Exploring Power Structure and Females’ Subjugation: A Marxist Feminist Analysis of Things Fall Apart

Abstract

The present paper aims to scrutinize and unmask multifaceted webs of power structures and female suppression. The paper presents the power dynamics, marginalization of female characters, and patriarchy in Ibo culture. Economic disequilibrium in the culture is the root cause of gender inequalities, male dominance, and female subordination. In his novel, Achebe manifests female’s unpaid labor, socio-economic position, and their contribution to farming. Preparation of food, bearing children, securing male lineage, and fulfilling marital duties are regarded as primary tasks of female characters in the novel. The text of “Things Fall Apart” has been scrutinized by keeping in mind the approach of close reading. The ideology of Marxist Feminism propounded by Angels (1884) has been taken into consideration to get a better understanding of female suppression. Okonkwo’s wives are diligent but they lack social status. This research paper endeavors to analyze self-imposed constraints upon unrecognized female characters. The paper will give a new insight into interlocking systems of oppression, patriarchy, and economic disequilibrium.