Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Throughout Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is an ideal representation of a tragic hero because he experiences a tragic misfortune and he is an admirable, but flawed leader. A calamitous event occurs, which leads to Okonkwo’s banishment from Umuofia, his native land. Through the influence of his father, Okonkwo strives to be an accomplished and respected man, unlike his father, Unoka. Overall, Okonkwo evinces a tragic flaw and undergoes an uncontrollable tragedy.

A tragic hero typically experiences peripeteia and Okonkwo suffers by his change of fate. Okonkwo endures a change in fate from a fortuitous mishap: “The crime was of two kinds, male and female. Okonkwo had committed the female, because it had been inadvertent. He could

Okonkwo’s life is influenced by his father, which overall made him an intense leader:: “He had a slight stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fists. He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had had no patience with his father” (11). Okonkwo desires to be nothing like his father. In addition, Okonkwo was aggressive and used violence instead of words. Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, was indolent and improvident. Okonkwo is flawed by his aggression and fear of becoming like his father. He maneuvered his life to avoid turning into his father, which made him intense and passionate about control. His consternation prompted his aversion to weakness. Okonkwo based his lifestyle off of his antipathy toward impotence: “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. 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” (23). Throughout the novel Okonkwo demonstrated a concern toward failure and being a coward. His fear arises from his father and his actions. Now, Okonkwo is aggressive in order to avoid being perceived as weak. His tragic flaw is an abhorrence of failure and weakness. He is not a brutal