What Is Okonkwo A Tragic Hero

A tragic hero is a person in literature who starts off heroic but has a fatal flaw in their character that leads them to their destruction. Okonkwo exemplifies a tragic hero with experiences he endures in his life. In Chinua Achebe’s novel “Things Fall Apart” the author expresses how the protagonist Okonkwo is a tragic hero by having excessive pride, the audience having empathy for him, and being imperfect.
The pride exhibited by a person reflects their personality. For instance, “Okonkwo said yes very strongly, so his chi agreed. And not only his chi but his clan too, because it judged a man by the work of his hands” (Achebe, page 27). This demonstrates how Okonkwo is so full of himself in thinking that the amount of work a person does should determine placement in society. Furthermore, “‘My father, they have killed me!’ as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe page 61). At this point, pride has engulfed
To expound, “He had no patience with unsuccessful men. He had no patience with his father” (Achebe page 4). Okonkwo went on with his life having this mentality that any man who did not do the amount of work he did was considered unsuccessful because of the impact his father had on him negatively, which cause the readers to relate if they have had problems with parental figures in their lives. Correspondingly, “Okonkwo’s gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy’s heart…The only course open to Okonkwo was to flee from the clan. It was a crime against the earth goddess to kill a clansman, and a man who committed it must flee from the land” (Achebe page 124). Okonkwo did not intentionally mean to kill this boy it was an accident that his gun exploded, everyone makes mistakes in their lives, however, in this case, it’s a sign for Okonkwo not having the best luck making him indeed a tragic