'Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart: Women’s Roles in Umuofian Society\r'

'Literature and Liberation- Prof. Sicari December 3rd, 2012 Wo custody’s Role in Umuofian Society Chinua Achebe’s â€Å"Things finalize Apart” depicts the downf tot exclusivelyy of the once enceinte folks of Umuofia at the come abouts of imperialistic European egg white men. However the downfall of this advanced federation of communitys would go down to be inevitable due to its numerous flaws, in terms of their â€Å" fittingice” system, extreme religious interpretations of the prophet and perhaps most heavily because of their intensely misogynistic views.Umuofia’s harsh and brutal treatment of women in their ships company reveal the feature that women argon not acknowledge to even be human, much rather they atomic number 18 treated as give birthions †as property. Men deliberate women to be powerless, defenseless and ultimately useless provided this ignorant belief proves to have detrimental consequences. These misogynistic view s in turn become the very(prenominal) frameation upon which this federation testament unravel. With imperialistic missionaries arriving with the tempting offer of a different and more appealing lifestyle, the once join Umuofia will wither away.Umuofia is a federation of tribes regain in Nigeria, Africa coming from humble beginnings, the meat of winner in this tribe come through surd manual labor such as farming. Having to send-off from scratch some(prenominal) dates many men have solidified their status because of their persistence, earning themselves many titles. However, a man who earns no titles is referred to as an â€Å"agbala” (p. 13) †which also means women, except when used to refer to a young-begetting(prenominal) it is an insult. This exposes to the reader the event that the joint failure is synonymous with women, they are interchangeable, having the same meaning.In â€Å"women” being the choice word to insult a man it also paints the fi t under which light women are viewed by men, to be a muliebrity is to be unsuccessful and to hunt no value. An separate manner in which a man gain ground reinforces his titles is in acquiring several wives. The number of wives a man has affects his social status, exemplify that women are possessions of men. It’s a numbers blue with men, using women as their pawns so they crumb further embody the â€Å"true meaning” of what it is to be a man Further exemplifying the misogynistic views of this fiat is show in the domestic execration fe priapics face at the hands of their spouse.Okonkwo, an aggressive being by disposition is no different towards his wives. In Chapter 4, Okonkwo violently defeat his third and youngest wife, Ojiugo, â€Å"And when she returned he beat her very heavily” (p. 29) because when he generated home food was not tho prepared and she instead of having a hot meal waiting for him went to get her hair braided. Okonkwo blind in his ra ge beat out her brutally claiming negligence, pegly forgetting the fact that it was the hallowed Week of Peace †â€Å"His two wives ran issue in great alarm pleading with him that it was the sacred week” (p. 9). For beating his wife during the Week of Peace, Okonkwo is penalize, the priest demands that Okonkwo sacrifice a nanny goat and a hen and pay a fine of peerless length of cloth and ane hundred cowries. This mental picture reveals just how corrupt the Umuofian justice system is, Okonkwo is punished not because he laid his hands on his wife entirely because of the time in which he did it. It is not frowned down on when a male hits a distaff, in fact it is encouraged and Okonkwo from time to time threatens to kill his wives.It is not viewed as abominable when a male beats a female in this society and is applauded, they feel as though women must be kept in stemma and know their duties as well as complete them fully anything less is negligence and physical abuse is their wake up call. Adding to the fact that men can get away with hitting their wives, the very some times in which this justice system does aspect with women it is very partial †with men relatively receiving a slap on the wrist. This is shown in Chapter 10, a divergence that comes before the egwugwu (the clan’s ancestral spirits) that involves a husband and wife.The husband, Uzowulu, states that the three brothers of his wife, Mgbafo, beat him and took her and the children from his hut further would not return her bride- determine. The woman’s brothers vindicate their actions in stating that Uzowulu beat their sister mercilessly. They state that Uzowulu’s punishment if Mgbafo returns with him will be that his genitals be cut off if he ever beats her over again. Uzowulu claims that he sees no wrong in his ways, â€Å"I married her with my money and my yams, I owe them no cocoyams” (p. 90) is his defense. He feels as though he owes his in laws no explanation and how he treats his wife is no ones oncern. This statement proves that he views his wife as just another possession of his, he paid the price and he can do as he pleases with her from that point forward. The egwugwu decide in favor of Mgbafo, sexual relation Uzowulu to take a pot of wine to his in-laws. peerless village elder complains that such a minimum matter should not be brought before them, again exposing the fact that domestic abuse is not seen as an issue in this society. In Umuofia, there are two types of nuisances that can be connected, feminine crimes and man alike crimes.Okonkwo accidentally kills a clansman during a funeral, this crime falls under the category of feminine because it wasn’t a killing on purpose †â€Å"Okonkwo had committed the female, because it had been inadvertent. ” (p. 124). In categorizing crimes under these two types the reader receives perceptiveness as to what characteristics pertain to each gende r in the eyeball of this society. Feminine crimes are accidental, without intent, inadvertent †these characteristics all associate with the way that men view females, carrying forbid connotations that make it seem as though women hold out’t have strength.Masculine crimes on the other hand lie on the other side of the spectrum; these crimes lie of blunt, direct acts with an intent or purpose to be completed. These characteristics are some of the many males wish to possess in their attempt to fulfill what it is to be a man. Men are strong with a sentiency of direction and purpose and so are these crimes. Okonkwo agrees with the society’s interpretation of genders, primarily in his regard that his daughter, Ezinma, were a boy.Ezinma, is Okonkwo’s favorite child, he loves her very much but does not show heart and soul towards her due to his fear of being viewed as easy by the men of his tribe. Any emotion other than anger is a feminine emotion in the op inion of Okonkwo. Multiple times throughout the novel Okonkwo catches himself wishing that Ezinma were a boy, â€Å"If Ezinma had been a boy I would have been happier. She has the right spirit” (p. 66). Okonkwo claims that she would have been the apotheosis son, strikingly similar in their nature and mindset, Ezinma fulfills all the qualities her father desires in his children- except for one.As she is a woman all of these talents and qualities will go on unexplored and unused. Society feels as though it is the duty of a woman to bear sons, â€Å"prosperous men and great warriors your daughter will bear us sons like you” (p. 117). Ezinma has proven herself time and time again but will always fail in the eyes of Okonkwo, through the love and fondness he has for her she will never be able to change the fact that she is a female and he will never be able to change his misogynistic views.Okonkwo is very clear of feeling feminine emotions but as for exposing and expressi ng them he is blind in his immense resentment towards his father, Unoka, and everything he represented. These misogynistic views take a toll on the tribe and prove to become their undoing. Christian missionaries soon arrive to the tribe with the intent of converting as many of the tribe members as possible, presenting them with a tempting offer that proves to influence one too many for the liking of Okonkwo.On the resurrect Okonkwo resist the implementation of Christianity because it is not â€Å"manly” enough, but frankly it is the deep rooted fear of losing social status that prevents him from embracing this religion. His sense of self-worth is solely base on the traditional standards by which society resolve him. The system of evaluation that the Christians introduce causes many of the tribe members embrace Christianity; the evaluation of self, not possessions is what composed one’s worth.Those who were once outcasted, scorned and belittled found value in Chris tianity. In their new community, these converts screw a more elevated status †no longer being the underdog was a more and then welcomed change, the biggest underdog of them all being women. Presently, Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. vernal York: Anchor, 1994. Print. Denny, Frederick Mathewson, Carlos M. N. Eire, Martin S. Jaffee, and John Corrigan. Jews, Christians, Muslims: A Comparative Introduction to monotheistic Religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.\r\n'