Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart is a story about the rise and fall of a man who is a leader and great warrior of his Nigerian Tribe. He achieved his status and success through hard work and dedication. He is constantly hindered by his fear of being like his father. In the novel Things Fall Apart, Achebe uses the portrayal of Okonkwo as a tragic hero based on Aristotle’s definition to prove that fear and arrogance ultimately leads problems and downfall. Aristotle describes a tragic hero as a few things. A tragic hero is neither good, nor thoroughly bad. He/she has potential for greatness, but is doomed to fail. He/she begins in a high position, but because of his/her decision, falls from greatness. A common tragic flaw in greek tragedies …show more content…
He is known as being the greatest warrior of his Igbo community, and therefore giving him great power and authority. He is also known for being a very hard worker, which helped him become a wealthy farmer. Already, he meets the requirements of a tragic hero because he has a potential for greatness. Due to his place in society, he is in a position to succeed in life. Okonkwo is the epitome of a tragic hero. Although he is tough and fierce, he still has a tragic flaw. His flaw is that he has a fear of being or appearing weak. This stems from his father Unoka, who was considered a failure. Unoka lived an unproductive life, and died a disgraceful death. Okonkwo’s father was very lazy, carefree, and poor. His wife and children often did not have enough money to feed themselves. Okonkwo was forced to figure out how to be a man on his own. This led Okonkwo to believe that being a man meant doing the opposite of what his father did. This shows that Achebe believes that fear can lead to uncertainty and trouble. While Okonkwo believes he must do the opposite of his father, it may not always be the right choice to be exactly different. Everything that Unoka had done was considered weak and a failure, and many of Okonkwo’s decisions were based on trying to not be like his father. “Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness… It was not …show more content…
Okonkwo believes that the clansmen will follow his lead, so he beheads a British messenger, who coincidentally was sent to break up a meeting about potentially going to war. The clansmen are very shocked and surprised at Okonkwo’s aggression and brutality. Okonkwo finally recognizes that the clan will not go to war, and that he must feel disgrace himself. This shows that Okonkwo is a tragic hero, because he makes a grave mistake in killing the messenger, and he feels remorse and guilt for his actions. Achebe is trying to show that too much self-confidence and self-pride leads to problems. The culture that once made him a hero had now changed with the new colonists’ influence. Okonkwo eventually commits suicide, due to the fact that he would rather die than be humiliated by the Europeans. This shows that he had so much arrogance that he would rather die than face the colonists. Achebe is saying that people with a large ego and excessive hubris are destined to fall and will not give up their ways. They will be arrogant to the grave. He is saying that even if they realize their mistakes, they will acknowledge them, but not change their arrogant ways. This is not the only time Okonkwo is arrogant in this book. Much earlier, Okonkwo jokingly shoots his gun at his wife Ekwefi. He believes that he will not hit her, but playing with someone’s life over
Okonkwo is known throughout Umuofia to be extremely masculine. He rarely shows signs of fear or weakness. This is because Oknokwo promised himself he would be the complete opposite of his father Unoka. Unoka had passed away ten years prior to when the story takes place but he has always been remembered as a weak, lazy, poor man who could barely provide for his family. He was always in debt and didn't care to work, he would play his flute all day everyday if he was able to. "People laughed at him because he was a loafer, and they swore never to lend him any more money because he never paid back" (5). Unoka was the laugh of the town and Okonkwo would never allow himself be that.
Okonkwo’s first and most distinctive flaw is his fear of failure. Many people would agree that this flaw is driven by the fear of becoming his father, but Okonkwo takes this fear too far. Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, was known for being a very lazy and carefree man. He also had notoriety of being “…poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat.” (Achebe 5). A big tradition in Umuofia is having a father who is supposed to teach his children right and wrong. In Okonkwo’s case, these lessons had to be self-taught. Okonkwo had to commit to his own understandings of what defined a “good man” and to him that was the exact opposite of his father. Because of his fear to be seen as weak, Okonkwo even murders a child that calls him father. Ikemefuna was sent to live with Okonkwo because someone was murdered in a nearby village. An example of Okonkwo’s ill-hearted actions are shown in the following quote: “As the man drew up and raised his machete, Okonkwo looked away. He heard the blow. He heard Ikemefuna cry, ‘My father, they have killed me!’ as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak.” (Achebe 61). The fact that he kills Ikemefuna shows that his reputation is more important than the life of a child. Okonkwo’s fear permits him to receive more respect from his tribe, but only because it inclines him to do better than anyone else.
The relationship of Okonkwo to his Igbo society in Achebe's Things Fall Apart was one of pure being. Okonkwo displayed the finest examples of human qualities of what it took to be an Igbo man. Okonkwo strives to be strong, masculine, industrious, respected, and wealthy. This was Okonkwo's inner struggle to be as different from his father as possible, who he believed to have been weak, effeminate, lazy, shameful, disgraceful, and poor. Okonkwo achieves great social and financial success by embracing these ideals. He marries three wives and fathers several children. He has a farm with a barn full of yams, his obi, and a hut for each wife. He was also a well respected clansman. Nevertheless, Okonkwo would find that he was unable to adapt to the changing times as the white man came to live among his people. It was this unwillingness, stubbornness, to change from his Umuofia upbringing and his ambitious and fiery demeanor that eventually brought about Okonkwo's undoing.
