A comparative literary analysis of the concept of the tragic hero present in Greek tragedies in juxtaposition with the plight of Achabé’s protagonist Okonkwo, leads to the discovery of significant literary characteristics within the novel Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo’s character traits correspond with those present among protagonist in the ancient tragedies for possessing a specific flaw which serves as an ongoing obstacle throughout the story. While the ancient stories often explore the protagonist against god and nature, in nearly every circumstance the character also possesses internal flaws which ultimately lead to the character’s demise. Okonkwo views his father and upbringing as shameful and effeminate, constantly pursuing a dominant leadership position in the village of Umuofia. After conducting literary examination of the plot and other pertinent elements of the story, these character traits appear to be the motivating factors for the character to rise from lowly beginnings to a powerful position in his community, ultimately leading to his demise. However, one way in which Okonkwo’s journey differs from many of the ancient Greek cannon involves the absence of a clear moment of realization. Subsequently, it is unclear whether Okonkwo experiences the penultimate moment of insight when he sees the error of his ways. Unlike Oedipus who lived out his days in exile contemplating his plunders, Okonkwo commits suicide, a taboo act among the Igbo people. Therefore, literary analysis suggests Okonkwo possesses more tragic character traits than heroic, which does not meet all the criteria of the traditional tragic hero.
In order to understand the literary context of the protagonist, Okonkwo’s actions should be examined against the clearest definition of the tragic hero. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero defines a character who achieves success only to experience a dramatic change of fortune brought about not by some stroke of poor luck, but by a moral failing or fatal mistake. The opening of the novel underscores the reason for Okonkwo’s high standing in his community: “Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements.” The reader learns right away that Okonkwo earned his position in the community. In fact, Okonkwo had to overcome great odds to achieve this position:
With a father like Unoka, Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men had… But in spite of these disadvantages, he had begun even in his father’s lifetime to lay the foundations of a prosperous future. It was slow and painful. But he threw himself into it like one possessed. And indeed he was possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life and shameful death.
Without a father serving as a role model of good conduct, Okonkwo had to build himself into a noble and worthy member of his community on his own, serving as one characteristic of the tragic hero. Okonkwo’s quest to be everything his father was not was propelled by one critical emotion: fear of being like his father. Indeed, despite his outward appearance of strength, Okonkwo becomes consumed by fear, which he conceals through pride and hardness, all of which represent tragic flaws that stem from his heroic pursuit to rise above his disadvantageous beginnings:
…his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic… It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father….
While Okonkwo’s pursuit of respect in the community represents a noble journey, the personal behaviors exhibited throughout the story conflicts with the idea of impacting the village in a positive way. In contrast to his father’s gentleness, Okonkwo becomes violent and hard. He even strikes his children or wives when he deems their behavior unworthy. In order to instill a “manly” mode of conduct in his son, Nwoye, he attends to him with “constant nagging and beating.” In one episode, Okonkwo nearly beats one of his wives to death despite the clan’s commitment to observing the Week of Peace for he “was not the man to stop beating somebody half-way through, not even for fear of a goddess” (Achebe 21). One has the impression that as Okonkwo beats others he is really trying to subdue and to extirpate any traits in himself he may have inherited from his father.
The hard, stern or even cruel approach to life Okonkwo adopted to compensate for being the son of a shameful father in no way makes him a tragic hero, who must also have qualities that endear him or her to readers. Okonkwo does show glimmers of compassion. For instance, when his daughter, Ezinma becomes sick and her mother, Ekwefi is beset by anxiety, Okonkwo prepares a medicinal concoction and instructs Ekwefi how to administer it properly. In a later passage, one of the village priestesses comes in the night and demands she be allowed to make off with Ezinma without offering any explanation. Fearing for the well-being of her only surviving child, Ekwefi follows the priestess with the child on her back into the black night. At the end of this chapter, readers learn that Okonkwo does possess the ability to feel concern for his wife and child because he sets out after them. By the time he finally finds Ekwefi, he had “become gravely worried.” When comparing Okonkwo’s behavior and personality traits to his father, readers discover Achabé implementing a deliberate literary reversal among the two characters in order to redefine the concept of a tragic hero. While the father does not support the protagonist in any way, he still demonstrates a cordial personality and perspective on the village. Okonkwo deviates from demonstration of the positive qualities of his father, therefore, becoming an additional obstacle for the character as he develops throughout the story.
Like all tragic heroes, Okonkwo’s deviation of personal values represents a dramatic turn of fate from good to bad. The process unfolds in two phases; the first occurring when he inadvertently kills a 16-year-old boy at a funeral ceremony. However, this cannot be viewed as the tragic event of the story since the event had not been brought about by a character flaw. Rather, it is a chance accident resulting in Okonkwo’s exile. The early days of his exile in the village of Mbanta were marked by despair and a questioning of his achievements: “He had been cast out of his clan like a fish onto a dry, sandy beach, panting. Clearly his personal god or chi was not made for great things. A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi…” However, Okonkwo perseveres in his new community and eventually achieves a solid reputation and standing in his motherland. When his seven-year exile finishes and he returns to Umuofia, he receives great disappointment by the welcome he receives. Indeed, the villagers “did not appear to have taken any special notice of the warrior’s return… Okonkwo was deeply grieved… he mourned for the warlike men of Umuofia, who had so unaccountably become soft like women.”
During his exile in Mbanta, white missionaries establish a presence in Nigeria and set out to convert the “natives” to Christianity. Okonkwo abhors the white colonizers. Having reacquired a position of standing in Umuofia, Okonkwo leads a group of men to ask the missionaries to leave Nigeria and refrain for altering the common theologies among the villagers. When the white colonizers imprison them for a period until a ransom is paid by the clansmen, Okonkwo’s pride and hate reach new levels. After being released, he calls a meeting where he intends to garner support for a war against the white intruders. When the white men send a messenger to stop the meeting, Okonkwo beheads him with his machete, thinking this act would inspire his brethren to take up arms and rise against the colonizers. When they do not, he realizes his fate is sealed once and for all. He hangs himself from a tree, which is the most shameful act among the Igbo. The event proved disgraceful as in Okonkwo’s native culture, someone having died by his own hands can neither be touched nor buried by other clansmen.
Okonkwo’s noble pursuit to improve his lot in life made him into a prideful and violent man, which ultimately leads to his demise. In this respect, he possesses similarity to other tragic heroes throughout literary history. However, Okonkwo does not meet one critical criteria of the tragic hero. Aristotle asserts that “a man cannot become a hero until he sees the root of his own downfall.” In fact, only one passage exists in Things Fall Apart where Okonkwo seems to recognize the error of his ways. While contemplating the loss of his son to the Christian missionaries by the fire, his “eyes were opened and he saw the whole matter clearly. Living fire begets cold, impotent ash. He sighed again, deeply. This is the only moment in the novel when Okonkwo expresses any degree of insight into his shortcomings. Furthermore, in his act of suicide, Okonkwo transgresses the most serious taboo among his clan instead of standing up and facing his fate. His suicide could be interpreted as a token of the realization of his failings or a final act of prideful defiance. In either case, the fact that the reader is not privy to any penultimate insight Okonkwo has into his own shortcomings suggests that he is more tragic than heroic. The moment when a character showcases vulnerability by acknowledging his or her shortcomings solidifies the character’s position as a tragic hero. While Okonkwo meets most of the criteria of a tragic hero, the absence of such a moment or realization creates a contrast with the character when compared to tragic heroes present throughout Greek literature.