Okonkwo Research Paper

The Fall of Okonkwo

The author C. Lewis adeptly states: “For pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.” Hubris is described as excessive pride or self-confidence. Okonkwo plunges himself toward tragedy because of his hubris; with his tragic flaw present, Okonkwo experiences an evident downfall. In Chinua Achebe’s fiction novel Things Fall Apart (1959), the main character Okonkwo embodies an abundant number of flaws, including his obsession with masculinity and desire to avert his father’s legacy. Okonkwo depict the qualities of a classical tragic hero, since his high status in society as a noble leader diminishes due to his hubris, which ultimately leads to his tragic downfall.

His hubris causes him to hate Unoka: “He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father” (13, iBook). Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, is a failure because he is lazy and improvident. Unoka fails at fundamental responsibility of providing for his family; at times the family did not have sufficient food to eat. Okonkwo desires to avert his father’s legacy as he hates everything his father ever loved. His life was dominated by fear of failure and weakness: “Okonkwo ruled his household with heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children.” (27, iBook). Okonkwo is not a cruel man, but his tragic flaw leads him to have a desire to constantly prove himself. Unoka’s failure causes Okonkwo to become obsessed with masculinity; he is afraid of being perceived as feminine, which promotes his hate towards Unoka’s gentleness and idleness. Okonkwo aspires to be stern and successful by being in power, hence whenever he lacks power he is affected. His hubris leads to his tragic downfall because it causes him to act rashly; he decides to hang himself because he is not in