Final Essay

Pimpisuth Sakulrungsap 1202 Mr. Matthew Bishop December 4, 2018 The Definition of Masculinity in ​Things Fall Apart Things Fall Apart is a famous book even the novelists in the same categories say that it is a good book. One of the novelists is Toni Morrison. She says that “African literature is incomplete and unthinkable without the works of Chinua Achebe”. One of the topic in this book is masculinity. In many years, a majority of family and people always say that born to be a man is better than to be a woman. However, in each culture, they have a different pathway and attitude to define what it means to be a man. From this novel, the author uses African culture as the main culture in the society. It was called “Igbo” culture. Therefore, Chinua Achebe illustrates the concept of a man in Igbo culture through Okonkwo. First, Chinua Achebe wants to describe the expectation of the man in Igbo culture through Okonkwo. Man in Igbo culture cannot be weak. They need to be strong and reliable enough. If men show the weaknesses to the society or people nearby, they will look down upon that people more than helping. From the Article “What It Means To 'Be A Man':... And Fail”. Samantha Olson (Mar 22, 2015) state that “Be a man,” “suck it up,” and “don’t cry” are only a few phrases handpicked from a plentiful basket of ego-damaging constructions built into today's society. From this quote, it illustrates that not Okonkwo who see this point of view in society but also her. She agrees with Okonkwo because when the boys are crying, the majority of people say they need to be patient. Tears will not help but no one cares about their feeling. No one is on

their side. Another example, Unoka who is a father of Okonkwo. He is nice. On the other hand, he is lazy and always borrow money from neighbors. He was managed as a failure in the novel. People near him does not like him because of his laziness including Okonkwo who is a son of Unoka. He does not hate his father much until somebody called him “agbala”. It means a man who had taken no title and more than that it is a name for a woman. Okonkwo does not like that name at all. For boys, they have their honor to be a man. Okonkwo thinks because of Unoka’s failure make him be called like this. Therefore, when he grows up he won a wrestling and taken a title and he lives with one passion. “To hate everything that his father Unoka had loved.” Okonkwo state (​Things Fall Apart,​ p.13). From this quote, it shows that the man cannot be weak. If they are weak, no one respects them. Moreover, the failure from parents will go to their sons or daughters just like Unoka to Okonkwo. Second, Chinua Achebe illustrates how the man should look like in Igbo culture through Okonkwo. Man is stronger than female. It is basic knowledge from physical body that everyone should know. However, in each culture, there are different ways to determine how the out looking of men should look like. In Igbo, Achebe shows that the men should have a lot of muscles, strong and tall just like Okonkwo. Moreover than that they need to show their strength through the wrestling which is the festival of the Umuofia. The strength is another factor to justify the concept of a man in Igbo culture. “He was tall and huge, and his bushy eyebrows and wide nose gave him a very severe look.”(​Things Fall Apart,​ p.4) From the following quote, the author tries to develop the idea the standard of the man in society. From DNA, the man was expected to be taller and stronger than a woman from physical body and power that is the reason why was being called a woman was disrespectful. Another example is

“Okonkwo was clearly cut out for great things. He was still young but he had won fame as the greatest wrestler in the nine villages. He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife. To crown it all he had taken two titles and had shown incredible prowess in two inter-tribal wars.” (​Things Fall Apart​, p.8) According to the quote, it illustrates that because of the victory in the Okonkwo’s wrestling he gains two titles at the same time. From this point, it develops that the society in Igbo put the importance on the strength of the man through the power and physical body. Anyone who strong can take title easily. In the same way, the stronger they are, the more honor they get. This is what Chinua Achebe tries to say in the novel that the strength is another factor to determine the level of society that they are in. Not from their habit, but it is from the strength, physical body, and power. This lead to the definition of masculinity in Igbo culture in ​Things Falls Apart.​ Finally, Chinua Achebe wants to contrast all of the points in the novel with inequality of gender in Igbo culture. From the following in this essay, it says that man can get the title so easily while the woman cannot. However, when woman or wife did something wrong, they only get the punishment from their husband. Being a man is not always good because when they did something wrong like a woman, their punishment is bigger because they are the head of the family. They deserve for what they have done. Moreover, they need to take responsibility with family. For example, when Okonkwo was an exile from the village. He does not mean to kill the Ezeudu’s son but it is an accident. Everyone knows this but they cannot help. He needs to get punishment and the quote that shows this point of view is “The only course open to Okonkwo was flee from the clan. It was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman, and a man who committed it must flee from the land.

The crime was of two kinds, male and female. Okonkwo had committed the female because it had been inadvertent. He could return to the clan after seven years.”(​Things Fall Apart​, p.124) From the above, the most important that show the inequality of gender is that there are two kinds of crime, male or female. Okonkwo was considered as female because it is an accident. However, if it was considered as the male case, it will be worse than exile from the village. It is unfair why the man needs to get the harder punishment. The solution, in this case, is to determine the punishment in each case and same from everyone, so nobody can say that it is unfair or it is not right on what they deserve. In conclusion, Chinua Achebe wants to describe the definition of a man in Igbo culture through Okonkwo with patience to deal with their weakness and strength from the physical body. Moreover, the author puts some contrast in the end with gender inequality. In each culture, there are different ways to determine the definition of the man. However, society is the controller that controls how gender should act or should look like. It is not from themselves. All of these are in one book. This is the reason why the famous novelist admires Chinua Achebe as a good writer.

References Achebe. (1959). ​Things Fall Apart.​ New York: Penguin Books. Olson. (2015). What It Means To 'Be A Man': How Male Gender Stereotypes Try To Fit Growing Boys Into A Mold, And Fail. ​Medical Daily.​ Retrieved Mar 22, 2015, from https://www.medicaldaily.com/what-it-means-be-man-how-male-gender-stereotypes-try-f it-growing-boys-mold-and-fail-326450.