Things Fall Apart Okonkwos Tragic Flaw English Literature Essay

Thingss Fall Apart is a tragic narrative about a adult male who comes into struggle against himself to turn out himself worthy of his folk. A tragic hero is the chief character in a calamity that usually makes a error and ends up defeated. The four chief standards for a narrative to hold a tragic hero would be that the chief character has a defect but has some goodness, he is the supporter of the narrative, he is baronial or exhibits wisdom, and he suffers a reversal of luck in the terminal because of his tragic defect. A tragic defect of a character is the defect of the chief character that will finally convey him down. The chief character, Okonkwo, meets each of the four standards to be a tragic hero. His defect would be that he is violent but he does hold some good. He cares for his household ; he wants his boy Nwoye, to be tough and hardworking like him. Furthermore, he wanted his girl, Ezinma, to be safe. He is a supporter of the narrative because he is the chief character, he is a hero, and in add-on, he is tough. Okonkwo besides exhibits wisdom because he is a leader. He is a great warrior and everyone looks up to him to maintain them safe. In the terminal, Okonkwo ‘s defect of force and certitude got out of control. He became excessively violent when the church took over. The people of his folk turned to the church alternatively of following him so he decided to take action and kill a courier. The commissioner of the church came after him but he had already hanged himself. Therefore, Okonkwo, meeting every regulation, is a tragic hero ( Wikipedia.org ) .

Okonkwo is an impatient, violent individual. When things do non travel the manner he wants them to travel, he can non merely speak it out with person, “ he turned to violence whenever he was angry and could non acquire his words out rapidly plenty, and he would utilize his fists. He had no forbearance with unsuccessful work forces ” ( Achebe 8 ) . He is chesty and attributes inordinate pride ; he feels that everyone should listen to him and that he regulations his whole kin and even his household. He besides beat his married woman during the Week of Peace, “ when she returned he beat her to a great extent. In his choler he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace ” ( Achebe 31 ) . Okonkwo besides had some goodness in him. Ezinma became really sick and shivered in the dark, Okonkwo makes a medical specialty for her and she gets better. He cares for his household even though he does non desire to demo it. He hopes for his boy to turn tough and strong and non stop up like his lazy male parent. Ikemefuna was a male child from Mbaino who was sent to Umuofia because his male parent had killed a adult female from Umuofia. He was to remain with Okonkwo for three old ages so was to be killed. Okonkwo treated him like he was his ain boy, they respected each other and Ikemefuna was a difficult worker. Okonkwo liked this about him ; he was non like his male parent or his ain boy Nwoye.

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The 2nd chief regulation to be a tragic character would be that he is the supporter of the narrative. A supporter is the chief character in a literary work who is a title-holder of a cause or class of action. Okonkwo is the supporter of the narrative because he is the chief character and he is the hero of the narrative. In the first chapter of Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe describes Okonkwo as a great and ferocious warrior. He was a great, celebrated grappler and his celebrity had grown a batch over the old ages. There was another great, undefeated grappler called Amalinze the Cat that Okonkwo “ threw in a battle, which was one of the fiercest since the laminitis of their town ” ( Achebe 7 ) . Okonkwo was a tough, immature adult male and was afraid to demo any failing. “ Okonkwo drew his matchet and cut him down. He was afraid of being caught weak ” ( Achebe 59 ) . Okonkwo killed Ikemefuna before the other adult male could because he was taking excessively long and he wanted his people to believe he was fearless for being the first to kill him.

The tragic hero of a narrative must exhibit wisdom or be baronial at birth. Unoka, Okonkwo ‘s male parent, was “ lazy and improvident and was rather incapable of believing about tomorrow ” ( Achebe 8 ) . He resented his male parent ‘s failure and failing ; resented means that Okonkwo was angry and embarrassed of his male parent ‘s indolence. Ever since he was immature, he wanted to be the antonym of his male parent. “ Okonkwo was ruled by one passion- to detest everything that his male parent Unoka had loved ” ( Achebe 17 ) . Okonkwo is a great leader of his folk. Many people looked up to him because he is so daunting to others. While exiled into his fatherland, the church and their faith began to take control over all of the folks. Okonkwo ‘s ain boy, Nwoye, turned to the church. He became fascinated with the poesy. Okonkwo declared a war against them but most of the people in his kin turned to the church. He eventually leads the remainder of his kin to travel fire down the church. This illustration shows he is a great leader and sticks to his ain beliefs, hence he is a tragic hero ( Dictionary.com ) .

The last regulation of a tragic hero is that the chief character suffers a reversal of luck because of their defect. Okonkwo, with his defect of choler and force, got out of control one twenty-four hours ; he decided to take control, with or without his kin, and kill one of the three church couriers. The villagers, all in shocked and dumb allow the other two couriers go. The territory commissioner goes to Okonkwo ‘s obeah so he can take him to gaol, but Okonkwo had already hanged himself because he wanted everyone to see how dedicated he was to his kin and cognize how much the church had separated them all. This defect of certitude of acquiring his kin back to the manner it was reversed his luck and now he can non make anything more to assist them.

In decision, a tragic hero would be one who involves the impression that such a hero would do an mistake in their actions that leads to his or her ruin. This tragic hero must be a character with defects but with some goodness, which brings them down in the terminal. They are typically hubris, which is one ‘s ain assurance and inordinate pride. They are the supporter of the narrative and they are baronial at birth. The concluding regulation for being a tragic hero suffers a reversal of luck because of their tragic defect ( Wikipedia.com ) .

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