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Okonkwo A Hero In Things Fall Apart

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Okonkwo A Hero In Things Fall Apart
Aristotle once said, “A man doesn’t become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall. An Aristotelian tragic hero must possess specific characteristics.” According to the great greek philosopher, a tragic hero must fit in 5 characteristics to be classified as one. They are flaw of error or judgement, a reversal of fortune brought due to the hero’s error in judgement, the discovery that the reversal was because of his own actions, excessive pride, and the characters fate must be greater than deserved. Okonkwo, the protagonist in the novel Things Fall Apart, is a man who is blinded by the thought of not being feminine or anything like his father, letting that destroy himself slowly. I think that Okonkwo fits into each category a different way which means that he should qualify as a tragic hero. Hamartia and and hubris are Greek terms describing how the hero …show more content…
In the novel, all of the clansmen gathered for a funeral for a member. Everyone was celebrating his life by firing their guns up in the air. Then all of the sudden, his gun exploded and pierced the deceased man's’ son and killed him instantly. Okonkwo’s punishment is that he has to sent to exile for seven years until he can return. Killing a clansman is an act against the earth goddess even though the killing was involuntary. He and his family had to leave everything behind including his land, belongings, and crops. His obi was burned by the other clan members simply because it was part of the punishment.
Throughout Things Fall Apart, we read that Okonkwo did not have an easy childhood. His father, Unoka, was not a hard worker and failed to maintain a wealthy family and land. When Okonkwo grew up, he was not given a barn, animals, or a big plot of land unlike most people his age. This is why he has such a driven attitude. Okonkwo takes no blame for his rough childhood and puts the blame entirely on his

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