Perception of Gender in Antigone and Things Fall Apart Essay Example

for violence, except for during the Week of Peace. Even when a woman makes a small mistake, Okonkwo’s temper sparks and he resorts to violence. After Okonkwo’s second wife killed a banana tree, he “swiftly gave her a sound beating” and “left her and her only daughter weeping” (Achebe 38). Okonkwo’s acts are heartless, and his violence attributes to his desire to be as masculine as he can possibly be. Other men in Umuofia share similar mentalities, growing up learning that strength, alongside violence and masculinity, all go hand-in-hand. Nwoye, Okonkwo’s son, listened to his father’s stories about bloodshed as he was growing up, and learned “that it was right to be masculine and to be violent” (Achebe 53). Throughout Antigone however, direct violence against women is extremely rare, and is generally frowned upon by society.

Genders are also more segregated in Things Fall Apart than in Antigone, with men embodying more favorable things than women, and generally holding more important roles in society. When the household tasks and roles of Okonkwo’s family was being described, Achebe wrote, “His mother and sisters worked hard enough, but they grew women’s crops, like coco-yams, beans and cassava. Yam, the king of crops, was a man’s crop” (Achebe 22). In Igbo society, anything that is desirable and admired is associated with manliness, while anything that is demeaning or scornful is considered to be womanly. Additionally, the division of labor in Igbo society is greatly influenced by gender, and defines the role of men and women. Okonkwo was provoked to anger after his youngest wife went to “plait her hair at a friend's house and did not return early enough

to cook the afternoon meal” (Achebe 29). For the most part, it is a woman's role to care for the children, clean, and prepare food because they are considered weak or irresponsible for heavy labor and defending the clan. However, Chielo, a priestess in Umuofia, breaks the stereotype as she holds an extremely important role in society by connecting with the Oracle. In Antigone, objects are not defined as genders, and there is no evidence of gender roles being split in society.

Lastly, Igbo society as a whole in Things Fall Apart seems to be more negative toward women than the Greek society in Antigone. When Haimon begs Creon to reduce the punishment of Antigone, he brings up the public’s view on the issue, and states, “ I have heard them, muttering and whispering in the dark about this girl. They say no woman ever, so unreasonably, died so shameful a death for a generous act” (Sophocles 218). The rest of the Greek society in Antigone seem to oppose Creon’s views, or share his view on women to a lesser extent. After Creon sentences Antigone, even Tiresias, an old prophet, warns Creon of his harsh views against women, and states “You are sick, Creon! You are deathly sick!” (Sophocles 233). Creon is completely stubborn, and his negative perceptions towards women become more and more outlandish, while not reflecting Greek societal views. On the other hand, in Things Fall Apart, the entire Igbo society knows and accepts that men are more important than women, although to a lesser extent than Okonkwo. During a village ceremony for a trial, Achebe writes, “ It was clear from the way

the crowd stood or sat that the ceremony was for men. There were many women, but they looked on from the fringe like outsiders” (Achebe 87).

The views of women in the story, Things Fall Apart, are worse than the views of women in Antigone, even though both stories have examples of negative stereotypes. Things Fall Apart was written after Antigone, and the treatment of women is worse, so we can provide a counter argument to the common conception that over time, female treatment in society have improved in all aspects. It would be expected that because Things Fall Apart was written chronologically second, the overall view of women would be better. However, violence against women, division of labor between genders, and negative societal views towards women all were prevalent in Things Fall Apart, and not Antigone. The two stories do not completely reflect changes and treatment in the real world, but can indicate worsened stereotypes not typically seen in society. Although in many ways, female treatment and gender roles have improved, Things Fall Apart and Antigone shed light on a few injustices separating women and men that have become worse over time.