CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Things Fall Apart is one of Chinua Achebe’s Novels. He is greatness from Africa. His name is at the same level with Alan Paton with his novel Cry, the Beloved Country. Achebe’s other books are A Grain of Wheat (December 1994), No Longer at Ease (September 1994), Arrow of God (September 1975), Anthills of the Savannah (January 1989), etc.
According to the Bruce King comments, Achebe was the first Nigerian writer to successfully transmute the conventions of the novel, a European art form, into African literature. Achebe makes Western literary forms serve African values. For example, King notes, in an Achebe novel “European character study is subordinated to the portrayal of communal life; European economy of form is replaced by an aesthetic appropriate to the rhythms of traditional tribal life”. Achebe use “African English”. He use Igbo words like nno, ndichie, agadi-nwayi and ewugwu, untranslated in the novel itself, but briefly explained by the glossary on the last page.
Things Fall Apart, first published in 1958, was initially written as a response to colonialist representations of Africa and Africans in literature. It is his most famous novel brilliantly portrays the impact of colonialism on a traditional Nigerian village at the turn of the century. It told about the life of Okonkwo from Umuofia, deals with the rise and fall of Okonkwo. He was the leader of an Igbo (Ibo) community, from the events leading up to his banishment from the community for accidently killing a clansman, through the seven years of his government into tribal Igbo society, and describes the simultaneous disintegration of its protagonist Okonkwo and his village. Okonkwo was not born a great man, but he achieved success by his hard work. Okonkwo was opposed to his father’s way of life, and always feared failure. He lived with three wives, two barns filled with yams and a reputation for being a hard worker. But no body’s perfect, human is a human who has a lot of faults. He flew too high in a higher place. He got nothing in his final life and he fell apart. The novel was praised for its intelligent and realistic treatment of tribal beliefs and of psychological disintegration coincident with social unraveling. Things Fall Apart helped create the Nigerian literary renaissance of the 1960s.
Achebe takes the title for his novel from a line a classic Western modernist poem “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats, written 1919 and published in 1921. Yeats poem was attracted to the spiritual and occult world and fashioned for himself an elaborate mythology to explain human experience. The Second Coming written after the World War I and with communism and fascism rising is a compelling glimpse of an inhuman world about to the born. Yeats believed that history in part moved in two thousand-year cycles. The Christian era, which followed that of the ancient world, was about to give way to an ominous period represented by the rough, pitiless beast in the poem. This is the reason why Achebe chose to take the title of his novel from Yeats poem. And this is the quotation.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
are full of passionate intensity. (The Second Coming, 1)
Who is Achebe? Chinua Achebe was born in eastern Nigeria, 73 years ago. His family was Igbo and Christian. He was raised in the large village of Ogidi, one of the first centers of Anglican missionary work in Eastern Nigeria, and is a graduate of University College, Ibadan. In 1966, he worked for the Nigerian Broadcasting Company as Director of External Broadcasting. Next, he was appointed Senior Research Fellow at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He was a Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and also for one year at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, in 1972 until 1976 and again in 1987 to 1988. He got a lot of appreciation for his works (novels, poems or essays).
I see that the great Achebe’s written can influence everyone who ‘catch his mind’, who ‘touch’ his idealism. He is a truly Nigerian. In Things Fall Apart, I examine how Achebe wants to tell us about his real culture with his sarcasm. Here, I will focuses only on the feminism side. How and what the feminism, it will be explained in the next chapter.
I have many reasons to choose the point of view. When we see television, woman always becomes a main topic. Film, Novel, in Indonesia we have sinetron, or telenovela in Mexico, it talk about woman’s life, woman’s suffer, woman’s attitude. Woman as a symbol of beauty, she is very elegant. Woman as a symbol of sex, she has a lot of interesting thing. She knows she is weak. She can use her weakness to draw man attention. She is a mystery but she is suppressed.
CHAPTER II
THEORY
The first matter, we must know what is the Gender. First discussing about Gender in 1987 was proposed by Ann Oakly to distinguish between sex as a biological thing and construction reality of sociocultural from man and woman. Gender is a desire, habit, custom and tradition that close to one culture and as a distinguishing factor to separate the duty and social role between man and woman. Based on the reality that man differ with woman from biological aspect, gender be constructed in such through custom, tradition, habit, ‘upbringing pattern’, education, and so on, to distinguish between male and female.
