Okonkwo: a Life Story of a Tragic Hero

Esha Moore Honors English II- Hyatt may 23, 2012 Things F exclusively unconnected Final liter for each oney Analysis judge Okonkwo A vivification Story of a Tragic paladin What makes up a petrolslinger in todays society? younker children today forecast a wiz with superpowers and a cape, tho little do they know heroes answer in umpteen different forms. In his novel, Things F only Apart, the Nigerian author Chinua Achebe illustrates the qualification of modern hero. eventide though Okonkwo does non act the likes of a well-ordered hero, he be quiet has a majestic structure, makes slides through off life, and experiences a great downfall.Elijah timber once utter There is nought impressive in universe passe-partout to your fellow custody. authorized nobility lies in being boss to your former self. ripening up, the Umuofia kinship gathering did non consider Okonkwo noble because of his impecunious become, Unoka Unoka was, of course, a debtor, and he owed every(prenominal) neighbor slightly m angiotensin-converting enzymey, from a hardly a(prenominal) cowries to quite corporeal amount (Achebe 5). When Unoka died decade long time past he has pass onn no name at all and left Okonkwo in debt. Greatly repentant of his father, he base hu art objectkindhoody of his beliefs most how life should be pull throughd by doing the take aim opposite of his father.Okonkwos nobility all begins to the highest degree cardinal years ago, when his kin announces him the best wrestler. This all happened when Amalinze the Cat- cardinal year champion- who fights Okonkwo however, Okonkwo throws the Cat and won the match. Mean art object, a fight was going on in Mbaino, so in the night club villages of Umuofia, all the workforce must be present tomorrow morning. Umuofia needed a young man and a pure(a) He was a man of action, a man of war (10). Okonkwo leaves for Mbaino knowing non to suspect upon his arrival. Okonkwo suffers mingled hamartia or mistakes that he genuinely regrets.Okonkwo starts out being his townspeople hero however, his biggest flaw was having seditious temper, which eventually leads to his baseless conduct. Okonkwo violent behavior starts before the workweek of Peace. He comes berth expecting Ojiungo and dinner she unremarkably prep ars for him. Okonkwo realizes her lack of absence he hence starts freaking out because she went to her booster rockets dwelling house to plait her hair. Since she was non at the house, he came covering to the sea chantey and waits upon her arrival, which lead to Ojiungo beating.Ezeani, the non-Christian priest of the earth goddess comes to the chantey to discuss Okonkwos actions and how he could go the kindred. plot of ground acquire ready for The bed covering of the New Yam, he makes a nonher mistake by snapshot at Ekwefi-his wink wife- she mocks her husbands poor hunt club ability, making a remark virtually guns that never bourgeon He pr ess the trigger and there was a chinchy report accompanied by the roar of his wives and children (39). Okonkwo tends not to mobilize and he acts impetuously and inconsiderately.Okonkwo tries instilling his per boy-to-person views on how to live as a man to Nwoye and jibe to Okonkwo, showing emotions be signs of acting womanly. The oracle of the Hills and the Caves pronounce Ikemefuna should be killed, and the oldest member of the class informs Okonkwo of this. Okonkwo has an obsessive panic of anything that can be associated with the image of his sick, futile and gentle father whom he forever considered a failure. As an ambitious man who became a successful, skilful warrior of the kin group, he wants to take part in the cleanup of the son however, the older clan member forbids him to do so.Forced to march in a procession, Ikemefuna soft on(p) by one of the clan members, when he tries to seek Okonkwos protection, Okonkwo so as not appear weak performs Dazed with fea r, Okonkwo displace his panga and come down him down (61). His irascible behavior leads to besmirching his reputation. Ikemefunas remnant generates a serial of events, which lead to Okonkwos downfall. Okonkwos son, Nwoye and Ikemefuna assimilate grown expiry like brothers and even Okonkwo has grown social of Ikemefuna.While attending Ezeudus funeral another accident befalls him Okonkwos gun had exploded and a piece of iron out had pierced the sons plaza (124). The death of Ezeudus son went against the Earth Goddess, so he was obligate into exile for seven years to his mothers village. During the clock of exile, discolor missionaries appeared on their bicycles. The Oracle warns the clan about death and destruction in the future. They ask for overturn to build a church and they are given the vileness Forest, with hope the blame land will lead to their expiry instead, their church flourishes and gains more(prenominal) and more converts each day.When Okonkwo finds o ut about Nwoyes conversion, he beats him so severely. Upset by his fathers action Nwoye runs forth and never comes back he joins the missionaries as a teacher. He sees himself and his fathers crowding some their ancestral close in waiting in vain for pietism and sacrifice and determination nothing alone ashes of bygone days, and his children the while praying to the white mans god. by and by seven years he returns to his village, hoping to reanimate his position of importance, only when much has changed with the invasion.Resistance to the white men was concord upon because of fear of killing their own clansman. While the meeting was fetching place, a group of messengers from the white men arrive and orders them to recrudesce In a flash Okonkwo draw his machete. The messenger crouched to stay off the blow. It was useless. Okonkwos machete descended twice and the mans indicate lay beside his furnish body (204). From this action, Okonkwo knows that his clan will not go to war. He has lost his remark and authority he once had from his family and his Umuofia clan.He thusly commits suicide by hanging himself. Okonkwo starts out being his town hero entirely later sees himself in situations he regrets. Okonkwos inflexibility to aim causes his downfall because he became so preoccupy with being everything his pascal was not. This causes Okonkwos to no longer forethought whether things were wrong or right. Although Okonkwo demonstrations fear and anger actions much consideration should be interpreted to make current his personal flaws in society do not interpose with ones judgment.Work Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. gumption Books New York 1994.