- Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe
- Literature Notes
- Book Summary
- About Things Fall Apart
- Character List
- Summary and Analysis
- Part 1: Chapter 1
- Part 1: Chapter 2
- Part 1: Chapter 3
- Part 1: Chapter 4
- Part 1: Chapter 5
- Part 1: Chapter 6
- Part 1: Chapter 7
- Part 1: Chapter 8
- Part 1: Chapter 9
- Part 1: Chapter 10
- Part 1: Chapter 11
- Part 1: Chapter 12
- Part 1: Chapter 13
- Part 2: Chapter 14
- Part 2: Chapter 15
- Part 2: Chapter 16
- Part 2: Chapter 17
- Part 2: Chapter 18
- Part 2: Chapter 19
- Part 3: Chapter 20
- Part 3: Chapter 21
- Part 3: Chapter 22
- Part 3: Chapter 23
- Part 3: Chapter 24
- Part 3: Chapter 25
- Character Analysis
- Reverend James Smith
- Character Map
- Chinua Achebe Biography
- Critical Essays
- Major Themes in Things Fall Apart
- Use of Language in Things Fall Apart
- Full Glossary for Things Fall Apart
- Essay Questions
- Cite this Literature Note
Character Analysis Okonkwo
The protagonist of Things Fall Apart , Okonkwo is also considered a tragic hero. A tragic hero holds a position of power and prestige, chooses his course of action, possesses a tragic flaw, and gains awareness of circumstances that lead to his fall. Okonkwo's tragic flaw is his fear of weakness and failure.
In his thirties, Okonkwo is a leader of the Igbo community of Umuofia. Achebe describes him as "tall and huge" with "bushy eyebrows and [a] wide nose [that gives] him a very severe look." When Okonkwo walks, his heels barely touch the ground, like he walks on springs, "as if he [is] going to pounce on somebody." Okonkwo "stammers slightly" and his breathing is heavy.
Okonkwo is renowned as a wrestler, a fierce warrior, and a successful farmer of yams (a "manly" crop). He has three wives and many children who live in huts on his compound. Throughout his life, he wages a never ending battle for status; his life is dominated by the fear of weakness and failure. He is quick to anger, especially when dealing with men who are weak, lazy debtors like his father. However, Okonkwo overcompensates for his father's womanly (weak) ways, of which he is ashamed, because he does not tolerate idleness or gentleness. Even though he feels inward affection at times, he never portrays affection toward anyone. Instead, he isolates himself by exhibiting anger through violent, stubborn, irrational behavior. Okonkwo demands that his family work long hours despite their age or limited physical stamina, and he nags and beats his wives and son, Nwoye, who Okonkwo believes is womanly like his father, Unoka.
Okonkwo is impulsive; he acts before he thinks. Consequently, Okonkwo offends the Igbo people and their traditions as well as the gods of his clan. Okonkwo is advised not to participate in the murder of Ikefemuna, but he actually kills Ikefemuna because he is "afraid of being thought weak." When the white man brings Christianity to Umuofia, Okonkwo is opposed to the new ways. He feels that the changes are destroying the Igbo culture, changes that require compromise and accommodation — two qualities that Okonkwo finds intolerable. Too proud and inflexible, he clings to traditional beliefs and mourns the loss of the past.
When Okonkwa rashly kills a messenger from the British district office, his clansmen back away in fear; he realizes that none of them support him and that he can't save his village from the British colonists. Okonkwo is defeated. He commits suicide, a shameful and disgraceful death like his father's.