We cannot realize that the distinction effect have discriminated them into unstable position. Woman role as female in social was emphasized in domestic sector because of their reproduction function enable to menstruation, pregnant, bear, and suckle. Base on the reproduction function above, woman is expected and constructed to take care of the children or manage household. And how about the man? The man has a different reproduction function with the woman, produce sperm and fertilize the woman’s ovum. Men are expected in social way to work outdoor, making a living1 for their families, and become a family protector. However, the role division tradition (domestic-public) makes an injury understanding2 especially for woman. The duty of the woman, finally, placed the woman at sub-ordinate position. Their status is not appreciated. We consider that the job like, take care children, cook, shopping (mean just for household need), is a trifling job and more humble than man who work outside and gain money. The man job more valuable therefore it placed man at the superior position.
The rule continues so that almost people consider it as a given3 (God’s omnipotence), and we play the rule rigidly. We have point of view that superior is typical for man and inferior is typical for woman. It is stereotyping. We convinced to the belief, woman do not have a firm attitude, so that they cannot become a leader.
Theory that is purposed to tell woman image must deal with the idea: Woman as a center of analysis. The theory close to woman image is “feminist literature critics” theory. Analyzing “feminist literature critics” need an instrument. The instrument is knowledge and understanding about feminism.
Goefe (via Sugihastuti, 2000:37) tell about feminism as a theory about similarity between man and woman in politic, economic and social; or activity to struggle for women basic rights.
From Social side, feminism comes from unsatisfaction to patriarchal system. The opinion suggested by Millet (Selden, 1996:139). He uses patriarchal (father system) to describe the reason of woman oppression. Patriarchal place woman as an inferior man. Woman’s activity is limited by civil life and household affairs.
Feminism is not math logical. Even woman is a majority, we have ratio about 1:3 (1 for man and 3 for woman), the same logical cannot use in the different group for different prosecution, include fans of Inul, a lover of Pete4, and F45 mania. The majority cannot dominate and control even their life.
If language as a gender, we hope literature can be opposite thing. Modern literary, formerly put itself as an activity to break through all of aspects close to language. Woman in literary appear as equivalency relation with marginal value; sentimental, feeling, and spiritual. But the way cannot avoid literature from gender structure. Woman always becomes a weak figure and victim. Things Fall Apart sees woman as a ‘weak figure’.
Philosopher tells that man/woman as good/bad, night/day, plurality/unity with associated woman to worst, night, and plurality. Woman is a motor, energy, and civilization. We have some examples - will be discussed as an examiner for the novel. The examples can be reality and it happen surrounds us.
Nawal El Saadawi tells by emotional words (emotive language)6 in her work, how women in Kafr Tahla (Arab) get unfair treatment. When they are young, they obey to their parents. The word ‘obey’ here means absoluteness. Women’s life is not recognized. They are unexpected. After they married, they must surrender to her husband. She explores the submission and powerlessness of women. No word besides the word ‘Yes’.
It is equal with Achebe’s culture. Whole world is an anxiety for women. In Indonesia, Japan, India, China, etcetera, did the same thing. The white man, who has liberal conception and place women equal with men, cannot avoid it. Someone - as we know then, a white man, treated his mother worst. He put her mother into garbage. When she found by someone, her condition was very bad and after an hour she was died.
The culture compelling woman to obey the rule that man can do polygamy. Kings have did it several years ago as if it is a rule of the Kingdom. Not only Kings do it, we can find a man with more than one wives now. For example, Koestoro Rahardjo from Pemalang, Center Java, has nine wives. Is it God’s omnipotence?
China culture places men as heir of family name. They dominate. They will try to get son. And if the women in China society have married, they will be “thrown” by their family and never get inheritance. Grandchildren from the “thrown” Chinese daughter called ‘outer grandchildren’.CHAPTER III
ANALYSIS
Before beginning this feminist analysis, we must review the historical and cultural context in which Things Fall Apart was written. Things Fall Apart described a response to colonialist representations of Africa and Africans. The Igbo society described by Achebe has definitive and complex social systems, values and traditions. Achebe presents customs such as the abandonment of multiple birth babies, and the sacrifice of human beings as conventions and not barbaric, inhumane rituals. He brilliantly places his characters within an ancient civilization with a labyrinthine system of governance and laws.
