Anna Gassett

Benjamin Reed

World Lit Since 1600

4 November 2020

Prompt: In Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo prides himself on masculinity and hard work.

He is seen constantly struggling to display his masculinity and strength without acting violent. In

order to not appear weak, he even strikes the final blow that kills Ikemefuna. Okonkwo is not

one to tolerate failure or weakness from his family members. Talk about how masculinity is

portrayed in the Igbo society and how that affects the characters’ actions in the novel. Give at

least three examples from the text to support your answer.

Justification: I believe this is a good essay question because it points at a large theme that drives

the plot forward and incites action in the novel. Clearly, Okonkwo has an unhealthy obsession

with masculinity and gender roles. He views femininity as a weakness and masculinity as

something to be upheld and virtuous. This is a congruent belief in the Igbo community; however,

the violence that Okonkwo presents is not supported. Okonkwo takes the aggressive masculinity

too far when he lashes out and commits violent acts including murder. There is a lot to be said

about the representation of gender roles in the book and this prompt gives a student room for

their own interpretation.