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RESEARCH BASED ON CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART 2

Research based on Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

Throughout Chinua Achebe’s book “Things Fall Apart” (1959) masculinity remains a

key part of society. Oftentimes characters lean heavily on remaining masculine and frown on

anything they consider to be feminine. Being a man and doing manly things is considered one of

the highest honors in their lives but, every part of the culture is heavily influenced by women.

Women maintained every aspect surrounding the household and were the foundation for

sustaining life of the tribe members. Women also are responsible for all aspects regarding food

preparation and cooking which is a critical aspect to the survival of the tribe. Additionally,

women pass on the traditions and stories of the tribe by educating the children which makes them

important to the continuation of the culture. Next, the tribes worshipped many deities that were a

mix of both gods and goddesses but the earth goddess was considered the most powerful. Also,

the priestess was considered to be more powerful than the men in the tribe. Lastly, crimes

committed had both a male and female punishment but both included being exiled to the

mother’s homeland showing the importance of maternal lineage. Although, at first reading,

women were not respected within the tribe, they were actually the foundation of the tribe because

they were the homemakers, caregivers and educators, a crucial part of the religion and the

maternal lineage was held in high regard.

Women take care of the households and every other aspect of the home which make them

the foundation of the tribe. Dr. Derek Barker (2013) suggests that, “they are the nurturers and

caretakers of the people” (para. 9). Women are responsible for the maintaining the domestic

space for themselves and for their husbands. Each time a chore needs done, someone sick needs

cared for or a home cleaned the women are expected to do it. The men would never do one of

these tasks because they are considered feminine and would break a cultural taboo. When

RESEARCH BASED ON CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART 3

someone was hurt or sick they were sent to the mother’s home for nurturing. After being beat by

his father for crying about the death of his friend, “Nwoye say in the mother’s hut and tears stood

in his eyes (Acebe, 1959, p. 59). The mother was the nurturer during his time of crisis and

helped to heal him both physically (from the beating) and emotionally. The women of the tribe

are crucial because they kept the property clean and the people healthy. Without them the tribe

would not have a place to go home to or a place to get healed.

The women have the sole responsibility of feeding the tribe which also is crucial to the

survival of the tribe. Gathering of crops, raising animals for food, the preparation of food and

cooking are the responsibilities of the women of the tribe. The only crop that is not harvested by

women are yams because they were considered a man’s crop. Women do all of the work for the

rest of the crops. The narrator mentions that “the women planted maize, melons and beans

between the yam mounds” (Achebe, 1959, p. 33). Women are extremely important to the

survival of the tribe because they are in control of every other bit of food besides yams. Not only

do the women plant most of the crops but they also “weeded the farm three times at definite

periods in the life of the yams, neither early nor late” (Achebe, 1959, p. 33). Without the

weeding of the crops, done by the women, the crops would die and the tribes would lose most of

their food for the year. These traditions help to emphasize the importance of the roles of women

in relation to the survival of the tribes. Women become the caretakers and nurturers of the crops,

similar to the way they are for every other aspect of the tribe. The women plant most of the

crops, tend to them while throughout the season and then prepares them to eat.

Another reason that the role of women is crucial to the tribe is that all of the storytelling

and passing on of traditions is done through the mothers which is crucial to the survival of the

tribe. The history of a society is important because it lets the people know where they came

RESEARCH BASED ON CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART 4

from. The narrator states that Okonkwo heard voices and singing from the huts of his wives’ as

they told folk stories (Achebe, 1959). This storytelling is their form of educating the youth.

Women had the responsibility of keeping this tradition alive and ensuring that the next

generations knew them well enough to pass on to their children. Dr. Barker (2013) emphasizes

that, “It is through storytelling that the children learn important lessons about the human

condition, are taught the Ibo creation myths, such as the birds and the tortoise story, and master

the art of retelling the stories themselves (para 10). Learning the important lessons of life, the

history of their people and learning the importance of retelling the stories themselves is another

crucial part of the IBO society and is one of the reasons that women are the foundation of the

society. Without these traditions being passed on the society would have difficulties and

potentially would fail. The retelling of stories and educating of the people is one of the reasons

their traditions held together for so long and this is because of the women of the tribe.

