Things Fall Apart

Is Okonkwo a tragic hero?

Okonkwo is a tragic hero in a typical sense, although he is a superior character, his tragic flaw,the combination of manliness with rashness, anger, violence,and arrogance brings out his own destruction. The author writes, "AT an early age he had achieved fame as the greatest wrestler in all of the land." In the village Umuofia, this title was held with great esteem. It was a huge determination of ones manliness. Another characteristic of being manly in Umuofia is how well one does at war. "He was not afraid of war. He was a man of action, a man of war." At a very young age, Okonkwo was supporting his family instead of his useless father, Unoka, supporting his own family. Okonkwo had survived through one of the worst drought seasons anyone has ever seen in Umuofia. Because of Okonkwo's accomplishments at such a young age, he took the success to his heart and became very arrogant. He also had a respected reputation for this success. "An old man said about Okonkwo looking at a king's mouth, one would think he never sucked at his mother's breast." His arrogance was focused in and around his tribe and daily life. Arrogance is characteristic of a tragic hero because near the end of the book, OKonkwo kills the messenger to the courts in hopes that the tribe will stand behind him in a war. The destruction of Okonkwo was revealed slowly though out the book. His inability to have patience towards anyone with a trait like his fathers was a slow leak of his sanity throughout the book," He had no patience with unsuccessful men" His view was that hard work, effort,and what you had in terms of material values was the true way of living and if you didn't have any of those you were not worthy for his praise of acknowledgment. The whole idea of a tragic hero over just a hero is that they have all the behavioral traits that a hero does but in addition, they have a trait like violence or arrogance to pull away and terminate all of the heroic traits. Okonkwo's death of hanging himself depicts the irony in that a man of such high esteem and tribal values would kill himself.

Which is a worse failure; failing to be a man at work or failing to be a good effectionate father to your children?

I believe it would be a worse failure to fail at not being a good dad then it would be to not be a good worker, because that only effects you and people that you work with; that don't really make a difference in your life. If you fail your family then your failing yourself and your kids and possibly your wife. Personally if i were to fail and working I would just try and find another job, you can't go and find another family or pair of children. In Things Fall Apart Okonkwo see things the totally opposite of what I do. He seems to think that affection is weakness and showing weakness is being a woman. He shows no affection towards any of his three wifes or any of his children plus the sacrificed boy that has to live with him for three years. Okonkwo shows so little care that he even even has part in killing the boy that has only lived with him for three years(but has made a father, son bond with Okonkwo). Okonkwo wanted to prove to everyone that he was a man; and a man doesn't back down or listen to any advice from anyone.