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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Tragic Hero — Analysis Of Okonkwo As A Tragic Hero
Analysis of Okonkwo as a Tragic Hero
- Categories: Chinua Achebe Things Fall Apart Tragic Hero
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Words: 696 |
Published: Feb 8, 2022
Words: 696 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read
- Jeyifo, B. (1993). Okonkwo and his mother: Things Fall Apart and issues of gender in the constitution of African postcolonial discourse. Callaloo, 16(4), 847-858. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2932213)
- Adade-Yeboah, A. (2016). The tragic hero of the modern period–The African concept. (http://ir.csuc.edu.gh:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/439)
- Iyasere, S. O. (1990). Okonkwo and the Execution of Ikemefuna in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: A Study of Ignoble Decisiveness. English Studies in Africa, 33(2), 131-142. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00138399008690874?journalCode=reia20)
- Okolie, M. J., & Uzoma, G. C. (2019). Okonkwo’s reincarnation: a comparison of Achebe’s Things fall apart and No longer at ease. (http://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/123478)
- Dannenberg, H. (2009). The many voices of Things fall apart. Interventions, 11(2), 176-179. (https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/THE-MANY-VOICES-OF-THINGS-FALL-APART-Dannenberg/84051cf8deb2b206360677e6e0963828d347ceac)
Should follow an “upside down” triangle format, meaning, the writer should start off broad and introduce the text and author or topic being discussed, and then get more specific to the thesis statement.
Provides a foundational overview, outlining the historical context and introducing key information that will be further explored in the essay, setting the stage for the argument to follow.
Cornerstone of the essay, presenting the central argument that will be elaborated upon and supported with evidence and analysis throughout the rest of the paper.
The topic sentence serves as the main point or focus of a paragraph in an essay, summarizing the key idea that will be discussed in that paragraph.
The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.
After each piece of evidence is provided, the author should explain HOW and WHY the evidence supports the claim.
Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad about the topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.
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A+ Student Essay: The Role of Storytelling in Things Fall Apart ... Okonkwo is a tragic hero in the classical sense: although he is a superior character, his tragic flaw—the equation of manliness with rashness, anger, and violence—brings about his own destruction. Okonkwo is gruff, at times, and usually unable to express his feelings (the ...
A tragic flaw of a character is the flaw of the main character that will eventually bring him down. The main character, Okonkwo, meets each of the four criteria to be a tragic hero. His flaw would be that he is violent but he does have some good. He cares for his family; he wants his son Nwoye, to be tough and hardworking like him.
Okonkwo's tragic flaw can be identified as his excessive pride and fear of failure. From a young age, Okonkwo was determined to prove himself as a successful and powerful man, in stark contrast to his father, who was seen as weak and effeminate. Okonkwo's constant need to assert his masculinity and dominance over others stems from a deep-seated insecurity and fear of being perceived as weak.
The protagonist of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is also considered a tragic hero. A tragic hero holds a position of power and prestige, chooses his course of action, possesses a tragic flaw, and gains awareness of circumstances that lead to his fall. Okonkwo's tragic flaw is his fear of weakness and failure. In his thirties, Okonkwo is a leader ...
Essays and Criticism ... Okonkwo's tragic flaw is his fear of being perceived as weak or effeminate like his father, Unoka. Okonkwo grew up ashamed of his father, who was a debtor and alcoholic ...
Published: Mar 14, 2024. In Chinua Achebe's novel "Things Fall Apart," the character of Okonkwo stands as a complex and compelling figure whose journey embodies the themes of masculinity, tradition, and change within Igbo society. From the very beginning, Okonkwo's fierce determination and rigid adherence to traditional values make him a ...
Topic sentence: Alike other tragic heroes, Okonkwo has a tragic flaw, which is his fear of failure and weakness. ... Macbeth Tragic Flaw Analysis Essay. Macbeth is a classic tragedy that explores the downfall of the titular character, Macbeth, as he is driven to commit acts of murder and tyranny in order to fulfill his ambition. ...
Essays and Criticism ... This sets up Okonkwo's tragic flaw and role as a tragic hero. He is a powerful and successful man, but he rejects of his father's kindly and calm traits. This causes ...
A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle is a character who is noble in nature, has a tragic flaw and discovers his fate by his own actions. In Things Fall Apart, a novel by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo can be considered a tragic hero because he meets all of Aristotle's criteria by being a tragic hero by being a successful and respected leader in ...
