Gender

Throughout the entire novel, the reader can witness the sexist aspects within this society. To begin with, Umuofia is some sort of democracy in which the men meet at decision-making time, discuss the options and come up with conclusion; some of the men are more ‘powerful’ than others, however women have no absolute say in any single matter. Then, there is also the fact that depending on a man’s fame and his titles he can have a certain number of wives. This undermines the women’s role in society for the author illustrates a picture which shows that they are basically treated as reproductive machines. Okonkwo has three wives and several children with most of them; he treats them as maids who are only useful when they are in the kitchen and conceiving babies. Then again, when Okonkwo is exiled, he seeks comfort in his mother’s homeland, Mbanto, and lives there for the next seven years. The author states:

"It is true that a child belongs to his father. But when the father beats his child, it seeks sympathy in its mother's hut. A man belongs to his father land when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness, he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you. She is buried there. And that is why we say that mother is supreme." (pg. 134)

This shows that even though women aren't much respected in their youth by their husbands, they are respected by their sons and daughter. Mothers are a form of refuge; they are acknowledged and not taken for granted.