Kurtz and Okonkwo as Tragic Heroes

A detailed Summary of Kurtz and Okonkwo as Tragic Heroes

Tragedy deals with characters greater than us. A "tragic hero" is an individual who possesses some sort of great authority while at the same time being infected with a tragic flaw, which eventually leads to his inevitable downfall in the end. There are two characters specifically, that define the term "tragic hero", in the same post-colonial setting but each with a different, unique style. In fact, these two characters not only define the said term, they take the term to the next level through their self-centered, desirous actions.

Both of these characters, Okonkwo from Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, and Kurtz from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, are tragic heroes to a great extent. Although the path of doom each one takes is different, Okonkwo and Kurtz also present a few characteristics or qualities that are very much alike. Both these men are leaders of a similar tribe and have something great about them. Moreover, the number of contrasting characteristics these two men possess are so great in number, their similarities are thus rendered irrelevant in compa

It is clear now that the reason behind the downfall of these two men are bizarrely quite the opposite of each other. One is highly accepting of others' perspective while the other's brain is hard as a nut to crack. Hence in every case, power leads both to greed, and then to inevitable destruction.

Umofia, is a clan that bears a love for speech. Okonkwo, who is a very wealthy and respected warrior of this clan, is affected notably by the tragic flaw of lacking magnificent speaking skills. Consequently, Okonkwo attempts to make up for his constant stammering by applying aggression to his manner of conduct. Furthermore, due to this tragic flaw, he is set apart from his verbosely-speaking compatriots as his joy remains in ruins. Okonkwo possesses a stubborn, narrow-minded, and truly inflexible way of thinking, which as a result is often behind the cause of conflict. The society he belongs to is a very flexible one, and for that reason, makes his situation even worse. Through his anger, Okonkwo decides to beat Ojiugo heavily while completely ignoring the 'Week of Peace'; he does not yield even to the pleading

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Approximate Word count = 751
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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