Who Is Okonkwo A Tragic Hero

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There are many ways that a hero can be viewed, but they usually have a flaw. Flaws can be big and some can be small but in Okonkwo’s case it hurt his reputation of being a manly, bestial man. Aristotle tells of many characteristics on how a character can be a tragic hero and most of his ideas fits Okonkwo’s flaws, personality, and actions. Aristotle also shares of traits on how their life was and what they went through. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe the author uses the plot to show the Protagonist of Okonkwo to portray him as a tragic hero.
One way Okonkwo is the definition of a tragic hero according to Aristotle is that he has a weakness and Achebe shows this when he beats Ekwefi. Achebe wrote “At any rate, that was how it looked to his father, and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating” (14). This tells the reader that Okonkwo was a very controlling, consistent, and abusive man. This also tells us that he wanted his children to be successful and to be the opposite of his father. One of Okonkwo’s weaknesses was that he solved all of the problems that he had with the people around him by physically beating them. According to Aristotle, Okonkwo had a weakness and it affected him severely throughout the story.

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Achebe wrote “Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had. He did not inherit a barn from his father. There was no barn to inherit.” (16)This tells us that Okonkwo had a rough start as a young man. This also tells us that he had to build his own farm and barns because his father was a failure and borrowed money from villagers instead of making his own money. Okonkwo had to build his own living by himself and make his own money. Okonkwo had to do this because his father was a failure and Okonkwo with

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