (514). Achebe further emphasizes his protagonist’s fixation with the idea of masculinity when Okonkwo brutally beats up his youngest wife during the Week of Peace, a sacred period when one should not “even say a harsh word” to others (Ch.4). However, despite the interference of his other wives and possibility of incurring the wrath of the gods, he ignores the tradition on the pretext that his wife has gone to plait her hair without cooking his food. Umuofian culture, on the other hand, “draws the line” between the privilege of a man and wife-beating, which they recognize as an act of violence (Cobham 515). Therefore, the priest of the Goddess of Earth punishes him but despite his resentment in erring, Okonkwo does not admit his fault, because he does not want to appear weak, which brings him some disrespect in the village. Thus, Achebe accentuates the notion that Okonkwo’s quest for masculinity and his yearning to project himself as a strong person, paves the way for his ultimate doom and dishonorable death. Authors such as Maduagwu (2011) further contends that the concept of masculinity in the Igbo culture relies on “specific traits of maleness” that have been recognized by the society in general (311). Thus, while the phallus identifies the gender, according to the Igbo culture, one must have certain “support symbols and qualities” to be considered as masculine, such as some physical achievements that distinguish a strong man from the weak (311). Achebe has portrayed Okonkwo as a person who seeks out specific manly traits as approved by society and his need for being recognized for his “masculinities is uppermost” (312). This need, as transpires from many of the references in the novel, primarily arises from the weakness of his father who fails to leave any significant material things for Okonkwo to stake claim on. Thus, he becomes obsessed with the virtue of masculinity and pushes all boundaries to establish that he is masculine, but his effort on certain occasions defies the very expectations of the society that a masculine man should also maintain “well balanced and acceptable relationships” (312). Achebe emphasizes this flaw in Okonkwo’s character through instances such as his beating of the youngest wife on the Week of Peace, which is in utter disregard to the social norms of Umuofian community (312). The author further contrasts this through the portrayal of Okonkwo’s friend, Obierika, as a “more balanced character” who thinks deeply before he embarks on an action (312). Maduagwu further stresses the notion that it is highly significant for a person to exercise self-control for the “crystallization of masculinity” (312). Thus, Okonkwo’s failure to exercise self-control results in his killing of Ikemefuna, the lad who calls him father, despite the warning of the oracle that the killing should be by “other people” (312). His motivation for this killing stems from the fact that he intended to prove his masculinity and does not want to appear weak in front of others, which culminates into his doom finally. On the other hand, throughout the novel Achebe illustrates how Okonkwo conceals his best traits, on the notion that these may be interpreted as his weak or non-masculine qualities. This can primarily be evidenced from the way he veils his affection for Ezinma, daughter of his second wife Ekwefi, and one who understands her father better than everyone else, because of the fear that demonstration of his love may make him look weak. On the other hand, Okonkwo’s first wife expresses her love for Ezinma in an unbridled manner first by calling her Ezigbo, meaning the good one and then, when she blows the fire to life with her breath, by advising her to use a fan lest she “blow(s) (her) eyes out” (Chapter 5). Thus, while feminine characters show no hesitation to reveal true emotions, the so-called masculine protagonist hides his genuine feelings because he does not want others to conjure a feminist image of him from the cues of his expression of soft emotions. Similarly, Okonkwo’s blind zest for fitting into the definition of masculinity becomes most evident in his killing of the adolescent Ikemefuna, when the boy, ran towards him for escaping from his attackers. Instead of protecting the young boy who is under his care, he “cut him down” because he is afraid that others may consider him weak if he spared the lad (Ch.7). Thus, despite his genuine love for the boy he hides his true emotions and acts in a dastardly manner just to establish the notion that he is a masculine person who does not harbor weak emotions. Okonkwo, who cherishes the notion of his being a hero, meets his final doom not at the hands of the White colonialists but because of the seeds of self-destruction, which remain ensconced within his deep yearning to contrast his father, who he thinks as feminine. Thus, he loathes his father for being a weak man, who did not provide for his family, who claimed no title and who did not leave him any inheritance. Therefore, he has “no patience with unsuccessful men” including his father and he harbors no weak emotions in him (Ch.1). His life has always been dominated by the “fear of failure and weakness” a fear greater than the awe for evil or gods and natural forces (Ch.2). This fear follows his father’s failure but Achebe seems to suggest that none of the other characters in the story really understands Okonkwo’s true motivations. Each of his actions has been the direct result of his deep yearning to fit into the notion of masculinity as defined by the society, which has mocked his father as a failure and calling him ‘agbala’, a word that connoted to a man sans any titles, but also “meant woman” (Cobham 514). Thus, he wants to earn and sustain the respect of the society, which becomes his sole priority in his life and this appears to be the only thing that provides him his peace. Therefore, he ignores everything else and directs all his endeavors in forging an identity that projects him as an honorable, masculine person who commands society’s respect. In the end, however, he embraces a cowardly death by hanging himself and the society “denies him a man’s burial” (515). On the other hand, the author renders redemption to his protagonist when his friend Obierika declares that he was the greatest man in their village and confers on Okonkwo the “accolade of manhood…even in default” and thus honors him (515). Like other patriarchal societies in contemporary Nigeria, the Umuofian tribe also respects masculinity and heroic traditions and expects that members of the male gender should display manliness. Okonkwo’s father, however, does not receive respect from the society because he has never claimed any titles and he died a dishonorable death leaving no inheritance to his son. Thus, Okonkwo becomes obsessed with the concept of masculinity and, as a result, he always focuses his whole attention on projecting a manly image of himself. This forces him to conceal his true emotions and feelings for fear that these might cause others to consider him as a weak person. The compelling need in him for projecting his masculinity further forces Okonkwo to embark on actions that otherwise he would not have. Thus, he first beats up his youngest wife during the Week of Peace, an act that his clan considers unbecoming of a balanced masculine person. He subsequently cuts down the boy who calls him father, just so that the others in the village do not think of him as a weak person. Similarly, he veils his love for his daughter also for fear that other people will interpret his love as weakness. Thus, through several twists and turns in the narrative of TFA, Achebe illustrates how Okonkwo’s quest for reinforcing his masculinity drives him to engage in inglorious deeds that finally cause his downfall. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Location: Publisher, (Year). Print. Cobham, Rhonda. Problems of Gender and History in the Teaching of Things Fall Apart. Location: Publisher, (Year). Print. Maduagwu, Chimdi. “Masculinities in Achebe’s TFA.” International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 1.20 (2011): 311-317. Print. Read More