n fact they are used to show that Okonkwo does respect women for their ability if he does not fear to become like his father. Unoka is considered agbala, an untitled man or a woman. Yam, of smaller size and lesser value than other yams, is regarded as female. Osugo has taken to title; and so, in a gathering of his peers, Okonkwo unkindly tells him, "This meeting is for men"(pg.22). Guilt-ridden after murdering Ikemefuna, his surrogate son, Okonkwo sternly reprimands himself not to "become like a shivering old woman"(pg.56) - this he considers the worst insult. Such extreme accent on manliness, sex-role stereotyping, gender discriminations, and violence create an imbalance, resulting in denigration of the female principle. Achebe shows that the Ibo nonetheless assigns important roles to women. For instance, Chielo, the priestess of the Oracle of the Hills and Caves, who in the ordinary life is a widow with two kids and Ekwefi's friend. Clothed in the mystic mantle of the divinity she serves, Chielo transforms from the ordinary; she can reprimand Okonkwo and even scream curses at him: "Beware of exchanging words with Agbala. Does a man speak when a God speaks? Beware!"(pg.89) Yet if Okonkwo is powerless before a goddess's priestess, he can, at least, control his own women. Women, also, painted the houses of the egwugwu. Furthermore, the first wife of a man in the Ibo society is paid some respect. This deference is illustrated by the palm wine ceremony at Nwakibie's obi. Anasi, Nwakibie's first wife, had not yet arrived and "the others (other wives) could not drink before her"(pg.16). The importance of woman's role appears when Okonkwo is exiled to his motherland. His uncle, Uchendu, noticing Okonkwo's distress, eloquently explains how Okonkwo should view his exile: "A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother...
