At an early age Okonkwo decides that he does not want to be like his father, he wanted to be the leader of his clan. They could see him climbing to the top. Okonkwo was dark, tall and strong with defined muscles, his fame was built on solid personal achievements and titles and this set him up for a big fall. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is seen to have a strong likeness and the definition of Aristotle’s tragic hero.
Okonkwo’s early suffering was brought on by his father’s weak work ethic. “He was lazy and improvident…incapable of thinking about tomorrow (Achebe 4).” “He neither inherited a barn nor title, nor even a young wife (Achebe 18).” Okonkwo realizes any reversal of fortune must be the result of his own doing.
Okonkwo was young but had already reached a place of high status in his clan. “He was still young but had won fame as the greatest wrestler… was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams… to crown it all he had taken two titles (Achebe 8).” He was now judged on hispersonal worth and not the worth of his father. He has achieved his goal of being the leader but his weaknesses begin to show. His violent temper is targeted at his family and others in his tribe and those around him start to see the flaws of their great warrior.
In order to build his and maintain his status in the clan Okonkwo believes he must show strength through power and violence. “Okonkwo heard that Ikemefuna would not eat any food, he came
