"Okonkwo was inwardly pleased at his son's development, and he knew it was due to Ikemefuna. He wanted Nwoye to grow into a tough young man capable of ruling his father's household when he was dead and gone to join the ancestors. He wanted him to be a prosperous man, having enough in his barn to feed the ancestors with regular sacrifices. And so he was always happy when he heard him grumbling about women. That showed that in time he would be able to control his women-folk. No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man" (Achebe 52-53).
Gender Inequality
In this quote we get a sense of the gender roles and gender inequality that took place during the time of the book "Things Fall Apart." Okonkwo, a prosperous man who desires strength and success believes that women are like property, and a man who knows how to control his women would be prosperous. Okonkwo desires his son to obtain these qualities and beliefs as well. Nwoye (Okonkwo's son) begins to spend a lot of time with Ikemefuna (the traded boy from another town) and begins to grasp some of his traits in the process. With the help of Ikemefuna, Nwoye begins to find annoyance towards women. This annoyance creates a desire within him to control the women around him. This annoyance makes Okonkwo happy because he realizes his son is becoming a true man, something he doubted earlier, before Ikemufuna entered their lives. Okonkwo now believes that his son will become prosperous like himself and feels comfortable knowing that his legacy will continue.
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