Okonkwo “Falls Apart”: The Tragic Hero Essay

Psychology teaches us that we retain information presented to us in an ablaze andcompelling service mankindner. F pillow slipizations and figures may deliver to the mind, but stories speak to theheart.the heart of individuals and the heart of humanity as a whole. wherefore have books andauthors endured for centuries, outlasting nearly e really other form of entertainment?Books bethe faithful guardians of humanitys timeless bonds, and in their words and their images discovercore human principles. For this rea password, novels argon among humanitys most herculean historybooks. Emotions are, after all, what make us human. Who better to speak to these unstop-pable forces than sad dramatists, who capture the universality of human emotions in theirtimeless life-in-capsules .their stories. Classic get the hang like Sophocles and Shakespeare mayhave introduced us to the tragic hero, but contemporary storytellers have transcended race,regions, and centuries to gift modern society wit h its own tortured messengers.In ChinuaAchebes Things Fall Apart, the struggle between the late nineteenth deoxycytidine monophosphate Igbo large number ofNigeria and the white colonialists who sought the tribes conversion to Christianity are docu-mented. However, it is the rise and decline of one great Igbo warrior, Okonkwo, that authentically drivesthis modern tragedy. and demonstrates how a tragic hero is often anything but heroic.Much like Shakespearean tragic hero Macbeth and many others, Okonkwo is a multidimensional blend of light (good) and meritless (evil). The clan leader is admirable in his self-made status (a odd fulfillment of the tragic heros usual noble nature) and his closing curtain to create a better future by shunning his receives questionable consummations.Achebe presents Okonkwo and his tribesmen as a people who value aspect and artistry Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten (12). During the era of imperialism and romanticism, many dismissed indigenous Africans as the noble bowellessbeings high in morality but low in intelligence. Achebes tale challenges both of these assumptions. Achebe peppers his tale with Igbo language and words, to illustrate the vital enjoyment which communication played in the Igbo community and culture. Such a facsimile is a far cry from the dull-witted and language-less savage of popular lore.Despite these positives, the referee may be left with an uncomfortable feelingand even an nimble dislikeof the novels protagonist. He beats his wife (although he is punished for it) he constantly berates his son for not being manly enough he wishes his daughter (although he adores her character and strength) was a son he rarely shows emotion (because he perceives feeling as weakness)and that very fear leads him to remorselessly participate in the premeditated murder of his elevate surrogate son Ikemefuna.Two of the aforementio ned events are particularly critical in Okonkwos path of development, demonstrating the cruel interaction of fate and woof that guides the tragic hero. During his formative years, Okondwo firmly captains his own destiny by mental synthesis himself up as a respected and well-regarded warrior and provider, although these actions are fueled by the disrepute of his dishonest father, a back country over which Okonkwo has no control.This undercover shame is the first mark of the warriors spiritual wounding (parental issues likewise drive other celebrated tragic heroes such as settlement and Oedipus). Spiritual hurt instills Okonkwo with a tragic flaw that damages his decision-making process. And, as with all tragic heroes, the crossroads (the point of decision) is anything. When the warrior is faced with a prize regarding how to handle his wifes presumed negligence, his pride leads him to one brutal conclusion a beating. The action shatters a sacred time for Okonkwos tribe, and, frequently importantly, fractures their trust in an important leader.As a result, the warrior has only hurt himself more, a fact for which he repents but does not except truly recognize.Only Okonkwos second crossroads will irrevocably alter the story, and the man himself. After all, how could a man look into the eyes of a nestling whom he has sheltered, mentored, and admireda youngster, with no blood ties, who is still no less a son to his fatherhow could such a man look into the past and future and allow his pride to deal that child a fatal blow?How could a piece of that manof his thoughtnot die with his child? For Okonkwo, the answer is clear, and his tragic recognition of the consequences of this action (his moment of truth) sets the ensuing chain of events on its inevitableand unavoidablecourse. The warrior has move on severed the tenuous connection with his family more death befalls his family the fates punish him with a tragic accident, which leads to his exile and he m ust watch passively as his people are swindled by questionable outsiders.Yet the repeated emotional pummelings have reawakened within the warrior two important virtues honor and courage. Through his whirling of one (his final choice, his final act of defiance), Okonkwo both finds himself and, ultimately, loses himself forever. In close to regards, Okondwos self-murder is the murder of humanitys hopeThe fall of the Igbo peopleand their once mighty warriorrepresents a slower, more devastating form of confusion and subtle slavery. Two expirations in particular speak to the colonialist impact And at last the locusts did descend. They settled on both tree and on every blade of grass they settled on the roofs and covered the bare ground (71)He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. forthwith he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart (164). The first passage indicates how all at once these indigenous peoples found themselves in the midst of colonialists (like the locusts), bandage the second passage laments how easily the outsiders were able to turn loyal tribesmen against one another.In the story, the tribesmen were at first seduced by the kindly ways of Mr. Brown (who respects the tribesmen yet lures away the tribe outsiders first), but then they fall victim to the much more aggressive Reverend Smith. Once under Smiths leadershiphip, the tribe converts actions become much more disreputable and disloyal (such as when Enoch unmasks the egwogwu), and the leaders of the tribe eventually lose their will to fight the colonialists, leading to Okonkwos suicide. But it is perhaps the final lines of the book which most symbolize the travel apart of this once proud people He had already elect the title of the book, after much thoughtThe Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the overthrow Niger (2 24). The tribe is reduced to some white mans conquest, while the very symbol of that tribes former strength, Okonkwo, becomes a separate or twoa mere footnote in colonialist history. In this sense, Okonkwos suffering (like many tragic heroes) is instilled with greater meaning because he serves as a symbola symbol of his cultures greatness and its inevitable, tragic demise.Two words best summarize the Byzantine creation of Okonkwo tragic hero. Within this man is a piece of every individual, past and present. The audience relates so well because they see themselves in Okonkwos shortcomings, flaws, and basically imperfect human nature. In watching this memorable characters own struggles against the insurmountable, generations of audiences have found an outlet for their own hopes and fears.