Eleanor Allen
I.B. HL English
Mrs. Goldberg

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, both have very prominent male characters. In Things Fall Apart, the protagonist is a man named Okonkwo, who is part of the Ibo tribe, in what is now Nigeria. He has always lived in shame of his father, who he considered to be weak, feminine and sentimental. In A Doll’s House, the main male figure is Torvald, the protagonists Nora’s husband, a man who is so set in trying to conform to society’s image of masculinity that it causes him to lose his wife in the end. Both the characters of Okonkwo and Torvald try to respect the traditional societal values regarding roles of men and women, which has a damaging affect for their relationships with other characters in each of the novels, such as Okonkwo’s relationship with Nwoye and Ikemefuna, or Torvald’s relationship with Nora and Krogstad. Both the works portray similar values that society has for men, including the idea that men should be physically strong, and able to protect there families. Okonkwo demonstrates this quality first hand multiple times, starting at a young age: “As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat” (3). Just by accomplishing that feat, he earns a lot of respect, which continues to grow “ like a bush fire” (3) as he continues to prove himself strong. Many acts of violence, such as being “ the first to bring home a human head” (10), are acts that gain him a lot of fame, reflecting the importance that his society puts on being strong to be a man. Okonkwo’s masculinity is not only demonstrated in battle, but also in an act to protect his family. His daughter Ezinma is taken during the night by a priestess, who claimed that a god wanted to see her, and Ekwefi, Ezinma’s mother, follows, despite the priestess’ warnings not too: “‘Somebody is walking behind me!’ she said. “ Whether you are spirit or man, may Agbala shave your head