Okwonko's complexity makes it hard to determine how tragic he is as a hero. There are many facets of Okwonko's character, but it also feels like we never truly know him the way that one knows a hero. Okwonko fits many of the characteristics of Aristotle's tragic hero, but there are some specifications that he does not totally adhere to.
Okwonko fits a lot of the characteristics of a tragic hero, especially the ones that are about character and not plot. Firstly, Okwonko is a man of great standing in his tribe, and he is a very accomplished warrior. He is rising through the social hierarchy, he has three wives, he is building his crop output, and he has been very successful and noble in battle. He is not perfect, however; he is prideful and he represses his feelings; he also beats his wives more than is normal for the culture, which causes him trouble. Okwonko's downfall is caused by his own pride; he kills a white messenger, and then hangs himself to avoid the Europeans' punishment. This fate seems too severe for what Okwonko did, and it does not leave the audience feeling wholly destroyed.
Despite all of this, there are things that Okwonko doesn't quite fit about tragic heroism. The hero's flaws are there so that the audience can relate to the hero; yet Okwonko's flaws are hard to see within ourselves. His pride and repression mix to form an emotional unavailability that makes it difficult to connect to him. I felt like I never knew Okwonko in the ways that one expects to know and understand a hero, all because he buries his emotions so deeply. His fall comes at the very end of the novel and, once again, we do not see his thought processes or emotions. Therefore, we do not know if he had a moment of self-awareness or discovery prior to his suicide. I feel that he might not have, since a lot of his similar actions are done in a state of emotional stupor and relative thoughtlessness. The only reason why his death doesn't seem horribly tragic is because the audience feels detached from it.
So, even though Okwonko fits the persona of a tragic hero in a lot of surface ways, he doesn't fit them in the way that is required for him to be truly heroic and truly tragic. A lot of this is because it's so hard to connect to him. This opinion is absolutely influenced by my own life experiences and beliefs, but I feel that once one recognizes that he is unrelatable (which is not to say that his story isn't important and moving), it is hard to see Okwonko as a tragic hero.
This is a really great post discussing Okonkwo's classifications as a tragic hero. I really like how you organized this post into a paragraph discussing why he does meet the requirements and another discussing why he doesn't meet the requirements for being a tragic hero. You make a lot of really interesting points regarding both sides and create a great argument for your views. It is really interesting how you also pointed out that because Okonkwo is so closed off, it is hard to even get to know him which is vital to classifying him as a tragic hero. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYour post does a very good job in finding the development of Okonkwo, and how it fits in the development of a tragic hero. Your writing is clear and holds a strong argument throughout. I think it is interesting the way you interpreted Okonkwo's repression of emotions as limiting in connecting, as something that defines Okonkwo also separates him. I agree that there was not much of a feeling of tragedy in his death because of this detachment. You would expect in a novel such as this that Okonkwo will at some point reveal his emotions, but it only happens in a fiew points when Ezinma is taken away or Nwoye converts. Very well done!
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