Beyond the Margins: Re-evaluating the Representation of Women in Chinua Achebe’s Fiction

Abstract

Chinua Achebe ’s fiction, in its ever so popular work as a rebuilder of African identity and history, has faced criticism over the way it has silenced women’s voices under the patriarchal Igbo society. Yet a more careful reading shows us that even the women in Achebe’s villages are anything but banal: they exude quiet strength, resilience and moral authority. Abstract This article revisits Achebe’s presentation of women in Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God and No Longer at Ease to reveal levels of agency frequently overlooked by conventional criticism. Within the framework of post-colonial feminist theory, this study posits that Achebe's women are only victims of patriarchy, but also active agents in maintaining the continuity of culture and stability of society. Through figures such as Ekwefi, Ezinma, and Akueke, Achebe interrogates one-dimensional notions of African womanhood and points to a complex view of gender in Igboland. The paper argues that Achebe’s portrayal of women is underpinned by patriarchal borderlines, but at the same time humanises and dignifies them, encouraging readers to consider the “beyond the margins” of narrative visibility.