Loss of a Hero

Like all people, heroes have major flaws.  For tragic teroes, their character flaws are what eventually destroy them.  In Things Fall Apart Okonkwo is the tragic hero and his tragic flaw is what ultimately destroys him.  There are several basic parameters for what a tragic hero should be like and Okonkwo fits several of these parameters.  Throughout the novel, the characterization of Okonkwo evolves his identity as a tragic hero so that when he eventually dies nobody is all too surprised.

Throughout the novel, it is clear not only that Okonkwo views himself as being one of nobel stature and greatness but others do as well.  He is a extremely accomplished wrestler and through which he has obtained a great deal of respect. Due to the fact that he has proved himself to be the strongest most capable man in the village it is assumed that he would be able to protect that village if the need ever arose.  When a young boy, Ikemefuna, needs to be cared for by someone in the clan it is Okonkwo's family to whom he is sent.  Okonkwo is the leader of the clan and people respect his greatness.

In conjunction with his noble stature and greatness, Okonkwo is preeminently great, but is plagued with many flaws.  As I discussed in the paragraph above, Okonkwo embodies many characteristics that make him a hero in the eyes of many.  However, he also has many flaws which allows average readers such as myself to identify with Okonkwo.  Okonkwo's major character flaw is his anger.  His anger is sourced from his frustration with his lazy father.  This anger is displaced on a variety of people in his life.  Okonkwo's theory on emotion was that he "never showed any emotion openly unless it be the emotion of anger.  To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength" (28).   This emotion of anger is showed very often.  When he thought that one of his three wives killed the banana tree by his house he grabbed his gun and then heard one of his wives murmur that he was not a good shot.  He then "pressed that trigger and there was a loud report accompanied by the wail of his wives and children" (39).  His wife was right.  He is a bad shot. However, this further proves that he is motivated by his anger and desires power over anyone who crosses him.  In addition to almost shooting his wife, he regularly beats his wives for not having his first, second, and third dinner ready.  This flaw of not being able to manage his anger is what makes Okonwko accessible for regular folks like myself.

Arguably, the downfall of Okonkwo is his own fault.  Again and again he overstepped his power and was overly aggressive.  On many occasions he showed his strength by killing a man or his adopted son.  When it came down to his dealing with the white Christians trying to convert the village, he struck out with aggression.  Although Okonkwo is punished once before by being banished from the village after accidentally killing a clansman, his ultimate punishment is his death.  In the case of being banished from the village, the punishment was deserved by the standards of the village but it does seem to be rather extreme.  In the case of his death, it was his own doing.  

Due to the fact that Okonkwo committed suicide and that was his ultimate punishment, there is no lesson that he will learn because is he dead.  Although this death is sad because death in general is sad, there is not a profound arousal of a depressive state among readers.  I personally believe that Okonkwo's death was expected an that he should have evaluated his choices more closely while he was alive.  Although Okonkwo does not perfectly embody every characteristic of a tragic hero, he fits the mold pretty well.