GENDER IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART

Abstract

Things Fall Apart is an interesting novel written by Chinua Achebe. The novel tells a story about the life in a fictional village in Nigeria called Umuofia. The story revolves around Okonkwo and his family in a tribe called Igbo. The impact of Christianity and European colonialism on the tribal people are also included in the novel. This thesis explains how men and women are represented in the story. The representation includes: how men and women are describes in their families, how what norms are applied in the society for the two genders, and violence towards women, especially in their families. The research employed qualitative approach to analyse certain phenomena and aspects relating to masculinity and femineity in the novel. The data are taken from the novel in forms of words, sentences, and phrases which were reduced based on the relevancy, displayed and verified. The findings found that men are dominant in the family and in the society. Men control their family and the society and that they tend to be violent towards women. Women do not have important roles in the society, they take care of the family at home, and they tend to be abused by men.