Okonkwo Essay -- essays research papers

Okonkwo Tragic Hero Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slowly the men make their way up the hill with Obierika in the lead. Leaves crunch as feet uniformly step onto the ground. The commissioner and his soldiers are warily eyeing their surroundings. Each man snuggles close to Okonkwo’s compound wall, hoping not to be seen. They go past a small bush. It is next to a red hole in the wall where small animals enter and exit the compound. Finally, the men all stop. They spot the body dangling from a tree. They stand upright in shock. The carcass of Okonkwo steadily swings in the breeze. As each man looks upon it disbelievingly, Obierika says to the commissioner heatedly, â€Å"That man was one of the greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself, and now he will be buried like a dog†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 207). In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the main character of Okonkwo displays many different aspects of his personality that lead to this moment. Even though Okonkwo is in a society that forbids suicid e, for many reasons he chooses to end his life this way. Thus, Okonkwo becomes a tragic hero, and at the end of the book, he takes his own life to end his pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Two of the characteristics of a tragic hero are that the person is of high birth and his actions affect the nation. â€Å"Unoka, for that was his father’s name, had died ten years ago. In his day he was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow† (page 4). High birth can be a miracle or a curse, high birth comes with the ability to achieve the impossible and this is Okonkwo’s focus in life. Unoka to Okonkwo is a failure and he strives to be the exact opposite of his father and make a name for himself apart from his fathers. â€Å"Unoka loved it all, and he loved the first kites that returned with the dry season, and the children who sang songs of welcome to them† (page 5). The happiness that Unoka enjoys is not the result of high birth it is because of his love for the simple moments in life and the music that flows around it. Okonkwo does not enjoy life and all it has to offer and ultimately he will not obt ain victory. â€Å"As he broke the kola, Unoka prayed to their ancestors for life and health, and for protection against their enemies† (page 6). Prayer is ultimately the most important aspect of Unoka’s life, even though he is not of high birth, and as he bes... ... much. Overall, his error is in the way he treats his family and how he can not lean back on them in his time of need. â€Å"Take down the body† (page 208). Okonkwo commits many errors within his life and pays for it in the most sinful way, suicide. He dies as a result of the white man’s invasion as well as other affairs that are symbolic to his life. â€Å"His body is evil, and only strangers may touch it† (page 207). The body of a dead person in Umuofian culture is evil and it is unholy for a friend to touch it, for that reason a stranger must touch Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s body is not only evil from death but it is evil from his personality and soul.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thus, Okonkwo becomes a tragic hero, and at the end of the book, he takes his own life to end his pain. Okonkwo a man in disguise is a victim of wrong choices in life and dies for it as a noble purpose. Okonkwo is a human being and with that comes the result in fatal flaws that result in his downfall. High birth is not of Okonkwo’s back ground, but ultimately his actions affect Umuofia in more ways than he could ever understand. Okonkwo not only is a tragic hero, he is also a victim of his own fate and destiny.