Igbo Women in "Things Fall Apart"

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the feminine role of women in the Igbo tribe through a religious and patriarchal construct of African society in "Things Fall Apart". The paper shows how females must act as subservient members of a male dominated warrior society. The paper also portrays how the problem of British colonialism affects the native religious beliefs of these native women, which deepens the social divide between men and women.

From the Paper:

"The Igbo tribe in Nigeria, as Achebe reveals in his views of colonial domination, has been completely reduced to a subservient culture to British values and military might. These values include a negative view of polygamy, which the native males of the Igbo tribe strongly disagree with through their own religious values. Of course, part of the British attempt to colonize Nigeria lies within the Christian missionaries that seek to condone polygamy due to the values of monogamous marriage they enforce on the Igbo tribe. In many ways, the ritual customs of the Igbo people are situated through a patriarchal construct, which allowed men the most important positions within society. For instance, during the trial the way that men and women are situated within the crowd details the role of women: "It was clear from the way the crowd stood or sat that the ceremony was for men. There were many women, but they looked on from the fringe like outsiders (Achebe 62).""

Sample of Sources Used:

• Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Ibadan: Heinnemann, 1962
• Amadiume, Ifi. Male Daughters, Female Husbands. London: Zed Books, 1987.

More papers on Igbo Women in "Things Fall Apart":

• Analytical Essay # 5317 : "Achebe's "Things Fall Apart"
• Analytical Essay # 130127 : "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe"
• Analytical Essay # 73761 : "Women in Achebe's World"

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