Why would Achebe, taking into account the cultural context, choose to characterize Okonkwo using the tragic hero archetype?
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The character of Okonkwo is the protagonist in
Chiuna Achebe’s famous novel “Things Fall Apart”. The expectation of Achebe creating the
typical Igbo man was not the case, instead; Okonkwo was a contrast to both the
author and the traditional Igbo man. And we can apply the main characteristics
of a tragic hero to Okonkwos character.
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From the start of the novel, we are introduced
to Okonkwo in a way where we can only sympathize with a young man who was left
with nothing due to his fathers lack of work and ability to leave behind a
respectable heritage for his son to build on for the future generations, and from
the introduction of Okonkwo we see him face adversities, however as the story
progresses we see Okonkwo’s hamartia develop and as the plot progresses it is
easily identifiable how Okonkwo’s hubris plays a major part in the story.
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The peripeteia of “Things fall Apart” is the
introduction of western influences to Nigeria. However, the peripeteia of
Okonkwo began when he murdered Ikenfuma and how a successive of bad events
occurred in Okonkwo’s life.
The anagnorisis of Okonkwo is evident in
the later stages of the novel, most noticeably when he sat looking into the
fire on chapter 22; when he was quoteds saying
“He sighed
heavily, and as if in sympathy the smoldering log also sighed. And immediately
Okonkwo's eyes were opened and he saw the whole matter clearly. Living fire
begets cold, impotent ash. He sighed again, deeply.” Which shows some sort of
recognition within his own actions and treatment of Nwoyoe that brought him to
end up like Unoka.
But why would Achebe demonstrate Okonkwo in such manner?
Personally, I believe that
Chinua Achebe does this to try and link Okonkwo back to the Igbo culture,
despite Okonkwo not sharing all characteristics with the Igbo culture but links
Okonkwo’s death with the Igbo culture. Achebe created Okonkwo as a character
that represented the Igbo culture and his death personified the Igbo culture.
While Okonkwo tried to dismiss any introduction of western influences into
Umofia, the citizens didn’t fight to try and maintain their cultural belief,
but rather attempted to make it work by welcoming such ideologies that diminished
the Igbos one.
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