THINGS FALL APART
BUT THEY ARE GETTING BETTER
Gender Classification
Much of the traditional Igbo life revolves around structured gender roles. All of Igbo life is gendered, including the crops that men and women grow and the characterization of crimes. As in most cultures, women are the weaker sex. The main roles for women are to make a pure bride for an honorable man, to be a submissive wife, and to bear many children. The ideal man provides for his family and is successful in battle.
Okonkwo is extremely concerned with being masculine and sees no value in feminine things. Much of the gender roles in the book centers around the idea of balance between masculine vs. feminine forces: body vs. mind and emotions vs. rationality.
Although not as obvious, similar gender roles are still seen in our society today. In many cases, women are still seen as the weaker of the two sexes are discriminated upon because of this.
Like the Igbo people, our society has specific roles that each gender plays and when one does not follow them, we often question their actions.
The Challenging of the Traditional Family
For the Igbo, there are a set of ideas that form the basis of an ideal family: respect for each other, respect for all past fathers, and unity. The father is not only the provider for the family, but defender of its honor and teacher of his sons. The mother’s main duty is to add to bear healthy children. Children are the inheritors of the future and are raised to continue the values of the older generation.
However, this structure is challenged in the case of Nwoye, Okonkwo's son. Nwoye is rather feminine, which doesn't please his father. Okonkwo distances himself from him and when Nwoye converts to the Christian religion, Okonkwo finally excommunicates him from his family.
Today, we see many different forms of families other than the traditional family of one dad, one mom and children. Many families today only consist of only one mother and child(ren) or one father and child(ren), and even two fathers and child(ren), or two mothers and child(ren).
Bullying
Many of the Igbo people despise the Christian religion and all who believe in it. This includes clansmen who have converted to their religion. In the text, we here of Igbo women being "molested" at the riverside for being Christian. They were made outcasts because of their faith. This is a form of bullying.
We see similar occurrences today. Many people are bullied because there is something unique about them that sets them apart from everyone else. This includes religion, race, sexual orientation, and physical features of that person.
Social Issues
Written and Editied by Micah Leval