Not tragic, not a hero

Aristotle believed in tragic heroes. These people are not saviors who help all and do no harm, living happily ever after; in fact, to Aristotle tragic heroes are imperfect beings who come to a deadly end. Okonwko, in Things Fall Apart, fits some of Aristotle's requirements, but not all. Even with all of Aristotle's ideas, Okonkwo does not seem remotely like a hero at all, not even a tragic one.

Aristotle's first three ideas on being a tragic hero in theory fit Okonkwo, however one should look at how he got to where he was. A tragic hero needs to be a character of noble stature and greatness. Yes, Okonkwo is revered in his village, but is because he is the best at brutally fighting people to prove his strength. Secondly, the hero is pre-eminently great, but not  perfect. I would not even go as far to say that Okonkwo is great. He beats his wife and children and cannot control his nasty temper. He even tries to shoot one wife! I do not see myself to be anything like Okonkwo at all and cannot identify with him. Okonwo's downfall is his fault. He kills himself, that is entirely his choice. Although this fits the requirement, in this case I believe it was a coward's way out.

The last three basic ideas of being a tragic hero do not apply to Okonkwo. He killed many people and went against village advice, not to mention he killed himself before he was caught so we'll never know if the punishment exceeds the crime. I do believe that his suicide was pure loss. If he had stayed alive to explain why he did what he did, then there would have been some gain and discovery, but he did not. After reading about Okonkwo's fate, I was a bit shocked and very upset with the outcome. Suicide is a very touchy subject and it hurt me to realize that none of the villagers could touch Okonkwo's body because he committed such a sin. It's arguable that the suicide was prideful because he would not be killed by anyone, but himself, however, I think he would have had the villager's support and would not have even been killed.

Though it may seem harsh, Okonwko was not a hero of any kind. His actions override any sensible things he ever did. I simply could not get over his awful temper that drove him to do unthinkable things. And if a hero has confidence, constantly doubting one's strength and killing a boy due to being afraid of what other's think, is not it. Okonkwo was just another character that tried to help himself and made very bad choices.