Okonkwo's Tragic Flaw Essay. Decent Essays. 537 Words; 3 Pages; Open Document. A tragic flaw is a trait a character can have that will eventually lead to their horrendous downfall. In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the tragic flaw of the protagonist, Okonkwo, was the fear of weakness and failure. Okonkwo's downfall was caused by ...
Okonkwo's fear of being perceived as weak tragically leads to him to be unnecessarily violent and excessively prideful. These two fatal flaws lead to Okonkwo's own emotional isolation, and his inevitable downfall. Driven by the fear of being seen as weak and emasculated, Okonkwo exhibits hyper masculinity and rage.
Okonkwo fits the definition of tragic hero by being a prosperous and respected leader in Umuofia, possessing a tragic flaw, and finding his destiny. First off a tragic hero is described with high social class, Chinua Achebe describes Okonkwo as "well known throughout the nine villages and beyond" (Achebe 7).
Okonkwo, the main character of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, is a strong and independent man who ends up self-destructing through his tragic flaws. He develops these tragic flaws through his life from fear of becoming his father, and the pride he got from gaining fame so young. Okonkwo starts gaining his pride as a young man, by beating a ...
Okonkwo is a tragic hero because has a tragic flaw, is noble, and experiences reversal of fortune. Okonkwo's tragic flaws include short temper and not wanting to be like his father. He is noble due to his titles and respect throughout Umoafia. His reversal of fortune happens at a funeral.
4863. A tragic hero is someone of superior qualities and status, who suffers a reversal of fortune due to major character flaws. In the novel, Things Fall Apart, Achebe portrays his own characterization of a tragic hero through Okonkwo, the main character. Like typical tragic heroes in other literature, he suffers a terrible death in the end.
The Roaring Flame Gets Extinguished. In the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe the protagonist Okonkwo falls into the tragic timeline of other protagonists. Throughout the novel, Okonkwo starts with power, loses that power by his tragic flaws and finally his tragic flaws lead him to his demise. Achebe uses Aristotle 's definition of a ...
Download. Essay, Pages 4 (969 words) Views. 5. A tragic hero is a literary character that possesses a certain flaw that leads to their own self-destruction. The idea of a "tragic hero" was first presented by Aristotle, an Ancient Greek philosopher. The characteristics of these types of heroes are hamartia, hubris, peripeteia, anagnorisis ...
151 Words1 Page. Okonkwo father was a coward and lazy and he did his best not to become that. Okonkwo's tragic flaw is that he wants to be strong, all throughout the book he trying to strong leads him to sadness and overall suicided. A great example would be Ikemefuna, he basically became his second son and instead of showing emotion when ...
Okonkwo Tragic Flaw Essay. "In ancient Chinese art, the great painters always included a deliberate flaw in their work: human creation is never perfect" (L'engle). While everyone would like to believe that they are perfect, no one is born without a flaw. Some people have desirable qualities and admirable virtues that may seem like ...
Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" is a historical fiction novel that is set in the early 1900's. This novel is about the tragic downfall of the main character Okonkwo, a well respected leader within his clan in Umuofia, who is also a tragic hero because of several flaws. Okonkwo's most noticeable flaw is that he fears weakness and ...
Okonkwo's fear of being perceived as weak tragically leads to him to be unnecessarily violent and excessively prideful. These two fatal flaws lead to Okonkwo's own emotional isolation, and his inevitable downfall. Driven by the fear of being seen as weak and emasculated, Okonkwo exhibits hyper masculinity and rage.
1318 Words6 Pages. "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe exposes a tragic figure, Okonkwo who possesses tragic flaws that eventually lead to his own downfall hence; it categorizes Okonkwo as a tragic hero. As Aristotle defines, "tragic hero is a noble man that displays tragic flaw or hamartia". A tragedy will frequently promote the ...
Achebe represents Okonkwo as the tragic hero who is blinded by his pride. Okonkwo follows the path of the traditional Shakespearian hero and is undone by his own blindness. Achebe starts the path of a Shakespearian tragedy by introducing a person of high esteem. "Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and beyond" (1) for ...