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Nurayda Albeez

Mr. Garza

World Literature

18 February 2022

Flaws, Sufferings, and Heroes

One in five people are categorized as heroes. This is the result of a study conducted by Philip

Zimbardo, an American psychologist and professor emeritus at Stanford University. But what

defines a hero? Are there different types of heroes? This is what the Greek philosopher Aristotle

wanted to find out. He was famous for specifically classifying the characteristics of a tragic hero.

In the novel “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, the main character Okonkwo can be argued

as a tragic hero per Aristotle’s Standards. However, he can also be argued as an epic hero who

has extraordinary abilities and achieves great things. In this essay, we’ll prove that Okonkwo is a

tragic hero by focusing on the two most important characteristics that Aristotle used to classify

tragic heroes: having a tragic flaw and having experienced suffering.

One reason that Okonkwo is a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s Standards is because he has

a tragic flaw. Aristotle’s Standards state that a tragic flaw is a flaw of a tragic hero that ultimately

leads to their downfall. Okonkwo’s tragic flaw is his fear of failure and being thought of as weak

and incapable like his father. This flaw is clearly described by the narrator when he explains why

Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. On page 13, the narrator states, “Perhaps down

in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of

failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious

gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and
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claw. Okonkwo’s fear was greater than these. It was not external but lay deep within himself. It

was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father.” This quote is an

important moment of characterization for Okonkwo. It supports my claim by showing that

Okonkwo is a man driven by fear who strives to prevent his fear from becoming a reality.

Okonkwo’s tragic flaw dangerously controls him because throughout the story, there are several

instances where Okonkwo does things that he knows are wrong to save himself from his fear. An

example of this occurs when Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna, a boy who lived with his family for

three years and considered him a father. Ikemefuna was taken from his clan and given to

Okonkwo’s clan as a token of peace. However, after three years, it was time for Ikemefuna to be

killed and a group of men were produced to complete the task. Okonkwo went with the group

despite an elder specifically telling him not to do so. On page 61, when the group arrives at the

place where Ikemefuna (who was carrying a pot) was to be killed, the narrator states, “As the

man who had cleared his throat drew up and raised his machete, Okonkwo looked away. He

heard the blow. The pot fell and broke in the sand. He heard Ikemefuna cry, ‘My father, they

have killed me!’ as he ran towards him. Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut

him down.” This quote supports my claim because it shows that Okonkwo is willing to kill a boy

he loves, who considers him a father, just so others won’t consider him weak and less of a man.

The tragic flaw of Okonkwo clearly influences him to do negative things. All of this evidence

and reasoning proves that Okonkwo is a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s Standards because

he has a tragic flaw, which is his fear of failure and being thought of as weak and incapable like

his father. It is ironic that Okonkwo, who is known as the greatest wrestler in all the nine

villages, fears failure. That being said, isn’t everyone afraid of this?
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Another reason that Okonkwo is a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s Standards is because he

has experienced great suffering. Aristotle’s Standards state that tragic heroes suffer from bad

luck or the results of bad choices, and how tragic heroes deal with these things leads to their

great suffering. Okonkwo’s great suffering is being forced to flee from his clan to his motherland

for seven years as a punishment for unknowingly killing one of his clansmen. The great suffering

of Okonkwo is clearly described by the narrator when he explains how planting a new farm in

his motherland was like starting a new life for Okonkwo, but without the enthusiasm of one’s

youth. On page 131, the narrator states, “Work no longer had for him the pleasure it used to have,

and when there was no work to do he sat in a silent half-sleep. His life had been ruled by a great

passion—to become one of the lords of the clan. That had been his life-spring. And he had all but

achieved it. Then everything had been broken. He had been cast out of his clan like a fish onto a

dry, sandy beach, panting. Clearly his personal god or chi was not made for great things. A man

could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi.” This quote supports my claim because it shows that

Okonkwo’s great suffering stole what he wanted the most in life. The author’s use of diction in

the simile “like a fish onto a dry, sandy beach, panting” really allows readers to step inside

Okonkwo’s shoes and understand how he feels. Okonkwo’s great suffering doesn’t just cause

him to start a new life in his motherland, but leads to his son running away to Christian

missionaries. This was an enormous embarrassment to Okonkwo because it reflected on his

parenting and the faith his son has in the clan’s religion. When Okonkwo finds out that Nwoye

was with the Christian missionaries, he beats him and Nwoye never returns. On page 152, when

Okonkwo is thinking about his great suffering, the narrator states, “Why, he cried in his heart,

should he, Okonkwo, of all people, be cursed with such a son? He saw clearly in it the finger of

his personal god or chi. For how else could he explain his great misfortune and exile and now his
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despicable son's behavior? Now that he had time to think of it, his son's crime stood out in its

stark enormity.” This quote supports my claim because it shows that Okonkwo’s life is falling

apart in his great suffering. His bad luck and the results of his bad choices are following him

everywhere, and even take his son away from him. All of this evidence and reasoning proves that

Okonkwo is a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s Standards because he has experienced great

suffering: Being forced to flee from his clan to his motherland for seven years as a punishment

for unknowingly killing one of his clansmen. This great suffering of Okonkwo changes him by

snatching his dreams and stealing his first child.

According to Aristotle’s Standards, having a tragic flaw and having experienced suffering

makes Okonkwo a tragic hero. Okonkwo strives to be this great, ideal man. That’s why he kills

Ikemefuna and has trouble adjusting in his motherland. Does his obsession to fulfill the goal of

becoming a true man prevent him from achieving it? After all, the novel ends with Okonkwo

committing suicide. We all have dreams to pursue, flaws that hold us back, and sufferings that

change who we are. That being said, dreams can change, flaws can be reduced, and sufferings

can be overcome. It’s not about one’s circumstances, but about how they choose to handle them.

Suicide is giving up; living is fighting back.