Who Is Okonkwo A Tragic Hero

Strong is not a Synonym for Heroic
“The key element in tragedy is that heroes and heroines are destroyed by that which appears to be their greatest strength.” (Robert Shea 1). In Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, the main character, Okonkwo, serves his purpose as a warrior, but loses everything he has worked for after committing acts that can be described as intolerable. His drive to be the once-powerful man he had been before Christian messengers settle in with his village worsens his position when returning from exile. With a different opinion on the foreigners and a violent action to follow it, Okonkwo is to blame for his downfall. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is “a noble or impressive figure who falls due to a fatal flaw”.
When someone did or said something he didn’t agree with, Okonkwo’s first response would be verbal aggression and violence. In his mind, and his clan’s beliefs, a man needs to be fierce and never display signs of weakness, including any kind of affection or emotion. “Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength.” (Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Anchor, 1959). By his clan’s standards, he is an example of a strong man, but the clan’s idea of a hero is not identical to that of Aristotle. Aristotle claims that a hero must possess traits of goodness, which is the quality of doing what is morally right for all. When recalling a war his clan had with another, no apparent thoughts of empathy for the lives lost were mentioned. “‘Worthy men are no more,’ Okonkwo sighed as he remembered those days. ‘Isike will never forget how we slaughtered them in that war. We killed twelve of their men and they killed only two of ours. Before the end of the fourth market week they were suing for peace. Those were the days when men were men.’” (Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Anchor,