Masculinity And Emasculation In Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe
In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, various emotions are displayed by the characters including some serious topics like colonialism, tradition, repression, pride, and masculinity. The protagonist Okonkwo, a self-made man, experiences first hand what pride ultimately leads to: Death. His ultimate demise represented the extent to which he could go instead of accepting defeat, and that meant weakness which is something a “man” must never show. Okonkwo and his father were the most divergent characters, yet Achebe conflates both their destinies. Throughout the narrative, Okonkwo’s every attempt to earn respect and become the epitome of traditional Igbo masculinity is met with further emasculation.
Okonkwo's relationship with his father shapes a great deal of his aggressive and ambitious behavior. He strives to become a man that not even remotely resembles his father, this leads him to create his own version of manliness which is not representative of the clan as a whole. His disdain for any signs of weakness causes him to beat his wives just to keep them in check, even during the “Week of Peace”. This is the scene where Okonkwo initiated his own demise, despite being at the zenith of his power, he lost the favor of both his clan and religious institute. His whole world changes when he and his family are sent into exile for killing of a clansman, Ezeudu’s son, and how such crimes (accidental) are considered “feminine”.
In this excerpt, the despair ridden Okonkwo lost everything that he once believed and stood for, that every man is in charge of his own destiny but clearly no matter how diligently he had worked, he was back at the starting point. “But it was like beginning life anew without the vigor and enthusiasm of youth, like learning to become left-handed in old age. Work no longer had for him the pleasure it used to have, and when there was no work to do, he sat in a silent half-sleep”. You can tell that the narrator recognized Okonkwo as a tragic hero, but I don’t agree with his way of justifying things. As instead of accepting the reality and introspecting to look for his own mistakes/flaws to become a better person, Okonkwo just gave up and this is something that does not align with his character. “Then everything had been broken. He had been cast out of his clan like a fish onto a dry, sandy beach, panting, clearly his personal god or chi was not made for great things.” However, for both him and the narrator it was more convenient to blame it all on his destiny or chi, as otherwise it would mean he was weak and that goes against his whole notion of manliness.
Still not accepting his own errors, he was dealt another blow when his eldest son, Nwoye, abandoned Igbo tradition and converted to Christianity. Losing his son to another faith was probably the weakest moment in Okonkwo’s life, yet he did not share his feelings with anyone as that would make him appear weak. This excerpt tells us of how emotionally venerable humans are when they feel betrayed by their own kin, and Okonkwo was no different. Instead of going and talking it out with his son, he found it easier to disown him. In his mind he must be questioning himself that how will others respect him, if even his own son does not pay heed to him. Okonkwo finally had enough after another emasculating incident in which colonial officers threw Okonkwo and others in jail, and decided to take things into his own hands. As he was tired of nothing going according to his will, after all he was a “man”. His last act of suicide marks the tragedy of the novel, once a great man who was respected and feared was now reduced to nothing. Fearing further humiliation, he decided to take control of his life.
Even in death his masculinity was challenged, as under Umuofia law, deliberate murder is a 'male' crime (Achebe 124). However, suicide, even though not recognized as a “women’s crime”, deprives him of any honour because he will be refused a proper burial. Thus, leading him to the same fate as his father, whom he detested and being last associated with the very thing he had been running away from: Weakness, the concept that questioned him being a “man”.
