"'I wish she were a boy' Okonkwo thought within himself. She understood things so perfectly. Who else among his children could have read his thoughts so well? With two beautiful grown-up daughters his return to Umuofia would attract considerable attention. His future sons-in-law would be men of authority in the clan. The poor and unknown would not dare come forth." (page 173)
Okonkwo has a very misogynistic outlook on life. He abhors anything that he views as feminine or weak. He routinely beats his wives and verbally berates people, calling them women for disagreeing with him. He also views the women around him as objects to be used for getting ahead. He views his wives as a symbol of his financial prosperity and plans to get two more wives when he returns to Umuofia. Yup. Apparently three punching bags oh wait... Wives, I'm sorry, weren't enough.
Okonkwo views and treats women as objects that he can use to improve his own status.It is abundantly clear that he doesn't actually love his wives or even care for them that much based on the way he frequently abuses them. The only female the audience ever sees Okonkwo connect with is his daughter Ezinma, and even then, he continually remarks that he wishes "she were a boy". Then, because she is female, he reduces her worth to her marriageability because he believes she will be able to marry a man of a high status.
He claims that because of his daughter's beauty, his return to Umuofia will "attract considerable attention". He is already planning that he will marry his daughters off to "men of authority in the clan" so that he himself could gain power and prestige.
This selfish and misogynistic view of women characterizes Okonkwo. Not only does he abuse his many wives, he also reduces his daughters value to their marriageability and plans to use them to further himself by marrying them off to men in power.
Lol, by the way, I'm writing this while wearing my "Feminist" t-shirt. I thought you folks would appreciate the irony.
The content of this post is really strong and very interesting. I wish it was a little longer though, I am positive that you have more to say and I think that any elaboration you would give would be really thought-provoking! Otherwise, I love the analysis that you give of Okwonko's character and his relationship to the women around him. I think that your statement that he relates to Ezinma only on terms of marriageability is really strong. I also love your tone, and how you let it shift into an academic and more formal tone as you start explicating the passage. It makes your argument very strong and believable.
ReplyDeleteThis post is very strong in its ideas. I love you sarcastic playful tone as it reflects your personal opinions. As Olivia said in the comment above, the piece could be fleshed out a little more. You could do so by integrating some quotations, lengthening your passage and giving more concrete examples of how Okwonko displays his disdain for women throughout the text. However, overall it is interesting and engaging. Nice job.
ReplyDeleteYou clearly have a very strong opinion on this passage, which, in turn, strengthens the explication. I would have liked to see a more in-depth analysis of the passage in addition to that of his misogyny as a whole. It would definitely strengthen the piece even further. Also, I love your shirt!
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