Our Wives: A Look at the Role Women Play in “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe

What startles me the most here is the role of women in this particular culture. Also, the way the justice system "dissolves" issues leaves me to ponder continuously, even about present day injustices. Okonkwo no doubt a dedicated father, seems to be trying too hard with his children by somewhat shaping them in his own image. To do this, he presents himself of strong masculine character. He disguises his real emotions behind this acceptable image of manly character in this village and thus jeopardizes essential relations with his family especially his sons. He displays this weakness following the killing of his son Ikemefuna where he does not eat or sleep well for some days. He later asks himself “when did you become a shivering old woman...you, who are known in all the nine villages for your valor in war? How can a man who has killed five men in battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to their number? Okonkwo, you have become a woman indeed” (Chinua Achebe 65). The fact that he compares himself to a woman here, establishes how women are viewed in this small village. Women are belittled; they are beaten and are not included in meetings regarding matters of their Oracle. Their marriages are arranged and the only comfort they occasionally find is through bonding with each other. This is true for Okonkwo wives who console each other when one has been beaten. The justice system seems to value some acts over the others. For example, Okonkwo and his family exiles to neighboring villages after he accidentally shoots Ezeudu's son at his funeral. Following this, his home, farm and animals were all burnt as a way to rid all lingering evil forces he may have left behind. However, when he beats his wives even during peace week, he is not punished. This is to say that killing someone accidentally bears more weight than beating your wife. Again, the typical role of a woman is being questioned for it seems as though they are merely there to serve the purposes of procreating, and providing domestic work as well as happily coexisting in polygamous marriages.

The point I would like to establish is that fact that being born into poverty does not necessarily mean that you will be less fortunate for the rest of your life. I will support this statement by disproving the proverb which goes to say “like father like son” where in “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe we see the struggle of Okonkwo to surpass his early age poverty stricken conditions. Unlike his father, Okonkwo was very determined to be successful; he was a man of action, which at times got him into trouble because of his arrogance. Okonkwo’s father Unoka, was often described as very lazy and laidback. He was someone who owed large amounts of money to almost everyone in his neighbor yet he was talented enough with words and managed to borrow even more. They were poor, since he had no steady occupation. He didn’t have any land to farm like almost every other person in the neighborhood. Growing up and experiencing this, one will expect Okonkwo to be like his dad, but, he was exactly the opposite. And his experiences definitely motivated him to be stronger and brave unlike his dad. He’s especially showed this when he criticizes his sons for being lazy despite their age. He says “I will not have a son who cannot hold up his head in the gathering of the clan. I would sooner strangle him with my own hands” (Achebe 33).   Here he is instilling in his children the qualities that they need to be strong and successful like he is. He wants to give them what he himself never got from his father.

Never Forget Where You Came From: Using Psychoanalytic Theory to analyze “Dee” in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”

Every day in our lives, we meet that one person who is now a success but was extremely poor while growing up. Most of these people however share their success stories as an inspiration to others, rarely do you ever hear them put down their upbringings. The few who do put down the way they were raised are usually ashamed of it and avoid revisiting such moments in their lives. Usually they are not aware of the impact it have on others, especially their immediate family members. Little do they realize that where you have been and those who surrounded you have helped to mold you into the person you are today. We see this in Dee’s character in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”. Dee was able to obtain a college education despite their lack of wealth and is now a successful individual; one of the few who have forgotten where she came from. Therefore, in this piece, using psychoanalytic theories and approaches we will establish the reasons for and why Dee avoids her past life and how does her decisions reflect on others.

Dee was born to a single mother of two. Her mother never had the opportunity to be educated beyond the second grade, but was able to help raise enough money to send Dee off to “Augusta to school” (Walker 276). Dee appears to have limited contact with her family. On several occasions, she writes them, as the narrator explained, “she wrote me once that no matter where we “choose” to live, she will manage to come see us. But she will never bring her friends” (Walker 276). This shows that Dee is indeed ashamed of her past life; the life that made her the person she is today. Dee therefore uses the defense of avoidance to help her cope with these issues for according to Tyson, “we are practicing avoidance when we stay away from people, places, or situations that might stir up repressed experiences” (26). In this case, we were told that Dee never liked her living conditions while growing up, according to the narrator, “Dee wanted nice things” (Walker 276). Mama tends to have always given Dee everything she ever wanted. She was always the opportune one and so it is extremely sad for the way she now treats her family who only had her best interests at heart.

As the story developed, we see Dee also developing an insecure sense of self. According to Tyson, this occurs when we are unsure of our true selves or, it occurs when we have difficulty establishing our personal identity. Dee is portrayed to be a very confused person who does not know her true self and is somewhat in search of it. Dee eventually changes her name which had strong family heritage to “Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo”. She claims, “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me” (Walker 278). She continues by reassuring them that Dee is “dead”. Therefore, we can infer that Dee changed her name to break ties to her heritage and to forget where she came from.

