Masculinity and femininity

The gender roles of men and women, as well as societies' conceptions of the associated concepts,
are frequent themes in Achebe's writing. He has been criticised as a sexist author, in response to
what many call the uncritical depiction of traditionally patriarchal Igbo society, where the most
masculine men take numerous wives, and women are beaten regularly.[178] Paradoxically, Igbo
society immensely values individual achievement but also sees the ownership over or acquisition
of women as a signifier of success.[179] As seen in Things Fall Apart, Igbo society condemns
violence but Onkonkwos ability to control his women is inextricably connected to his dignity.
[179]
Thus, women are automatically disenfranschised in terms of achieving high status related to
personal achievement. Others suggest that Achebe is merely representing the limited gendered
vision of the characters, and they note that in his later works, he tries to demonstrate the inherent
dangers of excluding women from society.[180] It is also suggested that Achebe purposefully
created exaggerated gender binaries in order to render Igbo history recognizable to international
readers.[181] Still others suggest that reading Achebe through a womanist lens enables an
understanding of Igbo conceptions of gender complementarity.[182] Womanism is an afrocentric
concept forged out of global feminism to analyze the condition of Black African women that
acknowledges the patriarchal oppression of women, but also highlights the resistance and dignity
of African women.[182] As the representation of Igbo society and kinship structures in novels such
as Things Fall Apart differs considerably from the work of African feminist anthropology, the
representation should not be taken literally; rather, the reader should consider the roles of both
women and men as intentionally stark and in opposition. In any case, a careful reading of Achebe
paradoxically recognizes the hyperbolic representation of gender politics in Igbo society, while
acknowledging the necessary nuance that gives Achebes women some agency and prominence.
In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo's furious manhood overpowers everything "feminine" in his life,
including his own conscience. For example, when he feels bad after being forced to kill his
adopted son, he asks himself: "When did you become a shivering old woman?"[183] It is also
argued that ones chi, or personal god, is the mother within.[184] This understanding further
demonstrates how Okonkwos hypermasculinity corrupts his conscience, as his contempt for his
own mother and other women prevents him from being in harmony with his chi. He views all
things feminine as distasteful, in part because they remind him of his father's laziness and
cowardice.[185] His father was considered an agbalaa word that refers to a man without title,
but is also synonymous with woman. Thus, Okonkwo not only regrets his fathers lack of
success, but attributes it to a lack of masculinity. Okonkwos feminization of all things lacking
success or power is a common theme throughout the novel. His obsession with maleness is
fueled by an intense fear of femaleness, which he expresses through physical and verbal abuse of
his wives, his violence towards his community, his constant worry that his son Nwoye is not
manly enough, and his wish that his daughter Ezinma had been born a boy. The women in the
novel, meanwhile, are obedient, quiet, and absent from positions of authority despite the fact
that Igbo women were traditionally involved in village leadership.[186] Nevertheless, the need for
feminine balance is highlighted by Ani, the earth goddess, and the extended discussion of
"Nneka" ("Mother is supreme") in chapter fourteen.[187] Ekwefis perseverance and love for
Ezinma, despite her many miscarriages, is seen as a tribute to Igbo womanhood, which is
typically defined by motherhood.[188] Okonkwo's defeat is seen by some as a vindication of the

need for a balancing feminine ethos.[185][189] Some have also argued that all of Okonkwos failures
are tied to his contempt and fear of women and his inability to form quality personal
relationships with the women in his lifehis wives, his children, and his own mother.[184] Achebe
has expressed frustration at frequently being misunderstood on this point, saying that "I want to
sort of scream that Things Fall Apart is on the side of women ... And that Okonkwo is paying the
penalty for his treatment of women; that all his problems, all the things he did wrong, can be
seen as offenses against the feminine."[190] Indeed, it is argued that Okonkwos violent and
vehement anti-women position is the exception, not the norm, within his community of Umuofia
and the wider Igbo society.[191] Still, post-colonial African writing is intensely male-centered, a
phenomenon that is not alleviated by the frequent trope of the African woman as the
embodiment of the male writers vision for the new Africa.[192] It is argued that even when
women and their lives are more centrally depicted in literature, the male writer continues to be
the visionary while the woman is the sign of changes to come.
Achebe's first central female character in a novel is Beatrice Nwanyibuife in Anthills of the
Savannah. As an independent woman in the city, Beatrice strives for the balance that Okonkwo
lacked so severely. She refutes the notion that she needs a man, and slowly learns about Idemili,
a goddess balancing the aggression of male power.[193] Although the final stages of the novel
show her functioning in a nurturing mother-type role, Beatrice remains firm in her conviction
that women should not be limited to such capacities.[194]