Who Is Okonkwo A Tragic Hero

A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgement error that inevitably leads to his/hers own destruction. According to Aristotle, he suggests that a tragic hero must evoke in the audience a sense of pity or fear. In Achebe’s novel, “Things Fall Apart” Okonkwo, the main character is strong leader the Igbo tribe during the struggling time of British colonialism. He is a tragic hero because he achieves goals that are important to him and his tribe, and his tragic flaw and outside forces contribute to his downfall as well.

Throughout all of Okonkwo’s village he was known as the most respected and looked up to leader. He was the most fierce warrior in all of his clan. He “drank the palm-wine from the first head” he captured (10). Throughout all of Okonkwo’s village he was known as the most respected and looked up to leader and was “well-known throughout the nine villages and even beyond his fame rested on solid personal achievements.” (1). When he was eighteen, he had “brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the cat.” (1) Okonkwo at an early age, proved to be a tough leader. He never really had a leader or a roll model to follow after so he had to teach himself

He would go to extremes just to be strong and great. Okonkwo even killed his own son, “My father, they have killed me! As he ran toward him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak” (61). He even killed somebody that called him father just to not be seen as weak. He worked his whole life to be great, “Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and beyond” (3). Okonkwo was the total opposite of his father, “when Unoka died, he had no title at all and was heavily in debt... Okonkwo was still young, he was already one of the best men of his time.” Okonkwo was at a young age when he already had gained a lot of fame for his