Many of the deities that the tribe worshipped were goddesses and they were held as

crucial to the tribe’s survival because they controlled the crop growth and weather. Religion was

one of the most important cultural aspects of the tribes. Most of their traditions revolve around

the deities. “Both sexes are equally worshipped and are essential to the survival of the tribe”

(Hall, 1999, para. 7). The goddesses are as important as the gods and have similar amounts of

power over the tribe’s actions and thoughts. This means that feminine aspects are crucial to the

success of the tribe because they have to appease all of their deities, not just the males. The main

goddess in the society is “Ani” who is the earth goddess (Achebe, 1959). She is referred to as

“the ultimate judge of morality and conduct” (Barker, 2013, para. 6). She holds the highest

position and must be appeased or the crops will not grow. Okonkwo beat his wife during a week

of peace and was told “The earth goddess whom you have insulted may refuse to give us her

RESEARCH BASED ON CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART 5

increase, and we shall all perish” (Achebe, 1959, p. 30). The tribe gives the ultimate position of

power to the goddess Ani. She is regarded as in control of their yams crop even though it is

considered a man’s crop. The tribe holds an entire week of peace before the planting of the

crops to ensure she is satisfied and will make the crops grow (Achebe, 1959). The goddess is in

charge of one of the most important aspects of their culture and is thought of as the most

important to appease. This reinforces the idea that women are the most important aspect of the

culture and that feminine aspects overshadow the masculinity of the tribes.

Although most women were considered servants to their men, the priestess was held in

high regards and treated as extremely powerful. She was the only communication to the oracle

of the hills. Mezu (2006) suggests that “The only women respected in Umuofia are those like

Chielo, the priestess of the oracle of the hills and caves, who is removed from the pale of

normalcy (para. 17). Chielo did not have to follow the same standards as the rest of the women

because of her standing with the oracle. She was even able to raise her voice at men which was

punishable to other women. She screamed at Okonkwo when he questioned her on one occasion

and he backed off. The narrator describes the priestess as “full of the power of her god, and she

was greatly feared” (Achebe, 1959, p. 17). The fear of her illustrates that women were extremely

important to the tribe’s religion and culture because the priestess was given great power within

the tribe. She spoke with the oracle with powers given to her by the deities that the tribe

worshipped. This made her a key part of the history and culture.

Finally, when a crime was committed within the tribe the person who did the crime was

exiled back to their mother’s homeland showing that the maternal lineage was very important.

The people were members of their father’s tribes but sought comfort in their mother’s tribes.

The mothers were also sent back to their homelands to be buried. These roots showed the

RESEARCH BASED ON CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART 6

importance of women in the society by demonstrating that the lineage of the mothers was

important. “When there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother

is there to protect you” (Achebe, 1959, p. 134). The mother is considered the ultimate refuge

when times are tough and the tribesman seek their comfort and heal. Going back to the mother’s

homeland during a time of distress shows the importance of the maternal lineage. The land

where the mother comes from holds the ties to the mother and the comfort given while raising

the tribesmen. “They are the constant that can be relied upon” (Barker, 2013, para. 9). The

mother is always there, even in spirit, in the homeland which gives great importance to the role

of women, especially as mothers, to the tribes. The mothers raise the men and comfort them

through their childhoods which is why they seek comfort with that lineage in times of despair.

Okonkwo’s uncle says that “mother is supreme” (Achebe, 1959, p. 134). The mother is the

ultimate of beings and deserve the highest of respect. She is the protector of all of her children.

Without the maternal lineage and the comfort provided by it the society would suffer. The

mother overshadows every part of the culture.

Masculinity is one of the most important parts of the society created by Achebe. Every

aspect of their lives is guided by the idea that they have to be manly and that any sign of

weakness is considered womanly. Even though being masculine is important, feminine aspects

overshadow every part of their culture. Women are the sole caretakers of the home and nurturers

to the sick. They keep the homes clean and the people healthy. Also, they raise many of the

crops, tend to them through harvest and prepare and cook them which makes them important to

the survival of the tribe. The women also educate the children and pass on traditions which

makes them crucial to the future of the tribe by ensuring their culture survives. Many of the

deities the tribe worshipped were goddesses and the most important one to appease was the earth

RESEARCH BASED ON CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART 7

goddess who controlled the production of all the crops. Also, the only person who could speak

to the oracle was the priestess. She was considered to be chosen by the gods and was the only

woman who the men considered to have a higher position than them. Finally, when a crime was

committed against the tribe the people were exiled back to their mother’s homelands. They went

there because they were raised by their mother’s in that land and sought out the comfort and the

protection their mother’s provided. Although masculinity was at the forefront of society women

were the most important part of the culture and were crucial to the survival of the tribes.

RESEARCH BASED ON CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART 8

References

Achebe, C. (1959). Things Fall Apart. New York, NY: Doubleday.

Barker, D. (2013). Role of women in “Things fall apart”. Retrieved from

https://viennachinuaachebe.wordpress.com/2013/10/23/role-of-women-in-things-fall-

apart/.

Hall, M. (1999). An underlying balance: An analysis of gender elements in “things fall apart”

Retrieved from http://gencobb.com/think/literature/novel-reviews/an-underlying-balance-

an-analysis-of-gender-elements-in-things-fall-apart/comment-page-1/.

Mezu, R.U. (2006). Women in Achebe’s world. Retrieved from

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/books-creative-writing/4420-women-

achebes-world.html.