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Obi Heroism Essay

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Recommended: Themes in Things Fall Apart

The book opens with Obi’s trial, where he is charged with corruption; by accepting a bribe. Also, Achebe indicates that everyone was shocked at Obi’s current situation, including the judge, who is filled with disbelief as he says "I cannot understand how a young man of your education and brilliant promise could have done this,"
The plot then backtracks to the period when Obi appeared to be a man of steel in his resolve to remain pure and incorruptible. And after searching for the fatal flaw that causes his downfall, the most apparent and stand-out cause is his EGOTISM. Obi is portrayed to be a prime example of a tragic hero. Just as Shakespeare did it with Macbeth, Achebe gives Obi a similar story. The main theme being the Moral Decomposition of the protagonist; our hero. As we see in the end of the book, Obi is too proud to go to the Umuofia …show more content…

He had learned to adapt to the way the White man thought, as well as his way of life. Obi returns to Nigeria, seeking to save it from the ‘Corrupt African’. This also contributes to his prideful attitude as he views himself as a saviour to his people, armed with the knowledge and power of the White man. Obi’s isolation from Igbo culture and values, leads him to assume that he could follow his own path without consequences. A good example of this being a problem in Obi’s life is his argument with his father. Obi is torn between two worlds as his parents refuse for him to marry Clara, as she is an Osu, and it is against their culture. And his view that discriminating against people is not right. This attributes to one of the main themes of the book; Traditionalism vs Modernism. With Joseph, his mother and His father all disagreeing with him, Obi uses his education to dismiss them as he feels since he is educated, he must be correct, which is a prime example of his moral decay, in the sense that he does not respect his parents views and

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He became a strong independent man. His true personality showed through. In some people’s cases, things fall apart, but in others, like Nwoye, he found his true purpose in life. At twelve years old, Nwoye was causing his father Okonkwo, “great anxiety for his incipient laziness” (10).

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The reason being is because Achebe is trying to divert from a Westernized perspective and instead go for an Africanized perspective to show more authenticity and reality. Also, by doing this, Achebe shows his opposition on the way the West views Africans, in particular in the novel “Things Fall Apart” where European colonialist used derogatory terms to describe the Igbo and glorify their actions of conquest and conversion of

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Among those of the same culture, individuals who are adaptive and open-minded can be successful when there is cultural collision. When the Igbo and European cultures collide, Okonkwo gradually spirals out of control, losing everything he values and his own sense of self. From the beginning of the novel, Achebe depicts Okonkwo as a virile warrior and a successful farmer within the Igbo tribe. Reacting with violence to anything he considers “womanly” or “weak”, “He was a man of action and man of war” (10). Because of his reputation as a warrior he is highly respected by his community.

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A tragic hero is a term that describes a character who displays certain characteristics which affect their future significantly. In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo’s fate as a tragic hero to an extent is greatly true as he portrays hamartia, a fatal flaw, and hubris, excessive pride. Even though the author describes Okonkwo as a hardworking, African farmer, it contradicts his rash decisions following numerous events. Therefore, Okonkwo’s tragedy is true as his fear of weakness and excessive pride lead him to his downfall. Even though Achebe sets Okonkwo to his downfall, it is evident that Okonkwo is a great hero despite his rash behavior and temper.

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