Okonkwo as A Tragic Hero

“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe is widely regarded as a window into African Society before – and during – the arrival of the colonialists and missionaries. So why would Achebe decide to characterize the main character Okonkwo as a tragic hero?

A tragic hero is one that is ultimately defeated and usually killed at the end of the story, commonly as a result of their own actions. Tragic heroes usually follow a specific archetype encountering hamartia, hubris, anagnorisis, and ultimately death and/or defeat. Okonkwo seems to follow a similar path throughout the novel. From the onset of the story, we are introduced to the aggressive and determined nature of Okonkwo exemplified by his lack of patience with unsuccessful men. However, more importantly, we see a profound fear beginning to exude from his actions and of the perception of his father. This fear of failure and of looking week can be observed by the reader in Okonkwo's actions, specifically when he kills Ikemefuna despite being advised not to as the boy considers him as a father. Okonkwo's fear can most closely be attributed to his perception of his father as a weak and lazy "agbala" and the way their strained relationship drove Okonkwo to reject all things feminine and weak in men. 

However, in order to understand the true purpose of characterizing him as a tragic hero, we must understand the nature of a tragic hero, the hero at some points in the story is usually seen in a negative light and the author develops a dislike between the reader and their character. However, after the death of the character, the reader almost always feel remorse or empathy towards them feeling as though they received more punishment than they deserved. This can be linked back to the fine line Achebe must tread being a native African Christian convert. Therefore, Okonkwo can be seen as an embodiment of many values of Igbo Society demonstrating its functionality, however, his death suggests an end to one main idea, that of inflexibility and a lack of duality.