Psychoanalytic theory can also be used to establish Dee’s fear of intimacy issues. According to Tyson this it the “unshakeable and over powering feeling that emotional closeness will seriously damage or destroy us and that we must, therefore, protect ourselves by remaining at an emotional distance from others” (27). We see this in Dee due to the fact that she hardly visits her family. Also, when she does visit them, she coldly brushes them off and insults them with her new name and knowledge. She does not greet them either. Indeed, she fears something bigger and deeper within herself; one that she is afraid to let out. Some may ask how can you not love and care for you family especially when they paved your way to success? For Dee, it seems that success far away from her family is the best thing that could ever happen to her. She seems to have built up the defense of denial which she uses to deny her family a relationship with her.

Dee’s issues definitely affect others around her despite her carefree attitude. According to the narrator, “she used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks’ habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice”, (Walker 276). We can definitely say that Dee is partly responsible for both her mother and sisters insecurity issues for the way she goes off on them. For example, Dee ask her mother for the quilt made by past on relatives, the same ones who she claimed oppresses her, when mama notes that she wants to give it to her sister, Dee bellows, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!...She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use” (Walker 280). She is hereby insulting her mother’s opinion and her sister’s sense of being by inferring that she somewhat lacks intelligence and common sense. She continues her charade after her visit by addressing her sister saying, “You ought to make something of yourself too, Maggie. It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama live you’d never know it” (Walker 281). Again, she continues to insult them as though the life they live if not good enough so they ought to seek better. It is as though she tries to justify her reasons for wanting to forget where she came from.

How the text of “The Last Asset” characterizes Mrs. Newell

Mrs. Newell is undoubtedly the kind of lady who uses everything and everyone around her for self-gains. She appears to be very competitive and someone who would go above and beyond to gain and maintain social class and status. She uses her daughter to gain acceptance and to maintain in the superior class by marrying her off to a wealthy French man for as Wharton states, “what was the use of producing and educating a handsome daughter if she did not, in some more positive way, contribute to her parent’s advancement” (218). She also use her husband as an “asset” to compliment her appearance at her daughter’s wedding for according to her, “I was given to understand at once that my husband must appear-if only to establish the fact that we’re not divorced” (Wharton 224). To her everything and everyone is a commodity and wealth and class amongst her appearance matters most.

Using Marxist Theory to analyze Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”

Marxist theorist supports a society with no class and to justify this they claim that it divides society. Some of the basic concepts described by this theory include classism and capitalism. When analyzing Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”, some of these basic concepts can be identified. The story is set in the late 1900’s in the South. The story portrays a poor family struggling for survival. We are greeted by a single mother of two who struggles to take care of her family in the best way possible.

In everyday life, we see the effect of classism on our society; a shattered society divided by the amount of wealth one has; a society where only the richest can afford the best of everything. Likewise, in “Everyday Use”, we see how classism has affected a small struggling family. As was highlighted in the aforementioned, the Johnson family belongs to a struggling lower class. This therefore means that there is little opportunity and resources at their disposal. Luckily for Dee, she had the rare opportunity of going off to college and getting an education, unlike her sister Maggie. In every society, education is a symbol of great success; it is a symbol for social class, status and power.  Dee fails to associate herself with her family because of their lack of social class and status. One way she deals with this is by changing her name. When questioned about her decision to do this, she claims, “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me” (Walker 278). The story portrays Dee to be very fortunate yet she appears to have forgotten where she came from; she has forgotten the struggles which surrounded her while growing up. Dee shows up at her mother’s home dressed in a way that not even her mother can identify. She appears selfish and undoubtedly ungrateful. The Marxist Theory therefore tries to eliminate effects of classism on society for we can identify with Maggie because of the way her sister treats her by making her feel less of a person. This is what the Marxist tries to avoid.

Capitalist ideologies can also be identified in the “Everyday Use”. For example, there was evidence of competition and the American dream. Competition in this piece is obvious even if it’s not welcomed by the opponents. In this case, Dee is always selfish towards her sister and speaks down to her intellectually even though she is aware that her sister does not understand what she speaks of. She appears to be so self-involved that she forgets others around her. For example, Dee tries to acquire some old quilts made by passed relatives and when her mother denies her the quilts claiming that she intended on giving them to her sister, Dee bellows, “ Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!...she’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use” (Walker 280).

We have all heard of the American dream, some of us have even dreamt the American dream. But what really is this American dream?  According to Tyson, this is a kind of determination in all of us to strive for a better life; he calls this “rags to riches” (59). We can see how this theory plays out in the Walker’s piece. Dee has always dreamed for and hoped for a better life but her mother and sister are yet to experience this. And she appears to be extremely proud of whom she has become but still ashamed of her family, as she addresses her sister, “you ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie. It’s really a new era for all of us. But from the way you and Mama still live you’d never know it” (Walker 281). Some may share these same beliefs like Dee but the Marxist strongly opposes it. They establish that everyone does not have equal opportunities or resources readily available to them; therefore, not everyone can reap the rewards. And this is the case here, for Maggie never had the opportunities like her sister did, she has never encountered that will or push to be better. Dee seems to think that her family is responsible for their being but the Marxist blames the whole concept of the American dream for this.

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