Things Fall Apart Gender Roles Essay

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Pages: 3

Gender relations or roles are defined as sets of societal norms which dictate the types of behaviors which are general considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for people based on their actual or perceived sex or sexuality (World Health Organization, web.archive.org). In many cultures, gender roles are typically fixed on notions of femininity and masculinity. In some places, such as various regions of Africa, masculine roles are correlated with dominance, aggression, and vigor. The feminine roles in many countries are associated with submissiveness to men (sometimes), passiveness, and nurturing/comforting. When the Europeans began colonizing different countries, they brought along ideals that were passed on to already existing/functioning societies. The white British …show more content…
They were taught to see themselves as inferior in all aspects. This was a tactic the Europeans used to successfully rule and force their culture onto civilizations. This socialization of genders has been passed onto generations over numerous years. In the novels Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe as well as The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, gender roles between men and women are tremendously structured/set in place due to the Indian caste system or simply because of balances of masculine and feminine forces within society. However, in The Hungry Tide, women live in a more free society and are less likely to fall into the socially constructed roles of femininity. In Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, the story takes place in a village called Umofia residing in eastern Nigeria. The narrative follows the life and experiences of the novel’s main character, whose name is Okonkwo, as well as other characters within his native village. He is apart of the Igbo