英语论文网

scribes as, .'.. my sister was with him for nine years... no single day passed ... without him beating the woman.' Achebe goes on to say, 'when she was pregnant he beat her till she miscarried' (91). After this trial was finished, Achebe quotes one of the elders by saying, 'I don't know why such a trifle should come before the egwugwu'(94). This would show the overall indifference towards the suffering and ill-treatment of the women of the tribe. Achebe shows that the Ibo women have valuable parts in the society, though. The women paint the houses of the egwugwu. A man's first wife is also shown additional respect. Achebe shows this through the palm wine ceremony at Nwakibie's obi, 'Anasi was the first wife and the others could not drink before her, and so they stood waiting' (20). 

 

The importance of woman's role appears when Okonkwo is exiled to his motherland. His uncle, Uchendu, explains how Okonkwo should view his exile: 'A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland' (133). A man has both joy and sorrow in his life and when the bad times come his 'mother' is always there to comfort him.

 

A wealthy man in Okonkwo's village, Nwakibie, was described as having three huge barns, nine wives, and thirty children. These are the factors in prosperity, but the author states that, 'No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and children (and especially his women) he was not really a man' (53). Because of this, Okonkwo was pleased when he heard his son grumbling about women. It showed that in the future he would be able to control his women. Achebe expresses the importance of beating women in Umuofian society.

Western culture will no longer accept any type pf beating. American laws dictate that no one can be beaten, prisoners are not even allowed to be beaten. American women are quickly becoming viewed more like men. They are out in the work place in force, and are even on the front lines in war time. Western society has slowly but surely incorporated women in the work place and raised the standard of equality. Such actions would never be allowed in Umuofia.

  

Achebe goes on to talk about Umuofia's most powerful being, the earth goddess. The fact that the ruler of life, Ani, is female, shows a great contradiction in Okonkwo's beliefs. Ani being feminine could also reflect Okonkwo's failure to seek balance between the manly virtues and the womanly virtues as understood in Umuofia. Each of the disasters that afflicts him can be seen as a crime against the earth. This could also be Okonkwo's tragic flaw: he is a man who lives in a culture that requires a balance between 'masculine' and 'feminine' that he would not accept. Okonkwo feared being like his father who failed to be a 'real man.' This may have been the root of his inability to accept the true role of women in society. Okonkwo's idea of manliness is different from that of the本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。