t he is alone and he ends his life. Okonkwo is an example of the ultimate reversal from good to bad fortune. Once a prominent man in the tribe is now a disgrace to everybody. The rise of a hero with good intentions who meets such gruesome fate is bound to produce an emotional response from the audience. The audiences reaction is Aristotles sixth and final part of a tragic plot. A good tragedy should bring about the feelings of both pity and fear in the audience. The tale of Oedipus who was told he would kill his father and marry his mother and tries his best to escape that prophecy, ends up fulfilling it. A man, who saves Thebes from the Sphinx and would do anything to protect the city, ends his life a blind man who is banished to wander around in the mountains. Oedipus as a baby was abandoned in the mountains. It is those same mountains that he is forced to roam until his death. The feelings of compassion and pity are brought out in this tragedy. As the story of Oedipus is told, one cannot help but feel sorry for him and his seemingly undeserved fate. Okonkwo, as a boy growing up, was ashamed of his father. He did not want to be like his father. He works hard and rises in the ranks of the clan. His self-pride that drives him not to bring reproach upon his family, causes him to do that very same thing by committing suicide. By taking his own life, he could not be buried like the warrior he was. Okonkwo in all his efforts tries not to bring shame on his family, but that proves to be his fate. Okonkwo cares about what is best for his clan. He believes in the old ways of the clan and does everything in his power to protect them. Okonkwo is a self-made man who worked hard to advance in his society. He is one of the leaders of the tribe and is looked at with great reverence for being a great warrior. Okonkwo fights to preserve his culture and the ways of his ancestors. Okonkwo ends his life where he started; a worthless nobody. Okonkwos s...
