Checking All the Boxes

Dating as far back as the Greek greats, the idea of a tragic hero, someone for whom the audience can root for that some adverse event befalls the person, has permeated literature as a whole.  The basic story-line usually follows a well-respected, revered person (predominantly male... but I digress) to whom some type of tragedy then strips this person of their prestige.  We can see such people in novels, epics, and now movies.  Certain characteristics are prevalent in Things Fall Apart that lead many to believe that the story is one of the tragic hero Okonkwo.

Okonkwo builds a great presence for himself in the Ibo community by becoming the best wrestler, having three wives, and farming a great quantity of yams.  These qualities Okonkwo establishes of his own accord, with no help from his father, like most men have in Umuofia.  He quickly climbs to the rank of one of the presiding elders of the tribe.  This earns him deep respect and reverence from other members of the tribe.

It is clear, especially at the end of the book, that Okonkwo is not perfect.  He struggles with anger and aggression throughout his life, and is often hard-pressed to contain himself.  When he does the wrong thing, he takes it really hard; if someone else does something that he perceives as wrong, he lets them know, either verbally or physically.  Time and again, Okonkwo's faults shine through his actions.

Okonkwo's initial downfall is unintentional; his gun misfired and he unwittingly killed the boy.   This is incongruous with the definition of a tragic hero, as the hero's downfall is not the result of an accident.  However, it can be argued that his ultimate downfall comes when he hangs himself, which is an entirely personal decision.  The Umuofia see suicide as the lowest of the low, only for the weakest of the weak.  Their previous perceptions of Okonkwo as this great warrior are now shattered because he committed such a heinous act due to his smarting pride.

There was absolutely no reason for Okonkwo to go so far as to kill himself.  Yes, if he lived, he would likely have been ostracized by his tribe or killed by the Commissioner.  However, this in no way justifies his disregard for his own life.  He does not deserve to die is such a way so taboo in his culture.

Even though he decided upon the drastic measure, he most likely learned to not murder someone that he simply disagrees with.  With this realization, he could see that his reaction was too harsh, too quick, and too permanent.  And so, instead of facing the consequences, he escapes the potential wrath by leaving this world forever.

Upon arriving at the scene, Obierika seems resigned rather than depressed.  He instead becomes angry at the Commissioner, saying that the white man "drove [Okonkwo] to kill himself" (p. 208), although he does nothing about this internal rage.  The rest of the tribe seems almost complacent, taking this loss in stride.

Okonkwo most definitely meets all the criteria for a tragic hero.  The fine line is, however, that he is only self-serving; he does not help or aid anyone else, just his own lusts and ambitions.  Most heroes, even the tragic, serve some greater purpose for their immediate community or world.  Stuck in his ways, Okonkwo says only what he wants to say, acts how he wants to act, and believes what he wants to believe.  Such are not traits of someone who is truly great, who deserves a position of stature.