Comparative Analysis of Masculinity and Environment in Things Fall Apart and The Jungle Book

Abstract

Masculinity, as a cultural and psychological construct, has been central to the narratives of both Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) and Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book (1894). Both texts, although emerging from very different historical and cultural contexts, explore the intricate relationship between masculinity, social expectations, and the environment. Achebe situates masculinity within the complex social and ritual life of the Igbo clan in pre-colonial Nigeria, while Kipling constructs a metaphorical jungle where the protagonist, Mowgli, must navigate survival, hierarchy, and rites of passage from boyhood to manhood. In both works, the environment plays an essential role in shaping and reflecting the protagonists’ understanding of manhood, courage, and responsibility. This essay provides a comparative analysis of masculinity and the environment in these two texts, demonstrating how social, cultural, and ecological contexts mold masculine identity and behavior. The study highlights the contrast between Achebe’s rigid, socially enforced model of masculinity and Kipling’s adaptive, ecologically informed conception of male identity, illustrating the critical role of environment in the performance and recognition of masculinity.