Achebe has built the village of Umuofia to be all about
Yams. After multiple class discussions, it has been inferred that Yams is a
symbol of masculinity and currency.
When Okonkwo talks about his father, he mentions that his
father never really took an interest in farming. Which in the end resulted in
him being poor and not being able to provide for his family, therefore creating
debt for himself. I think this supports the idea that yams symbolize
masculinity because Unoka, according to Okonkwo was a failure, and the main
cause of his failure is not growing yams. Now Oknokwo on the other hand,
dedicates his life to being this macho type of man. The complete opposite of
his father and the way that he does it, is by farming and getting his sons involved
in it as well. “Inwardly Okonkwo knew that the boys were still too young to
understand fully the difficult art of preparing seed-yams. But he thought that
one could not begin too early. Yam stood for manliness, and he who could feed
his family on yams from one harvest to another was a very great man indeed.”
I also see the way yam symbolizes currency in Umuofia because
the Ibo are isolated people that provide for themselves by producing everything
they need to survive. Yams is the main item in this story because it not only
helps them survive but it helps the village as a whole survive. The more yams a
man harvests, the more he is worth basically. The manlier he is. But the more a
village harvests all together shows how strong the village is, because with
yams comes hard working men and with them come warriors. That’s why in the beginning
of the novel, we are told that Okonkwo’s “fame rested on solid personal
achievements.”
-Destiny Quinones
I think that this ties back into the idea of power and control. The yams represents currency and money and the more money you have, the more control and power that you have. Since Okonkwo's dad, Unoka, never had money, he was never able to have control of his life. It has always run by others who do have money. Okonkwo strongly oppose his dad's way of life and therefore was motivated to achieve power and money.
ReplyDelete- Vy Ly
I agree with Vy, the more money the Ibo people, Okonkwo specifically, the more power they feel that they have. Having Yams gave them a sense of security and empowerment.
ReplyDelete-T'Nia Tention
Yams can be seen as a form of currency. People have to work to earn money, just like the Ibo people have to work to get yams, and the more yams one has, the wealthier they are thought to be.~Jaya Jugmohan
ReplyDeleteA key theme throughout this novel is entitlement in society. Yams are essential in contributing to societal ranking because fortune means power. Okwonko sets the example for the Ibo people to achieve the success he has because he makes it appear attainable to anyone. - Valentina Mejia
ReplyDeleteThe point that you made about how yams represent masculinity is spot on in my opinion. Even when Okwonko realizes that his children are too young to be good at what they do, he is still hard on them because the thought of Nwoye being anything but tough is absurd to him, because he was raised with this state of mind, as was the whole village. - Elisabeth Magana
ReplyDeleteYams are the driving force of the village so Okonkwo prides himself on being the man with the most yams, thus being a force, an undeniable presence. Whereas his father was a powerless man with no motivation to be a presence in anyone’s life but to live in life on the borrowing of money from others, he was a tormenting presence and not a great one, something Okonkwo strives to be; great. -Rakasha McIntosh
ReplyDeleteThe yams are in the story to symbolize money and power as a whole in the Ibo society for sure. This resource ought to be their entire world, it is the way they survive and prove themselves worthy of being classified as a higher or lower citizen in their society depending on how much yams they produce. -Melenny Gallardo
ReplyDeleteThe Yams symbolize wealth in Ibo society because they use it as a source of currency, the more yams a person has the higher they are on the economic status. -Rebecca Jones
ReplyDelete