At the time, position of women in indigenous Nigerian societies was as sub-ordinate. They can obtain financial independence and rely on man. Learn about this literature is learn about feminist. In addition, as Iyasere (1969) states, reading Achebe's conventional world as a woman7, one cannot merely ascribe to the view that "one of Achebe's great achievements is his ability to keep alive our sympathy for Okonkwo despite the moral revulsion from some of his violent, inhuman acts." Instead, query whether this sympathy may remain intact for those reading through a feminist lens.
In Things Fall Apart (1969), women are viewed mainly as child bearers and help mates for their husbands. I will be focused to Ekwefi, Okonkwo’s second wife, and Ezinma (Ekwefi’s daughter) as two major female characters, and several name as minor female character. Criticism based on the presumption of continuity between the readers' experience and a woman's experience and on a concern with the images of women is likely to become most forceful.
Ekwefi, she is Okonkwo’s second wife. She had ten children but only one child still life. The most beautiful girl in Umuofia left her first husband (Amalinze the Cat) and came to live with Okonkwo. Means that she is brave lady. She is also a good mother and patient woman. We can find that she is a well knowledge, love, and fierce independence. Ekwefi has endured much heartache and stigmatism. She loves her only living daughter very much. The relationship between the mother and the daughter is very special. But unfortunately, Okonkwo sometime treats her worst. We can point how cruel Okonkwo treat his wives. When Ekwefi make a mistake, he very angry and beat her with his heavy hand.
Okonkwo, who had been walking about aimlessly in his compound in suppressed anger, suddenly found an outlet. “Who killed this banana tree?” he asked. A hush fell on the compound immediately. “Who killed this tree? Or you all deaf and dumb?” ……. Without further argument Okonkwo gave her a sound beating and left her and her only daughter weeping. (Chapter 5, page 38)
We told about the relationship between Ekwefi and her only living child above, is very special. They are not only that of mother and child. There is something in it like the companionship of equals, which is strengthened by such little conspiracies as eating eggs in the bedroom. Enzima do not call her Nne (mother) like all children. She called her by her name. Despite the relationship is unique, she doesn’t mind about it.
“Ekwefi,” she said, “is it true that when people are grown up, fire does not burn them?” Ezinma, unlike most children, called her mother by her name. (Chapter 5, page 40)
In our society (Indonesia) the habit of Ezinma hurt the mother’s heart. The mother has bore the child and however child must honor their parents. People say even your mother is a prostitute, but Heaven placed under mother’s sole of foot.
Ezinma is Ekwefi daughter. She was born as a girl, but there is man soul trapped in her body. She is great girl. She likes to do whatever the man to do. Nwoye’s mother calls her Ezigbo, which means ‘the good one’. Like mother, like daughter. They resemble. She inherited her mother beauty. And she is very diligent. Okonkwo proud to her, though he wishes she became a real boy. Because Ibo people prefer have a son rather than daughter.
If Ezinma had been a boy I would have been happier. She has the right spirit.” (Chapter 8, page 66)
Achebe places the characteristic of Ezinma to tease the circumstances at the time. The woman, who live under pressure and place in subordinate, can get up and stronger than Nwoye, Okonkwo’s first son, even than Okonkwo.
Ojiugo is the youngest Okonkwo’s wife. There are a little bit stories about her, only about the Okonkwo’s brutal beating. What happen with Ekwefi, it is happen to Ojiugo. When Ojiugo go to her friends house, Okonkwo looking for her to ask his meal. Okonkwo was very angry when he did not find her everywhere. And after she returned, he beat her very heavily.
Okonkwo was provoked to justifiable anger by his youngest wife, who went to plait hair at her friend’s house and did not return early enough to cook the afternoon meal. (Chapter 4, page 29)
In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace. He did not forgive her fault. With his arrogance, he still defends his self. He should hear the wise man say ‘if man cannot forgive woman with her little bit mistake, he never enjoy her greatness virtue’8.
It proofs that woman role as female in social was emphasized in domestic sector. Woman is expected and constructed to take care of the children or manage household. The woman place is only in the kitchen. It is the woman range.
We also point Okonkwo’s neighbor, Mgbofo who tortured by his husband, Uzowulu, even when she is pregnant.
