Tragedy in Things Fall Apart
Consider the Aristotelian tragedy. It has yet to go the way of Eddie Bauer. In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe devised a tragic African hero in Okonkwo, consistent with the classic stipulations of the figure. Thus, the novel--to its greatest practicable extent-inherently existed as a tragedy on all levels to accommodate Okonkwo. To illustrate this, I will dissect and analyze the many factors that make Things Fall Apart an exemplary model of Greek tragedy by Aristotle's own towering ideals. First and foremost, the tragic hero must be of noble stature, occupying a high position within the community, innately embodying virtue and majesty. Okonkwo distinguished himself as an exceptional wrestler, defeating Amalinze the Cat-who had not been defeated in seven years-and winning thus a reputation as a "manly" figure. In his family compound, Okonkwo lives in a hut of his own, and each of his three wives lives in a hut of her own with her children. The prosperous compound also includes an enclosure with stacks of yams, sheds for goats and hens, and a "medicine ho
Though the hero may be great, he may not be perfect. We must be able to identify with him, seeing him perhaps in others or ourselves. Having a notoriously short temper and an infamously wasteful father rendered Okonkwo imperfect, one who has problems and a past like everyone else. Though it elicits solemn emotion, tragedy does not leave its audience in a state of depression. Aristotle argues that one function of tragedy is to arouse the "unhealthy" emotions of pity and fear and through a catharsis (which comes from watching the tragic hero's terrible fate) cleanse us of those emotions. Achebe accomplishes this with the successful final epiphany, completing Things Fall Apart as an exemplary model of Aristotelian tragedy, to the greatest extent possible. The hero's misfortune is not wholly deserved. The punishment exceeds the crime, which is seen at different occasions: banished to the motherland for seven years (chapter fourteen) for an accidental "womanly" crime and his concurrent Euro-induced suicide upon his ill fated return (chapter twenty-five).
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Approximate Word count = 715
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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