1. Consider gender roles in the Igbo community and discuss the status & expectations of women and men / 2. How does the novel meet the author's aim of portraying a pre-colonial Nigeria?

1.

There is a perceivable difference between what is expected of women in the Igbo tribe from what it is expected by men. While the society is centered on the masculine figure, women are secluded to the home and taking care of internal family issues. The Ibo is a polygamous culture, where a man is permitted to live with more than one wife.

The feminine presence is completely eclipsed by the patriarch of the family. Even when the narrator tells us about one of Okonkwo’s wives, she refers to it through him “…asked his second wife…” (p.22) or through the name of his son “…Nwoye’s mother took Ikemefuna…” (p.12) This allows us to appreciate a reification of the figure of women, at least coming from the protagonist’s point of view.

They fulfill the role of developing activities that seem to be exclusive to women, like cooking. While men wrestle and take care of the external ambit, women are in charge of taking care of the younger girls and teach them the household arts. “ ‘Father will you go see the wrestling ? ‘(…) …she said: ‘Can I bring your chair for you?’ ‘No, that is a boy’s job.’” (p.33) The girls are limited to some special jobs and are preferred to do house jobs.

Even if the women are secluded to the home and have a lesser importance in society than men, the culture protects them and their transcendence for the tribe. “ ‘ Your wife was at fault, but even if you came into your obi and found her lover on top of her, you would still have committed a great evil to beat her.’ “ (p.23) The priest of the earth goddess, Ani, defends the position of Okonkwo’s wife  when she had committed a mistake because the community and traditions of the tribe consider that beating a woman is extremely inappropriate and could affect the whole clan. 

2.

The novel written by Chinua Achebe meets the purpose of depicting the pre-colonial Nigeria through the use of diverse methods. It gives a vivid image of the society and its traditions, culture, worldview and ideals. Through the presence of native language and idioms, he manages to accomplish the purpose of showing the pre-colonial country as it was.

The author applies the use of native sayings and proverbs to identify the text with the native culture. “…said the next half a dozen sentences in proverbs. Among the Ibo the art of conversation is regarded very highly…” (p.5 - 6) It is mentioned in the book that the tribe vastly appreciates the use of good language and proverbs as if it was an art.

Celebrations and traditional feasts are also described to contribute plausibility to the text. “The Feast of the New Yam was held every year before the harvest began…” (p.27) Every society has its own traditions and ways to celebrate, and including this into what can be called a ‘regionalist novel’.

And finally, the use of words borrowed directly from the Ibo language and incorporated into English to portray the way in which the community speaks. “…ogene…”(p.8) , “The elders, or ndichie…”(p.10) It changes the way in which we see a piece of writing when borrowing words from another language can be appreciated. It almost changes it to make the reader believe that it is supposed to be originally written in that language it is 'loaning' words from.