“Last year when my sister was recovering from an illness, he beat her again so that if the neighbors had not gone in to save she would have been killed. We heard of it, and did as you have been told. The law of Umuofia is that if a woman runs away from her husband her bride-price is returned. But in this case she ran away to save her life….” (Chapter 10, page 92)
The harshness did not happen only in Okonkwo’s life or families, but in all of Umuofia culture. And the tradition of Umuofia people is polygamy. Woman is only like a jewel, used when they are need. A mistake from a man is only a little accident like getting grazed, but when a woman make mistake, it call a big dangerous like getting crashed by truck.
Almost men in Umuofia do polygamy. Okoye, Okonkwo’s neighbor has three wives. Okonkwo also has three wives. Nwakibie, the rich man in Okonkwo’s village has nine wives. It is about useless people. Are women useless people or she is only a jewelry?So why Ekwefi feel that she has failed, not because she cannot have a viable child, but because she cannot provide her husband with male progeny who would, then, carry on in his father’s name.
The ironic thing illustrated by the occurrence, which the first wife in Umuofia society, will appreciate better than the youngest, for instance in Nwakibie household.
“Is Anasi not in?” he asked them. They said she was coming. Anasi was the first wife and the others could not drink before her, and so they stood waiting. (Chapter 3, page 20)
The first wife wore the anklet of her husband’s titles, which the first wife alone could wear. It seems the first wife is special one. Though wives do not admitted, but the first wife still appreciates, they are paid some respect from a man in Ibo society.
The other critics refer to the differ case. Achebe shows that Ibo nonetheless assign important roles to women. For example, women painted the houses of the Egwugwu. The Ibo society always consults about a miserable harvest, to ask about their future, when they quarrel with neighbors, and when misfortune comes to them. They consult to the priestess. The priestess is a woman that has full power of God. And they believe to them. It mean they believe to women’s word.
Many years ago when Okonkwo was still a boy his father, Unoka, had gone to consult Agbala. The priestess in those days was a woman called Chika. She was full of power of her god, and she was greatly feared. (Chapter 3, page 17)
The importance of woman’s role appears when Okonkwo is exiled to his motherland, Mbanta. When Okonkwo get a problem, without realizing it, Okonkwo shoots a young member of his community and kills him. Though this was an accident, Okonkwo has to abide with the law that deems he should be banished from his village for seven years. So he go to his motherland and he feel save over there. 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. When the bad time come to him, mother can make him comfort. Thus comes the saying “Mother is supreme”.
This is not his clan. We are only his mother’s kinsmen. He does not belong here. He is an exile, condemned for seven years to live in a strange land……A child belongs to its father and his family and not to its mother and her family. A man belongs to his fatherland and not to his motherland. And yet say Nneka - ‘Mother is Supreme’ (Chapter 14, page 133)
Things Fall Apart teases men arbitrariness in Ibo culture. The strong and arrogant men lost in gentleness of women. Nwoye, Okonkwo’s first son, get too much from his mother way of life. For instance, he preferred hear his mother story than masculine stories of violence and bloodshed from his father. His mother, the first wife of Okonkwo, is kind and graceful woman. Nwoye become a weak and lazy boy. His gestures like a girl. But actually his characteristics are inherited of his grandfather, Unoka.
“Nwoye is old enough to impregnate a woman. At his age I was already fending for myself. No, my friend, he is not too young. A chick that will grow into a cock can be spotted the very day it hatches. I have done my best to make Nwoye grow into a man, but there is much of his mother in him.” (Chapter 8, page 66)
The other characteristic that proves the weakness of men in Umuofia is Unoka, Okonkwo’s father. He was Agbala. He did not inherit everything, even his name to his children except debt.
Unoka, for that was his father’s name, had died ten years ago. In his day he was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow. (Chapter 1, page 4)
Okonkwo is a strong man in his physical but weak in his psychological. He treats everyone with his heavy hand, but actually his mental is suffered. He bears ill will to his father. His physical and his psychological are unequal. He dominates his wives and his children as a big mountain protect shelter in rice field. Everyone is afraid to him. Yet he is weak as mist.
Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children. Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. (Chapter 2, page 13)
Okonkwo’s ruled in his household contradicted The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person”. (3rd article). He should not beat his wives and protect his families. However, he needs ‘mother’ when he suffers.
