Is Okonkwo A Tragic Hero Essay

There is a one character in the famous novel called Things Fall Apart considered a tragic hero by many readers. The name of this character is Okonkwo and, not coincidentally, he is also the main character in the novel. Ideas of him being a tragic hero did not arise from his robust, manly appearance, but rather from his way of life and thinking that ultimately led him to his inevitable tragic demise. In my opinion, I consider Okonkwo as a tragic hero. My main reasoning behind it is that Okonkwo was growing up facing the image of his father every day and in Okonkwo’s eyes, his father was a debtor and more importantly, lazy and irresponsible human being, who was unable to offer not only for his family, but for himself, too. His father, Unoka,

However, even though Okonkwo was held responsible by his actions and in the end he took his fate into his own hands, I think that outside forces were also present in destruction of Okonkwo’s future and dreams of becoming respected man in his village. Had it not been for the first white men who came into the territory of nine villages, it is very likely that Okonkwo would have lived his life undisturbed because it was the culture and religion of Britons which clashed with native inhabitants of the land. It is hard to predict whether Okonkwo’s destiny was sealed long ago and he was destined to be brought down shamefully. Perhaps it was the latter or perhaps it was a different culture and religion that infiltrated his way of life and intoxicated his clansmen. To sum up, Okonkwo should be definitely considered a tragic hero. During the story we witness his past and present achievements which made him the man of the title and honor, but we also get to see errors in his way of life, such as his suppression of emotions, fear of weakness and impulsiveness followed by intervention by white people. Okonkwo’s story is the one of rise and fall and that makes him a great example of a tragic