Things Fall Apart - Tragic Hero Summary

        Here in Umofia, a famous hero named Okonkwo brought pride and honor upon his village for defeating the land’s best wrestler. He became known as “a man of action, a man of war” (Achebe 7). He became husband to three women and father to several kids, which was a major accomplishment at the time, and was also seen as wealthy through his vast supply of yams. "He knew that he was a fierce fighter, but that year had been enough to break the heart of a lion" (Achebe 24) when he endured one of the most brutal harvests in our history yet remained resilient. During a funeral Okonkwo accidently shot and killed a boy resulting in an unrighteous seven years in exile. Once his exile was over and he returned to his homeland, white men and Christianity began to infiltrate. The Christians captured Okonkwo and the other five leaders of his village, and jailed them for several days until the villagers paid a fine. Musing revenge, the village had a meeting to discuss war, which Okonkwo supported. A Christian messenger from a missionary arrived to mandate the meeting’s cession. Okonkwo beheaded him and shortly realized “that Umuofia would not go to war”, for the clan “had broken into tumult instead of action” (Achebe 205). Okonkwo’s hamartia was his fear of becoming lazy and stagnant like his father, and his thirst to be great and proud. Subsequently, pride, his perpeteia or reversal of fortune, brought about his own death because he would rather kill himself than be killed by the white men. He was then found dangling from a tree, having hung himself, which is quite understandable. This, however, was a notable exit by a notable tragic hero because it also portrayed an extreme form of self-respect. He was too proud to be killed by people he considered of such low merit, and truly stuck to his morals. Our clan still looks back to him as a genuine hero for his intrepid take to action. His only fear was becoming like his father.