aracter. One of the most important requirements to be a tragic hero is that the character must have a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall. In the case of Okonkwo, his flaw is obviously his fear of weakness. This is clear in the description of how he manages his household,“Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children. Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw. Okonkwo’s fear was greater than these. It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father. Even as a little boy he had resented his father’s failure and weakness … And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion –to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. One of these things was gentleness and another was idleness.” (Achebe, page 13(This passage exposes the manner by which Okonkwo manages his household. His constant fear of failing and following the steps of his father reflects in his dominating character. This manner we can still see in the case of ordinary people, which supports the second requirement of Aristotle for a character to be named a tragic hero that is having ordinary human qualities. Furthermore, it is his constant fear of failure and weakness along with his experience of his father’s failure that is considered his flaw. It is his dislike for whatever his father likes and how this reflects on his personal character and the way he treats others that will lead to his downfall.Therefore, we see that Okonkwo is a person larger than life in the sense of physical strength. ...
