Because the structure of Igbo society was very rigid, people rarely left the roles society wanted them to play. (That's why Okonkwo hated weak men.) In Things Fall Apart, the customs that Achebe portrays coexist because of strict gender roles.Women are viewed as weaker and their roles in society reflect that status. The only respect Igbo women were given in this society came through their connection to the divine (the priestess).Because men and women in Ibo society have strictly defined roles, everyone is kept "in place." Men, who are the dominant members of this society, have all the power and therefore control the law (the judicial system).With the masculine and feminine sides of society separated, the two were able to coexist (especially since the masculine side held all the power).The novel “Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe, while often thought to offer readers an accurate portrait of Igbo or African culture in general, often does not effectively represent the culture it seeks to portray. This is particularly true for novelists who are writing about non-Western cultures for Western audiences. Such is the case in “Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe, in which the author writes about members of a Nigerian tribe.
Other essays and articles in the Literature Archives related to this topic include : Women, Colonization& Cultural Change in “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe • Comparison of Tragic Characters in Things Fall Apart and Oedipus the King • Comparison Essay on Things Fall Apart and My Antonia
The
novel “Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe, while often thought to
offer readers an accurate portrait of Igbo or African culture in
general, often does not effectively represent the culture it seeks to
portray. More generally, one of the challenges of the fiction genre, and
of the frequent criticisms lodged against it, is the manner in which
history, people, and place are integrated into the narrative. Writing a
fictive narrative that is based on real people, places, and events poses
some inherent dangers, not the least of which is the possibility of
inaccurate or partial representation of Igbo culture.
This is particularly true for novelists who are writing about
non-Western cultures for Western audiences. Such is the case in “Things
Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe, in which the author writes about members
of a Nigerian tribe.
