Things Fall Apart

tragic hero. Much like Oedipus in Sophocles O​edipus Rex,​O​konkwo is a strong, respected leader who comes to a tragic end due to his hubris and actions. Right off, it is important to note that the most common trait they share is that they are both arrogant and refuse to listen to others, even when they are wrong. Both characters are admirable when the stories started, but by the end they end up being outcasts.

Okonkwo is a tragic hero because he is important in his society and he meets death of choices with courage. In things fall apart Okonkwo gets a lot of fame because he has three titles and three barns of

    The way in which Okonkwo took his own life can also lead to the argument that he was no hero, but that he took the easy way out. "The pathetic is achieved when the protagonist is, by virtue of his witlessness, his insensitivity, or the very air he gives off, incapable of grappling with a much superior force" (Miller). It can be agreed that his death was somewhat pathetic as opposed to heroic. It is also hypocritical that Okonkwo worked so hard to be respected and to stand up for his own customs, and yet took his own life, which in the clan was considered an abomination. "It is an offense against the Earth, and a man who commits it will not be

Ultimately, Okonkwo is blinded by his fear of being perceived as weak, and he is eventually exiled from his tribe. Characterization and imagery drive the theme that

In the tribe of Umuofia, Okonkwo is considered to be the “greatest men of his time”(Achebe 8), his characteristics fit the definition of an everyday hero, which is a man of distinguished courage, ability, and thought highly of for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Okonkwo is a well respected man in the tribe and rises to the top very quickly “like a brush-fire in the harmattan”(Achebe 3) and at a young age; he is muscular, vigorous, well respected, and wealthy. Achebe describes

Okonkwo is a tragic hero because has a tragic flaw, is noble, and experiences reversal of fortune. Okonkwo’s tragic flaws include short temper and not wanting to be like his father. He is noble due to his titles and respect throughout Umoafia. His reversal of fortune happens at a funeral.

It is intriguing to the reader to try and place Okonkwo in a type of “evil” or “good,” although it is not at all an easy task. The fact that Okonkwo is so vague in his motivation makes him ambiguous to his readers. His low self of steam, is his fear of failure and his weakness. He is a man dominated by anger that struggles with his emotions, and works to resist his basic human need for his sadness expression. His characteristics are powerfully human, and because they are so believable, he is exceptionally identifiable to the reader.

In Chinua Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart, the impact of British Colonialism in Africa is critiqued through the story of an Igbo man, Okonkwo. Okonkwo is an extremely masculine man who has but one fear, the fear of being weak. Throughout the novel, his actions are motivated by this fear which defines him characteristically as on overly masculine man. This over masculinity is Okonkwo's flaw and it drives his moods and actions, ultimately leading to his demise. In this respect, Okonkwo plays the role of a tragic hero driven by his flaw which leads to his downfall.

Okonkwo was the main character and the driving force of Things Fall Apart. Though, western civilization and his own stubbornness were his downfall. Okonkwo was a very complex character and was very relatable. He was relatable in how we don’t want people to judge us and make feel unwanted. Okonkwo’s sense of identity was challenged with the introduction of Western ideas into the Ibo culture. Okonkwo started out in the novel as a heartless, unfeeling character, but the cultural collision of the British colonists and Ibo people affected him to the point of suicide. The reasons change in his sense of identity included pride, fear, and stubbornness.

On the other hand, another characteristic of Okonkwo that causes him to be seen as a tragic hero is his struggle to deal with the crumbling Igbo culture around him. Upon his return to Umuofia from his motherland, everything has changed among the Igbo people. The white men had completely torn apart a culture which at one point seemed to be so strong. Some had even been converted into Christians and almost everyone was questioning their own beliefs. According to Stephen Criswell, when Okonkwo returned, he had a decision to make between standing up for what he believed in and against what he hated, or complying with the white man’s way and being like everyone else in the tribe(Criswell). Unlike the others, Okonkwo would not back down, and that is why he is a hero. The Igbo culture was slowly being destroyed by the

First, Okonkwo starts off as a poor child, as shown when the book states, “Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had, he did not inherit a barn from his father. There was no barn to inherit” showing that Okonkwo and his family were penurious, compared to others in the Igbo tribe (Achebe 16). Eventually, through his hard work and effort, he became a noble leader, which emphasizes his role as a tragic hero. Throughout the story Okonkwo goes through many challenges, but “In the face of futility, however, he maintains his nobility of character”(Gaydosik).

Things Fall Apart is a story about personal beliefs and customs and also a story about conflict. There is struggle between family, culture, and religion of the Ibo people which is all brought on by a difference in personal beliefs and customs. There are the strong opinions of the main character, Okonkwo. We are also introduced to the views of his village, Umuofia. Finally, we see how things fall apart when these beliefs and customs are confronted by those of the white missionaries. Chinua Achebe is a product of both native and European cultures. This has a great effect on the telling of the story. When he tells the story with an understanding and personal experiences in both cultures. He does not portray the African culture and their

Okonkwo is a man who looks vicious on the outside but on the inside he is like a big teddy bear, but full of fear. Okonkwo abhors being lazy and very gentle to others. Okonkwo’s sense of identity was challenged with the introduction of Western Ideas into the Igbo culture. Okonkwo started out in the novel conflicted and self defeating but the cultural collision of the British colonists and Ibo people affected Okonkwo to the point of committing suicide. The reasons for Okonkwo’s change in his sense of identity included death of Ikemefuna, exile for seven years and his religion. In the end, his response to the introduction of Western Ideas shaped the meaning of the work as a whole by his negative culture and ideas.

The character of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart was driven by fear, a fear of change and losing his self-worth. He needed the village of Umuofia, his home, to remain untouched by time and progress because its system and structure were the measures by which he assigned worth and meaning in his own life. Okonkwo required this external order because of his childhood and a strained relationship with his father, which was also the root of his fears and subsequent drive for success. When the structure of Umuofia changed, as happens in society, Okonkwo was unable to adapt his methods of self-evaluation and ways of functioning in the world; the life he was determined to live could not survive a new environment and collapsed around

Following Okonkwo’s seven year exile, the village Okonkwo once knew has changed due to the influence of Christianity and the influence of the British missionaries and officers. Okonkwo’s initial reaction is to arm the clan against the Colonisers and drive the British people out of Igbo.