Things Fall Apart Question 2

11/6/2013

What are your impressions of women in the Ibo society? How might Achibe's viewpoint be limited here?

I think that the women are giving and forgiving. They are a important part of a household, however, they are not controlling of the household. Also they clean and they are the cooks. Each wife cooks one meal. They also are the carer of the household and they are mostly what we would call "stay-at-home" moms. Women are seen as less powerful (they do not have multiple husbands while husbands have multiple wives). The highest title they can get is "Wife of [insert name here]" or Priestess. They are usually referred to "Mother of [insert name here]" or "[insert name here] [number] wife". To call a man a "woman" is a huge insult.... which means they do not respect women that much. There is also a woman's social structure and a man's social structure. 

Achibe's viewpoint is limited because he himself is not a woman, he does not know what they think. He also does not know what they do when he is not watching. Therefore, his viewpoint is limited in the ways of the women in Ibo society. He also did not live in the colonial time in Africa, therefore he cannot get any perspective from the women and has to gather information that may or may not be true.