Tragic Hero Archetype in Things Fall Apart

A Hero is a person who faces adversity, or demonstrates courage in the face of danger. A tragic hero on the other hand is a hero who is confronted with his or her downfall as a consequence of their decision making and/or fate. Citing from the Greek philosopher Aristotle: "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall".Within Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe uses Okonkwo, the antagonist of the story as a Typical Hero. He does this for distinct purposes.

By using Harmatia: Okonkwo's fear of being like his father, Unoka, a character who was kind but showed weakness and emotion, highlights the values of the Igbo through this character. It highlights how much emphasis was put on pride, hyper masculinity, reputation,and achievements within the Igbo society, thus making it easier for the reader to resonate with the behavior of the Igbos. However, Okonkwo is characterised as putting in too much effort into these values to substantiate his irrational decisions, he does this for example by not presenting sympathy and respect towards others, even the spirituals. HI fears going down the same path of his father, full of shame and regret uncover the fear of failure of Okonkwo, suggesting the significant role that achievements played in the Igbo culture.

By using Peripeteia: the killing of Ikemefuna, contradicting the advice of the elders, thus going against his own emotional nature are used to show how Okonkwo's faith to fail the Igbo are being realized.

      Achebe uses these characteristics therefore also to show that the Igbo social and political structures were flawed as well, even before the colonization of the British. Therefore Achebe creates a much more honest exhibit on the life before and during colonization, both were flawed. Hereby Achebe creates a more honest and cultural authentic view on these historical events as it shows the story from different points of  view without aggravating or ameliorating either sides of the story.