Dehumanization In Things Fall Apart

Society functions because of what people do within their societies. The impact of the way people interact with each other allows power to be distributed to individuals. Individuals experience many different ways of life as seen throughout many different aspects of literature. Humanity is based on the interaction between humans and how acts of compassion, especially from strangers, evokes emotion. All across the world exists class systems, and extensive ways of thinking that shape the people that live within them. Within the literature from an expanse of authors, these readings allow a great insight into the world and a deeper examination of different regions and how they operate. One major part of every society is dehumanization within the
It is built into every society that the male is the dominant figure and that women are inferior. Victimization of women through rape culture does not attack men for their unacceptable behavior, but instead it is the women who must change their ways. Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart has numerous wives, and he beats them as it is not looked upon as a problem. THey are powerless to his male dominance in the community and within the home. In that society is bad to be looked upon as womanlike and immensely emasculating for men to be seen in this manner. A female crime is that of a weak and less important action that has been done. This lower status is seen as normal and how the world should operate. In Crime and Punishment, prostitution is a way in which women are deemed powerless and it is easy to take advantage of them. Sonya is a goodhearted girl who cares about her family, but the powerlessness of women leads her to prostitution to provide for her family in her fathers absence of being sustainable source for the family. Raskolnikov also sees a very drunk girl being preyed upon by a man in the dark of the night. He feels motivated to save her because it remind him of his sister and how she stumbles into harm's way by older males. He also sees the powerlessness brought to his attention as he kills Lizaveta. Her childlike face shows her victimization as she is unable to escape
It sets a different kind of standard of living that relies on an omnipotent being to give hope and direction to people. Chinua Achebe’s writing of Things Fall Apart demonstrates how this Nigerian community revolves around religion and the dedication to following these gods. In this context murder is acceptable if it is a direct demonstration of what the gods want to happen. Okonkwo ignores his personal feelings as a father and obeys the gods orders of killing Ikemefuna. This act of submission is not even considered to be morally wrong, or to be a communal problem, but as soon as the accidental death occurs the community is upset. The collective obedience to these gods allows the society to have a strong sense of community that is indestructible until a new source of influence is introduced. The white man and their Christianity changed this society to follow that seems more rational to them. Christianity also appears through Sonya in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment as a moral way to govern life. Raskolnikov does not see the world as others do and he is very isolated from the the ideas around him. After he commits his murder, he doesn’t feel remorse for what did. So it raises the question of morality being linked to religion, and if these morals are from God or socially conformed. Is murder really wrong if it is for a good cause? Raskolnikov