25 July 2012
Masculinity
In the novel, Okonkwo decides to kill Ikemefuna because he does not want to appear weak in front of the other men of the tribe. He values masculinity very highly, and does not want to ruin his good image. I think this shows that the Umuofia tribe has a very skewed view of masculinity and courage. The real courageous thing to do would have been to remain home and not betray the trust of the one he loved, yet because of societal pressure, Okonkwo views staying home as cowardly. This skewed view can also be seen in the titles they take. All that needs to be done to take a title is to pay a certain amount, yet somehow these titles represent manliness to the tribe.
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5 comments:
I think you are absolutely right. He said he didn't want to be a cowardly effeminate man like his father, but when he went against the advice of the elders (to stay home and not have a hand in killing him) and killed Ikemefuna, that was to me a very weak thing to do. He looked into his son's eyes and killed him with little regret. How can someone with such low morals have such high honor and be respected by so many?
I'm agreeing with both of you here. I read something from one critic who made a good point in saying that Okonkwo's actions brought out the problems in the society. In this case they have no peaceful, humane way to deal with a problem such as a murder and an outsider. The person who killed someone from Okonkwo's tribe didn't even seem to be punished instead he/she was bailed out by a young virgin and a young boy who lost his life for something he didn't even do. Okonkwo's extreme masculinity is definitely even more out of line then his tribe's, theirs is extreme and skewed, but Okonkwo's is even more and that emphasizes even more the flaws in Umuofia society.
I completely agree. The killing of his basically adopted son did not seem masculine at all. Especially since other members of the tribe advised him not too.
The idea of masculinity is all relative to the society in which it is perceived. The boy was a prisoner in Umuofia and was simply waiting the death penalty; to not perform this inevitable act would have made him appear weak because he would not be able to do what needed to be done. In today’s society yes that is wrong, but in the time and place of Okonkwo it was necessary to prove he was still a man and should be respect as such.
Steven is right, in this society that is manhood. Haley you have a good point saying that it is skewed (which it seems like to us), but for their society (while it's maybe not right) is manly. And Oko values himself and his self image so much that even though he liked the boy, he was able to push it aside for what made him seen more "manly".
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