Okonkwo is “a man of action, a man of war” (7) and a member of high status in the Igbo village. He holds the prominent position of village clansman due to the fact that he had “shown incredible prowess in two intertribal wars” (5). Okonkwo’s hard work had made him a “wealthy farmer” (5) and a recognized individual amongst the nine villages of Umuofia and beyond. Okonkwo’s tragic flaw isn’t that he was afraid of work, but rather his fear of weakness and failure which stems from his father’s, Unoka, unproductive life and disgraceful death. “Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and weakness….It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.” Okonkwo’s father was a lazy, carefree man whom had a reputation of being “poor and his wife and children had just barely enough to eat... they swore never to lend him any more money because he never paid back.” (5) Unoka had never taught Okonkwo what was right and wrong, and as a result Okonkwo had to interpret how to be a “good man”. Okonkwo’s self-interpretation leads him to conclude that a “good man” was someone who was the exact opposite of his father and therefore anything that his father did was weak and unnecessary.
Okonkwo is not all that he may seem; as there is more than what meets the eye. Okonkwo is the primary protagonist within the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo is a cruel yet kind man who has everything yet has nothing, which in turn creates a sympathetic character. A character such as Okonkwo has many facets; or masks if you will. Then we have his many influences: the Ibo culture; his father Unoka and of course his own personality. Then there is a staggering list of achievements. Okonkwo is a strong character but thinks only inwardly - especially towards his father - which will be discussed further in this essay.
He absolutely does not want to turn out disgraced like his father, Unoka. The novel states repeatedly states that Okonkwo despises his own father, “ Any wonder then that his son was ashamed of him?” (Achebe 5). Okonkwo, being ashamed of his father, leads to him being cold-hearted and dispassionate. His hubris causes his son, Nwoye, to develop a hatred towards him.
Since his childhood, Okonkwo has always been ashamed of his father, Unoka. Unoka was rarely able to feed his children, which made Okonkwo scared and embarrassed. When he went out into Umuofia, he found that the villagers had very similar opinions towards his father. As...
...y had let the other messenger escape. They had broken into tumult instead of action" (Achebe 205). Everything he lived for and believed in was going to be taken away by the white men. They had control over everything. He did not want to see that happen so he took his own life. Yet, this is ironic because, in doing so, he was committing an act which was considered one of the worst actions a member could do in the Ibo society. Throughout the story we see how strong Okonkwo's personal beliefs were and how much they meant to him. Beliefs, both personal and those of the society someone is born into, play a major role in their life. This story is an example of what happens when those beliefs are taken away and others are forced upon a person. Everyone needs to believe in something, and things fall apart when they no longer can.
In the same way Okonkwo died because he couldn’t take it anymore he died knowing what he was valued or known for he knew he wanted to be different from society expected him to but it was hard for him to come up to people and let them know “How” OR “Why” he did what he did. To conclude this essay, as it has been mentioned I chose the topics of: Fear, Masculinity, and Cultural Values because reading “Things Fall Apart”By: Chinua Achebe gave me way more reasons and a clear understanding what Okonkwo wanted and how he saw seeing himself all he ever wanted was not to become like his dad he didn’t want to be like his dad he just wanted a chance to show people how he saw himself and how he could 've improved more. Okonkwo brought obstacles and barriers that people face now in America society wants us to follow these trends be people who were really not meant to be different from society expected him to
() Okonkwo was never taught what was right and what was wrong from Unoka. As a result of this Okonkwo had to figure out how to be a good man on his own. Okonkwo doesn't accept himself, this flaw leads him to conclude that being a good man would just be the opposite of this father, Unoka. Therefore, to Okonkwo’s beliefs anything his father did was weak. Okonkwo's fear of weakness is taken out on his family who he treats very harshly.
In the paragraph on page 94 near the bottom, Achebe reveals the desperation that Okonkwo has fallen into because of his banishment. Okonkwo up to this point in the book has proven to be warrior-like in his approach to all things in life, but now we see that he has lost the battle of achieving the greatness, leaving him with a broken spirit.
" Achebe writes Okonkwo's character as if he is a hero to his village. He makes Okonkwo a very strong round character which helps support Achebe's goal of bringing awareness to the people of
Although the reader feels remorseful for Okonkwo’s tragic childhood life. It is another reason to sympathize with a man who believes he is powerful and respected by many when in reality, he is feared by his own family and that is another reason that leads Okonkwo to his downfall. He started positive, motivated but down the line, Okonkwo treats his wife and children very harshly. When the author mentioned, “Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children” (pg.13).
When faced with the reality that his action turned out to be meaningless and he has lost all hope of regaining his power, Okonkwo commits suicide, as according to his values there was nothing to be achieved in life anymore. By being stripped of power by colonists, Okonkwo no longer had any worth deemed by himself, thus Achebe implied that he was only defined by his masculinity in
Here the irony is undeniably present. To commit suicide is to offend the Earth, as believed by the people of Umuofia. It is said that to kill oneself “is an abomination for a man… his body is evil, and only strangers may touch it” (207). Suicide is regarded as a grave sin and a shameful way of dying, and any man who commits suicide is seen as a failure and weak. Okonkwo is just that: a failure and weak. Okonkwo spends his whole life trying to be seen as a success and continuously performs act of strength even though he sometimes has to pay a price for it. In the end he pays the highest price of all, which is his life, and all his efforts to be successful become useless. He is now a shame and a failure in the eyes of his clan, just as his father had been.