okonkwo-a tragic hero
The novel Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe introduces an interesting character named Okonkwo. Okonkwo lived a life full of contradiction. His main goal in life was to never give up until he was successful and achieved everything he wanted, but then he ended up committing suicide in the end. Okonkwo can be thought of as a tragic hero. He has quality characteristics about him that everyone admires, such as his bravery, strength, and his desire to succeed. His fear of becoming like his father gave him this desire to succeed, and consistently motivated him to progress through life. However, he was always held back by his tragic flaw, being his inability to accept change. Okonkwo's motivation to succeed was driven by fear. When his father, Unoka, died, he left Okonkwo with nothing. Unoka was thought of as a coward, and Okonkwo also feared that he would be thought of the same way. So in turn, having a failure as a father was just the thing Okonkwo needed to become successful in his own life. Achebe says, "He was possessed by the fear of his father's contemptible life and shameful death" (18; ch. 3) Okonkwo's success was based on his material acquisition and growth, and his power. When Okonkwo was still just a b
oy, he began his hard work of farming at a desperate attempt to earn respect. "I began to fend for myself at an age when most people still suck at their mothers' breasts. If you give me some yam seeds I shall not fail you." (21; ch. 3). Here we can see that Okonkwo started adulthood, in fact supporting his family, at a very early age. He began to cultivate his farm before many of the other townspeople. This unfortunately lead to disaster the first year since the rains came early and much of his crop was destroyed. Okonkwo persisted. Okonkwo was a man possessed with succeeding. "'Since I survived that year,' he always said, 'I shall survive anything.' He put it down to his inflexible will." (24; ch. 3). This offers the reader a clear picture of the type of man Okonkwo was, very driven and determined to succeed. Okonkwo's determination paid off in the end. He possessed great wealth, including two barns of yams and three wives. It was looked upon favorably if you took on more than one wife. This meant that you were rich enough to support them. It can be said that Okonkwo became a successful man, because he diligently cultivated the aggressive qualities which were most admired in Umuofia. This success earned Okonkwo the high status of representing his village as the second egwugwu, as well as the respect of all of Umuofia. Without the fear of his father to motivate him through life, Okonkwo may not have turned into the man he did. Okonkwo's heroic qualities also included his physical and mental strength. His physical strength was valued as an element of his success. He was known as the best wrestler in all the nine villages and was never beaten. He even beat the Cat who, up to that time, had never been beaten. "(Okonkwo) was tall and huge, and his bushy eyebrows and wide nose gave him a very severe look... When he walked, his heels hardly touched the ground and he seemed to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce on somebody." (3; ch.1). Okonkwo imposes his own reality on people. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in fear of his temper, for Okonkwo made more demands of life
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Approximate Word count = 1421
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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