CHAPTER IV
CONCLUSION
When we read Things Fall Apart at a glance, we find how suffer the women, weak and useless. When we study it then, we know they exist. Even they are under pressure. There is, moreover, no week or even day of peace for the women of Umuofia. They cannot find sanctuary within the confines of their own homes, or the arms of their own husbands. The men cannot appreciate them as a person. The young girl, who should get pure love from their father, does not get anything except harshness. The young girl should get warmth from her families and protected by her father so that she is going to feel save as a little girl.
One must acknowledge as well that male and female roles are societal constructs, and thus, the entire female identity is based more upon societal constraints rather than physiological realties. Women are taught to mother - pregnant, bear, suckle and cooking for husband, while men are conditioned to dominate and control. The unanimity of the patriarchy is the main priority of the community, rather than the physical safety of its women.
The harshness of a man in Umuofia is unequal with his weakness physical. It shows in Things Fall Apart. His bad temper and his bad treat to the woman in their society shows that they want hide the facts and anxiety.
And the women role, which was discussed before ¾ as a ‘victim’ and as a weakness, finally places her at the supreme. We consider that she is not a subordinate anymore.
In Things Fall Apart, Ezinma is the embodient of all the women, represent: intelligence, vitality, and fortitude. She is as brave as boy.
Achebe’s novel teaches us how strong the men, they will fail someday and he will surrender to the women affectation. He reminds us to spirit of Kartini in Indonesia. However, never discriminate justice for men and women because our Creature is not men or women. And women still appreciate with a big honor. Not only in Okonkwo’s story, but the reality in our life. That’s why there is a Mother’s day, not Father’s day? And why all of foundation in whole the world held Miss Universe and Miss World election, not Mr. Universe? Every year beauty foundation of USA held Miss USA and of course not Mr. USA. Another example, every 21 April, in Indonesia celebrate Kartini’s day. It proof how means so much the women to men’s life.
Lady goin’ into a period
Come and become
Open your eyes, Lady
you are not snow in the Christmas Eve
Weak up, Lady
and open your mouth
When you are lying in bed,
you are “it” now
(LADY, own collection)
1 making a living : looking for some money for families life (Ind:mencari nafkah).
2 injury understanding : belief in the community that make woman injury - as seen in Konseling Berwawasan Gender page:21
3 given : God’s will, something given by God to the creature - as seen in Konseling Berwawasan Gender page:24 (Ind:kodrat).
4 Pete : Name of food from Indonesia, something like bean with pungent odor.
5 F4 : singer from Taiwan.
6 emotive language : she (Nawal) give name to her works ‘emotive language’. Nawal El Saadawi (72 years old) is a writer from Kafr Tahl (Arab). All of her works tell about powerlessness of women. Her works among others; Perempuan di Titik Nol and Memoar Seorang Dokter Perempuan.
7 reading as a woman (means not read as man) - taken from On Decontruction:Theory and Critism after Structuralism by Jonathan Culler (1982).
8 taken from Kahlil Gibran Wordsworth, ‘Sand and Foam’.
REFERENCES
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. London: Heinemann, 1958.
Arivia, Gadis. Filsafat Berperspektif Feminis. Yayasan Jurnal Perempuan, 2003.
El Saadawi, Nawal. Tak Ada Tempat Bagi Perempuan di Surga. Jogja: Pustaka Pelajar, 2003.
Gibran, Kahlil. Sand and Foam. Jakarta: Pustaka Jaya, 1996.
Hayati, Elli Nur. Konseling Berwawasan Gender (Panduan untuk Pendamping Perempuan Koban Kekerasan). Jogja: Rifka Annisa, 2000.
Heryanto, Ariel. Mayoritas?. KOMPAS (Asal Usul), Sunday 12th October 2003.
JAWA POS (Written about Koestoro Rahardjo ¾ Man with Nine Wives), Friday 31st October 2003.
Nugroho, Yanusi. Hutan Bambu, Hutan Sembilu. KOMPAS, Sunday 12th October 2003.
Sugihastuti, Adib Sofia. Feminisme dan Sastra, Menguak Citra Perempuan dalam Layar Terkembang. Bandung: Katarsis, 2003.
Teresa, Mother. Lieben, Bis Es Weh Tut (Cinta Yang Total). Jogja: Kanisius, 1990.
United Nations Department of Public Information. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Sekretariat Justice & Peace, Keuskupan Surabaya, 1988.
Winarsono, Y.B. Emancipation. CONTACT, NSC’s monthly bulletin, 1997.
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