Things Fall Apart Okonkwo A Tragic Hero Essay

"A man doesn 't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall” (Aristotle). A tragic hero is one that one suffer more than they deserve, must be noble but imperfect, must learn from his mistakes... many aspects play into being a tragic hero, and without having certain qualities, one does not qualify to be considered a tragic hero. If key qualities are not meet then the character is not a tragic hero, such does not apply to the case in the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Okonkwo, the main character, is a tragic hero because his weakness was his pride, he was doomed from the start and he discovered his fate by his own actions.

Okonkwo’s biggest weakness was his pride. He was a very arrogant person in society and he had big plans for his success in the clan. He was a blind follower and his faith and culture was gospel to him. He followed the council elders blindly in hopes to win their favor so he could achieve the highest title in the clan. Due to his pride Okonkwo has made some very irreparable

Okonkwo was not able to accept what his fate would be if he lived. He knew he would have died when prosecuted by the district commissioner, and Okonkwo could not stand the thought of white men integrating into his own culture and so he decided his own fate. He “was one of the greatest men in Umuofia” (Achebe #208). However, this great man knowling took his own life, which is against their culture so that he may decide his fate by his own hands, and not by the hands of somebody else.

Okonkwo, the main character, is a tragic hero because his weakness was his pride, he was doomed from the start and he discovered his fate by his own actions. He was doomed from the start, as fate would have it, and his pride hindered him in many aspects. He followed his religion closely and chose to tragically take his own life in order to preserve the image he had of his culture before it changed