Is Okonkwo A Tragic Hero Analysis

Often we look up to someone as a hero not knowing who they really are or if they really attribute the characteristics a hero. People may carry many characteristics that make them out to believe that they are somebody they are not. For example, it is often questioned the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe whether Okonkwo, the main character, is a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s idea of a tragic hero. In Things Fall Apart , Okonkwo suffers many hardships in his Ibo village but overcomes them in different ways. Although Okonkwo has many characteristics of a tragic hero, he doesn’t quite meet all the requirements to be a tragic hero.
First of all, a tragic hero characterizes as a person of high status, in which, Okonkwo does portray …show more content…
Okonkwo 's tragic flaw happens to be his anger. For instance, Okonkwo’s anger was so bad that "His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children." (Pg 17) This would make him a tragic hero because it 's something that really affects his lifestyle and his family. They are truly scared of him because his anger is so bad and they never know what will make him happy or mad. Okonkwo is very unpredictable which makes having a happy,healthy relationship with his family very hard. He let his anger get the best of him. Another example would be when he shot at his wife, Ekwefi. The text states, "...the wife who had just been beaten murmured something about guns that never shot...Okonkwo heard it and ran madly into his room for the loaded gun, ran out again and aimed it at her...He pressed the trigger and there was a loud report..." (Pg 55) Although the bullet didn 't actually hit her, it was still wrong of him to even think to shoot at her. He let his anger get the best of him another time and it left his family in great fear once again. Okonkwo 's anger doesn 't allow him to make the right decisions. He reacts before he thinks about what 's he 's doing,as if, his anger takes control of his body. Therefore, Okonkwo 's anger would give him the characteristic of being a tragic …show more content…
Sadly enough, Okonkwo did leave his audience in a state of depression not only once but, twice. The first time, “Okonkwo 's gun had exploded and a piece of had pierced the boy 's heart...Okonkwo had committed the female,because it 's had been inadvertent. He could return to the clan after seven years." (Pg 182) Okonkwo 's exile is something the audience would ever expect from Okonkwo. His dreams and goals were all too high for him too loose so much over a mistake. Now he had to go back to his motherland and start all over with nothing but the valuable belongings he to from back in Umuofia. It brings down the mood of the audience because no one wants to see him fail after the hardships he went through in the past since the death of his father. The exile of Okonkwo isn 't the only thing that left the audience depressed. The death of Okonkwo left depression in the air. The texts states , "...Okonkwo drew his machete...Okonkwo 's machete descended twice and the man 's head lay beside his uniformed body...[district commissioner arrived and asked] "Where is he?"...[they replied]"We can take you where he is, and perhaps your men will help us."...they came to the tree from which Okonkwo 's dead body was dangling..."(pg 295) The last thing expected out of Okonkwo would be for him to kill himself. He is too prideful of who is he and he 's usually take on a battle before