Okonkwo Tragic Hero

In Chinua Achebes Novel, Things Fall Apart the protagonist Okonkwo ends up having the characteristics and traits of a tragic hero. A tragic hero is someone who hold holds power and prestige from the start, and eventually comes to a downfall leading to a tragic death. Okonkwo can be defined as a tragic hero because he was of success since age 18, and then after a while his fear of becoming like his father eventually took over him, ending in a suppressing death, in which he hangs himself. Okonkwo didn’t seem to be a tragic hero at the beginning, but once he kills Ikemefuna his fate changes and later he ends up in exile for seven years.
When Okonkwo was younger he wasn’t born of noble birth, he was born from a lazy, improvident, poor man, “In his days he was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow” (Achebe 4). Although, tragic heroes are usually born from some type of noble birth, at
Those fears that he has represent what his father was like and he wanted nothing to do with him. Okonkwo’s fear would be his hamartia or tragic flaw because it controls him, and if he didn’t fear so much he would have been able to live his life much more swiftly. Okonkwo never wanted to show any sign of failure or ‘feminine’ attributes, because he believed that it would make him look weak and not strong and manly. He demonstrates his fear so much, that it overtakes him individually and eventually comes to a turning point. Okonkwo’s turning point would be when he participates in the killing of Ikemefuna, because he was strictly told not to, and they will not let him get away that easy with what he has done and it brings conflict later and his downfall. Okonkwo participated in the killing because he did not want to be weak and he let his fear take him too