Okonkwo, The Tragic Hero

The author, Achebe, has chosen to characterize Okonkwo using the tragic hero archetype, where “a character generally makes a judgment error tat inevitably leads to their own destruction.” This is generally parallel to the Igbo culture collapsing and more specifically to Okonkwo's ultimate downfall. Achebe was successful in doing so through indirect characterization where an objective third narration is displayed. As readers, we are able to recognize particular aspects which substantiate certain traits of Okonkwo’s personality. He is tragically flawed to replicate particular traits and be representative and allegorical of a real individual which not only makes the reader more drawn to a text but also makes the novel dynamic and eliminates a monotonic narration. Okonkwo, as a tragic heroic figure, stands both resolutely for the beliefs and tradition of his culture by seeking social advancement through achievement and against the approaching of colonial forces. In defiance of this supreme embodiment in conjunction of Igbo culture and tradition, he symbolizes an internal contradiction of his culture's ideals.  Many moments of the text contribute to showing how much of a conflicted character he is, as he doesn’t recognize the whole idea of duality despite the fact that it’s significant to the Igbo community, that is a significant part in leading to a sudden reversal of fortune in unforeseen circumstances, especially in reference to such a fictional novel, referred to as peripeteia.

Overall, he embodies yet contradicts the Igbo culture and beliefs thus Okonknwo’s values are better understood after learning about the Igbo culture. His values can be critically analyzed to better understand larger concepts in the text. These overarching messages conveyed by the author are important as a character’s incongruity and conflict equate to a particular theme which enables us, as readers, to appreciate the significance of the concept and overall context of the novel.