Salvador Dali once said, “Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it “. Okonkwo tends to keep working on personal achievements and his position in society. Due to this he never stops and enjoy the present moment. He was always worried about what is next in line to accomplish. Okonko had everything that he needed in life but never learned to enjoy it. Okonkwo’s tragic flaw wasn’t due to a lack of hard work, it was due to a fear of perfection and weakness. Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a tragic hero.
Okonkwo is some of greatness and noble stature in his village. He occupies a high position in society. Among his clan he was well respected by others. People looked to him as a leader and others feared him. He earned honor from his village “as a young man of eighteen he throw Amanlinee the Cat” (1). Okonkwo did everything in his power to maintain that high position in his village. He was a person who cared about personal achievements and wanted to take the position of the next man up the ladder. His physical looks were a plus
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His violent temper made him commit bad actions that ruin his position in society. Okonkwo’s impulsive personality was a great contribution in his downfalls. Okonkwo first downfall was when he beat one of his wives Ojiugo during the Week of Peace. “And when she returned he beat her heavily. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace” (25). The second downfall Okonkwo had was the killing of Ikemefunia. Okonkwo wasn’t himself for days “he tried not think about Ikemefuna, but the more he tried the more he thought about him” (55). The third downfall Okonkwo had was the accident killing of the clansman. Due to this killing “a man who committed it must flee from the land” (110). The greatest downfall Okonkwo faced was when he returned to his clan after seven years and saw the Europeans taking over village and his