Things Fall Apart Masculinity Quotes

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Pages: 3

The Fall of the Mighty

“Masculinity is not something that is given to you, but something you gain. It is something you earn by winning small battles in honor” A quote from Norman Waller, author of Flip of a Coin which tells a story about a girl who escapes domestic violence and learns to live on her own. As we analyze this quote, we can pull from it that this person is someone who takes masculinity to the extreme. It sounds like something Okonkwo would say from the book Things fall Apart. We see throughout the book that Okonkwo, the main character, sees the world as a constant battle between winners and losers. He cannot just live life the way it is supposed to be due to the way he sees the world. Okonkwo demonstrates his value of masculinity through his behavior, and there is a debate on whether his views helped him, or ruined him. There is an abundant amount of information and evidence that supports both sides, but I would argue that it ruined him and lead to his untimely death. While reading the book, we see the same message shown through the text. Achebe tries to show us through the actions of the characters that everyone makes mistakes, but it’s how we go about fixing them that matters.
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Throughout the book, we see from the beginning that Okonkwo has a strong belief in masculinity. Growing up with a drunk for a father, we, as the reader, can infer that his strong beliefs come from his awful childhood. And many people in the tribe look up to Okonkwo for this because they see him as a very strong person, someone who has a firm stance in life. However, his strong stance in life may contribute to his strong tendencies to lash out when he gets angry or afraid. And it may have cost him everything he worked so hard