Tragic Hero In Things Fall Apart

A tragic hero is not defined by action, but by character. A tragic hero must be a good character with purpose, courage, consistency, and must be true to life. A tragic hero must also have their downfall, often being that they have hubris, pride, or hamartia, a fatal flaw. With every story of a tragic hero comes a perfect tragedy. A perfect tragedy should have a complex plot, exciting yet fear evoking aspects, and a change of fortune. The story of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe completely exemplifies a perfect tragedy and tragic hero.

Every tragic hero has a fatal flaw and for Okonkwo it is his fear of being weak or as weak as his father lived to be. Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, lived a drunken and lazy life, and as Okonkwo grew he learned everything not
Okonkwo’s choice of actions clearly demonstrates this. For instance, Okonkwo’s encounter with Ikemefuna had not needed to go about that way. Okonkwo’s pride of being fearless and unstoppable, not even by love, got in the way. Later in Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s pride became so great that it led him to his death. After proving himself a hero by killing a white messenger, he justified this pride by hanging himself, “Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was dangling, and they stopped dead” (Achebe 170). His pride was so great that he would rather die than live beneath the white people’s power.Okonkwo’s pride had grown greater through his accomplishes, unfortunately reaching the best of him. Overall, Okonkwo has proven to have hubris and hamartia, given the events and actions he’s taken upon. His father’s failure and Okonkwo’s hope to oppose him his whole life, clouded his thoughts and sometimes his focus. Readers now have knowledge to never let their weaknesses get in the way of their journey. The story of Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe completely exemplifies a perfect tragedy and tragic