Okonkwo “Falls Apart”: The Tragic Hero Essay

Psychology teaches us that we retain information presented to us in an emotional andcompelling manner. Facts and figures whitethorn speak to the mind, however stories speak to theheart.the heart of individuals and the heart of graciousity as a whole. wherefore have books andauthors endured for centuries, out conking nearly every(prenominal) opposite form of entertainment?Books arethe faithful guardians of humanitys timeless bonds, and in their linguistic communication and their images resonatecore human principles. For this reason, novels are among humanitys to the highest degree powerful historybooks. Emotions are, after all, what make us human. Who better to speak to these unstop-p sufficient forces than tragic dramatists, who capture the catholicity of human emotions in theirtimeless life-in-capsules .their stories. Classic masters like Sophocles and Shakespeare mayhave introduced us to the tragic hero, but contemporary storytellers have transcended race,regions, and centur ies to gift modern society with its bear tortured messengers.In ChinuaAchebes Things Fall Apart, the struggle between the late nineteenth century Igbo masses ofNigeria and the white colonialists who sought the tribes metempsychosis to Christianity are docu-mented. However, it is the rise and fall of one great Igbo warrior, Okonkwo, that truly 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 dark (evil). The clan leader is admirable in his self-made lieu (a unique fulfillment of the tragic heros usual noble nature) and his determination to create a better future by shunning his fathers questionable actions.Achebe presents Okonkwo and his tribesmen as a people who value thought 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 th e geological era of imperialism and romanticism, many dismissed indigenous Africans as the noble savagebeings 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 intention which communication played in the Igbo community and culture. Such a representation is a far abuse from the dull-witted and language-less savage of popular lore.Despite these positives, the reader may be left with an uncomfortable feelingand up to now an active dislikeof the novels protagonist. He beats his wife (although he is punished for it) he constantly berates his son for not being masculine enough he wishes his daughter (although he adores her typeface and strength) was a son he rarely shows emotion (because he perceives feeling as weakness)and that very worship leads him to remorselessly participate in the premeditated send off of his favored surrogate son Ikemefuna.Two of the said (prenominal) events are particularly crucial 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 building himself up as a respected and well-regarded warrior and provider, although these actions are fueled by the disre cate of his dishonest father, a background over which Okonkwo has no control.This secret shame is the first mark of the warriors spiritual wounding (parental issues similarly drive other celebrated tragic heroes such as Hamlet and Oedipus). Spiritual hurt instills Okonkwo with a tragic brand that damages his decision-making process. And, as with all tragic heroes, the crossroads (the point of decision) is everything. When the warrior is faced with a choice regarding how to speak his wifes presumed negligence, his plume leads him to one brutal conclusion a beating. The action shatters a numinous time for Okonkwos tribe, and, more than than 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 yet 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 child whom he has sheltered, mentored, and admireda child, 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 soulnot 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 further 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 must 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 and through his revolution of one (his final choice, his final act of defiance), Okonkwo both finds himself and, ultimately, loses himself forever. In some regards, Okondwos self-murder is the murder of humanitys hopeThe fall of the Igbo peopleand their once mighty warriorrepresents a slower, more lay waste to form of humiliation and subtle slavery. Two transportations in particular speak to the colonialist impact And at last the locusts did descend. They settled on every 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. at present 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 suddenly these indigenous peoples found themselves in the midst of colonialists (like the locusts), while 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. brownness (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 leadership, 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 signize the falling apart of this once eminent people He had already chosen the title of the book, after much thoughtThe Pacification of the autochthonic Tribes of the Lower Niger (224). The tribe is reduced to some white mans conquest, while the very symbol of that tribes former strength, Okonkwo, becomes a paragraph or twoa mere comment 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 complex 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.