For my Things Fall Apart essay I will be using the Feminism lens. The way the women in this book were treated is definitely way different than women are treated now. Well, some women are still treated like that, but for a majority, that is a thing of the past. In the story, the men strongly believed that "Nature intended women to be our slaves...they are our property...what a mad idea to demand equality for women" (Napoleon Bonaparte). Each man had his own little living compound. In this compound was his Obi, and then a shack for each of his wives and their kids. Each wife would cook and serve him each meal and take care of the kids. The man was the "ruler" of his little compounds. Also unlike now, it was custom to have several wives and several children with each wife. Also in this time, it was completely okay for the man to beat his wives for no apparent reason. The only time this was frowned upon was during the period right before the growing season. It was believed that it was disrespectful to the Gods and there for if you beat your wife, you would have a bad growing season. In the beginning of the article, it talks about how " women... must define for themselves what it means to be a woman. Women themselves must take the lead and articulate who they are and what role they will play in society by rejecting the patriarchal assumption that women are inferior to men." This relates to the book in the fact that not all women are "passive, meek, and humble". A great example of this is Ceilo. She was very strong and powerful when she came to take the daughter. She picked the girl up, put her on her back and set off into the forest. She walked all night in complete blackness with the girl on her back. She walked to a completely different village and then almost all the way back without even stopping or slowing her pace. This all relates back to the fact that not all women are the same. It depends on their personality and how they define themselves.
