Okonkwo As A Hero In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

459 Words2 Pages
In the novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe shows through Okonkwo that not all heroes have a happy story. Okonkwo is a man of high standing in the Ibo tribe and has a positive future of being a ruler of the tribe. The only obstacle standing in Okonkwo’s way is his decision to be the opposite person his father is. He is plagued with the memory of his father being a lazy alcoholic. Okonkwo tries anything he can to avoid becoming like his father. Okonkwo’s fear escalates to making him a violent and cold man, ruling his house and all he owns with an iron fist. It is this iron will that makes Okonkwo a great farmer, but an even greater leader. Okonkwo is the ideal hero in the Ibo society because of his great strength and ability to move forward. However, in his hatred towards his father, he ruins all chances of being a leader, and in the end brings his own destruction.…show more content…
During the Ibo week of peace, he beats his wife in blind rage and risks the success of the clan’s crops. Okonkwo wants to be viewed as a strong masculine figure, and so he disregards tradition to establish his vigor. When coming back from a 7 year exile, Okonkwo directs his anger towards the white missionaries and soon begins to try and ruin them. When a messenger approaches him, his fury towards the missionaries causes him to slay the man on the spot. Okonkwo learns that his actions are for nothing, upset that his clan has softened, and in a final action decides to hang

More about Okonkwo As A Hero In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Open Document