Taking the cultural
context of Things Fall Apart into account, there are a few reasons for why
Achebe would characterise Okonkwo using the tragic hero archetype. The character
of Okonkwo could be an allegory for the Ibo people as a whole, for example,
since throughout the story we see various parallels between Okonkwo’s situation
and the situation of the Ibo people and culture. In Part One of the book, both
Okonkwo and the Ibo people are well established; Okonkwo has wealth, family,
and stability, and the Ibo society is functioning as it has been in the years
before. However, in Part Two, we see this begin to unravel, as Okonkwo is
exiled, and the colonisers begin to arrive, introducing Christianity, slaughtering
a village; bringing great change, and shaking up the cultural stability. At the
end of Part Three, we see the full breakdown of both Okonkwo and the old Ibo
culture. Okonkwo, of course, kills a court messenger, and then kills himself
when his fellow Ibo won’t join him in his fight against the British, while the
Ibo culture now sees itself ruled by both a foreign power (Great Britain, through
the Colonial Governor) and a foreign religion. Just as Okonkwo has died, so has
the old Ibo traditions and religions, in a way.
Furthermore, although Okonkwo is an
imperfect and flawed character and person, considering that he is punished by Ibo
society (by being exiled for seven years) and violating certain cultural faux
pas (i.e. beating his wife on peace week), it could still be argued that he is
one of Achebe’s ways of representing the Ibo people in the story. Just like people, cultures are imperfect. Okonkwo,
throughout the story, tries to be this ‘ideal’ Ibo man; being a hard worker, a
great warrior, having a large farm, large family, and titles. In essence, it’s
almost like he’s Achebe’s way of connecting with old Ibo society. Yes, technically this is
done with all the characters in the village, since they are all from this old
Ibo culture, however; Okonkwo does not waver in his convictions, beliefs, or personality.
He, and the fate of the old Ibo culture are directly connected, he is not able
to exist in this new world, dominated by European powers and their system of
beliefs, and unlike the other characters, he did not change himself, and just like
the old Ibo culture and their beliefs (especially to do with religion), he
died, as the new world replaced the old. The story of the old Ibo culture and way of life, and its downfall, is reflected in Achebe's characterisation of Okonkwo as a tragic hero.
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