The Women of Things fall apart

                      In the novel "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe, women do not play any significant role in the Igbo society. Much like through history they have been put to the side, downcast to the jobs of caretaker and servant. The men of the Igbo culture, "define what it mean to be female and determine who controls the political, economic, social and literary structures. (Feminism 172)" Men are the dominate in Okonkwo's culture, the women have almost no rights what so ever. Okonkwo beats his wife, and is only looked down upon because his did so on their version of Sunday/AKA the holy day. And adding to that, Okonkwo had multiple wives (it was a sign to others that he was rich and powerful). Women in the novel are not even given names, which just adds to the whole 'property' thing. All of 'married' women are called by their husband's name, its just Okonkwo's first wife, Okonkwo's second wife,etc. and they are not given any rights in their community. The only mention of a woman being one of power floats around two women, priestess and a woman called Anasi who is the first wife of Nwakibie. "Anasi was a middle-aged woman, tall and strongly built. There was authority in her bearing and she looked every inch the ruler of the womenfolk in large and prosperous family. She wore the anklet of her husband's titles, which the first wife alone could wear" (Achebe 18). In fact, that is the only mention of the 'first wife rule' or what you want to call it, about how the fist wife has the ability to wear the "anklet of her husband's titles".

             Although the novel is not directly feminist, the author play up the fact that women have no rights and no power in making decisions. The woman in the novel have been taught by their traditions that they are subservient to their male counterparts. The women mentioned in the book are stereotypical women who are wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, and their personalities and characters remain undeveloped and seem to be a filler in a world doninsated by the men of the tribe. Even though “it is no longer acceptable to discuss women's rights as separate from human rights,” (Feminism 167) it seems that that is just what the elders of the Igbo society are doing. Not to put the blame on them outright, the history for women's rights just sucks...  you name the city and women have been used in it at more than one time in history. Men objectify women, just like Helen of Troy was the most prized possession in Greece. The Igbo men value their wives as if they were prized cattle, they more male children they produced- the more valued they were. That is just not right.