Question

Read the passage from "Marriage Is a Private Affair” by Chinua Achebe. "Father,” began Nnaemeka suddenly, "I have come to ask for forgiveness.” "Forgiveness? For what, my son?” he asked in amazement. "It’s about this marriage question.” "Which marriage question.” "I can’t—we must—I mean it is impossible for me to marry Nweke’s daughter.” "Impossible? Why?” asked his father. "I don’t love her.” "Nobody said you did. Why should you?” he asked. "Marriage today is different . . .” "Look here, my son,” interrupted his father, "nothing is different. What one looks for in a wife are a good character and a Christian background.” Nnaemeka saw there was no hope along the present line of argument. "Moreover,” he said, "I am engaged to marry another girl who has all of Ugoye’s good qualities, and who . . .” His father did not believe his ears. "What did you say?” he asked slowly and disconcertingly. "She is a good Christian,” his son went on, "and a teacher in a Girls’ School in Lagos.” "Teacher, did you say? If you consider that a qualification for a good wife, I should like to point out to you, Emeka, that no Christian woman should teach. St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians says that women should keep silence.” How does this passage define the traditional roles of men and women?

Answer 1

The passage defines the traditional roles of men and women by describing a conversation between a father and a son, in which the father represents tradition's point of view. Nnaemeka decided to explain to his father that marriage has changed, because marriage was always a strong example of tradition and, therefore, also of the traditional roles of men and women. His father first said that "nothing is different. What one looks for in a wife is a good character and a Christian background", conveying that, according to the tradition, a woman would be seen by society as a potential wife, or not, and, if so, with the attributes considered right for them.

After having already expressed how the traditional roles define women in the society (as wives) and clarifying how much that is related to a religious institution, his father still argues back, against Nnaemeka's confession: "Teacher, did you say? If you consider that a qualification for a good wife, I should like to point out to you, Emeka, that no Christian woman should teach. St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians says that women should keep silence". His father, who in this passage represents the tradition's point of view, says that wives, as they are expected to be, shouldn't be teachers, hence, a woman who is a teacher cannot fill in the place for what is considered a good wife - a Christian woman, who follows the Bible and the rules also established by the church. The church is responsible for maintaining the institution represented by the marriage and the family, and its values must prevail. According to their rules, mentioned by the father as data and support for his statement, "women should keep silence". It can be understood by that line that the traditional role for women was, first, of the wife, and second, of the good wife, submissive, unexpressive, quiet. Men should, on the other hand, get married by interest to a good wife from a rich family and take care of the institution's patrimony. That can be understood when the father explains that he doesn't accept his son's new ideas and the refusal of the traditional marriage rules because his son is supposed to act according to them.