Okonkwo's tragic flaw

Okonkwo is not your ordinary hero, he is no superman or spider man, who saves the day and is claimed to be a ‘superhero.’ Okonkwo is a tragic hero. Aristotle narrates "Man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but, when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all." This quote accurately describes Okonkwo and his experiences.  

Okonkwo’s story is not an ordinary story either. Achebe characterizes Okonkwo as a man of valor and prestige. However, his motive for success is driven by his tragic flaw (“hamartia”), which is his fear of weakness and failure. This fear arises from his desire to oppose the traits of his father, as he believes he is an effeminate, lazy, weak, idle, profligate and gentle man. Okonkwo attempts to adopt opposite ideals in order achieve financial and social success. His tragic flaw is also his fixation towards hyper-masculinity. He equates manliness with rashness, anger and violence, which ultimately beget his downfall. This trait is a result of rejecting all his father’s values. Okonkwo refuses emotions in order to attain his epitome of success. He also holds excessive pride (“hubris”), which is also characteristic of a tragic hero.

Chinua Achebe cunningly crafted such a character as a symbol to depict the Igbo society falling apart. Okonkwo being a tragic hero allows the reader to feel sympathy and compassion for Okonkwo as his life begins to go downhill. Ultimately his story is shaped as follows, he experiences a rise to wealth as a result of diligent hard work, and attains a position of respect. His life approaches downfall as he commits an accidental murder and gets exiled. Similarly Igboland experienced a downfall as a result of colonization. Colonization persisted due to the flaws that plagued the Igbo society. As a result Okonkwo’s character personifies his society, after all he is a product of his society. Okonkwo’s downfall leads to his inevitable demise, and as a result is symbolic of the demise of Igbo culture and customs. Achebe does this in order for the audience to recognize tragic flaws that led to the downfall of his culture as a result of colonization. And additionally allow the audience to fully immerse themselves in his writing.