WOES OF WOMEN IN CHINUA ACHEBE'S THINGS FALL APART: A FEMINIST ANALYSIS

Abstract

This paper discusses the description of the woes of women in Things Fall Apart (1958) by Chinua Achebe (1958) insofar as the three wives of the main character are concerned namely, Anasi, Ekwefi and Ojiugo. With the backdrop of Igbo society, the novel throws light on how women are kept at the periphery, made voiceless and oppressed due to the burden of patriarchy. The article explores the different forms of violence, mental (lunacy), physical and social, which define the lives of the wives of Okonkwo reveal the entrenched gender inequities found in the Nigerian culture. In line with Sylvia Walby (1990) work of Theorizing Patriarchy, the study particularly uses her dimension of violence as it pertains to the text. The results indicate that Achebe does not only demonstrate the deep-rooted patriarchal system of African society but shows the sufferings of women that, although they are the subject around which the family and culture revolve, are deprived of agency, dignity, and rights. By following the consequences of trauma, maltreatment, and social marginalization in the female characters presented in the works, this research paper will demonstrate how women suffering gender-based violence play a passive role in sustaining subordination whereas men remain dominant. The article makes a valuable contribution to the body of feminist literature to the extent that it provides voice to marginalized women by giving them opportunity to speak, as well as provides a critical reflection of the interrelation of literature, patriarchy, and gender-based verbal and physical violence.