How are women represented in Things Fall Apart Research Paper

How are women represented in Things Fall Apart - Research Paper Example African women are merely sex toys in the hands of African men. Each African male has the authority to select as much as wives he needs. On the other hand such liberties are not given to the female community. â€Å"Chinua Achebe shows women as having little to no power in society in his book, Things Fall Apart. Women are not only without protection, but also denied social status. They cannot meaningfully participate in social affairs† (Kramer). This paper analyses the women representations in Things Fall Apart. â€Å"In Igbo culture, women are considered weaker than the men and thus it’s an insult to men to be called an agbala (Agbala represents a person with no titles). Okonkwo is acutely aware of what it means to be a man in the Igbo tribe and is ashamed that someone might call him or his male relations agbala† (Things Fall Apart Gender Quotes). Okonkwo, the main male character in Things Fall Apart treated his wife as a servant. Because of his short temper and aggressive nature, his wife led a miserable life under fear. Okonkwo never allowed his wife to ask questions to him about any matters, including personal, social or family. Weak men in Ibo culture were insulted by others by calling them as women. For example, Okonkwo considered his father as a woman because of his laziness and carelessness. In a meeting which included so many other dignitaries, Okonkwo asked his father to leave the meeting saying; "This meeting is for men" (Achebe, p.28). The above fact clearly underl ines how severely Ibo women were humiliated by their male counterparts. â€Å"In fact, women count for so little in Igbo society that they are often not even addressed by their given names, but referred to by their relationship with men† (Things Fall Apart Gender Quotes). Women in Ibo society were treated as the second class citizens. Unlike other women in other parts of the world, Ibo women were not respected much in