Masculinity

I've been thinking a lot about Okonkwo's masculinity and how he was influenced by his father. One quote that stuck out to me was towards the beginning of the book. "No matter how prosperous a man was, if he was unable to rule his women and his children (and especially his women) he was not really a man." I've heard this idea before in other books; men talking about the need to control women in order to feel powerful and strong and masculine. It's a terrifying idea, but it's very prominent. I just finished reading a book about the true story of an Austrian man who kept his daughter as a sex slave in a basement for 24 years and she bore seven of his children. I know it seems like a bit of a stretch to compare these books, but the men both has strong issues with masculinity. This Austrian man was also raised to see women as lower and to be overtly masculine. He always felt like he needed control over something, and women was the easiest way to get that. Men that are raised to be super masculine can definitely cause problems later in life because that often comes with a need for power. And the search for power can have dangerous results.