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Tomesha Lindsay

GST 101

McCarver

November 27, 2009

The Legend Hero

In the novel, Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo struggles to be manly.

He goes through many struggles to achieve his manliness. Okonkwo determination

makes him admirable by his native clansmen and wives. It is important that he is not

viewed as weak among his tribe. He works hard each day by harvesting yams on his

farm. Okonkwo is treated with great honor and respect. He is a stern ruler of his wives

and children which makes him very prosperous. The number one quest that Okonkwo

conquers is to not be like his father Unoka. Unoka leaves a life of debt and is buried

with no title to show his great deeds. The thought of being without a title drives

Okonkwo harder to be better than his father. However, during this quest he encounters

many setbacks and obstacles that challenges his abilities. Okonkwo's arrogance causes

his actions to be an obstacle of his fate rather than the things happening to him. In the

traditional Igbo culture, a hero is one who is strong and has courage to fight against any

denominating forces. Okonkwo ends his struggle with suicide. Suicide is forbidden in

the Igbo culture and is considered a weak and evil sin. Okonkwo is a hero because of his

ambitions to stay strong.

Okonkwo accepts fate and tries to fix it rather than fight it. The Igbo culture strongly

believes in their chi. Okonkwo believes that he controls his own destiny. This control is

of vital importance to him because of his fear of weakness. The Igbo culture believes if
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a man says yes, his chi says yes. Another of Okonkwo's passion, “is to be one of the

lords of his clan”(131). Okonkwo's life resembles a spring. He springs forward only to

be sprung backwards. Okonkwo defiance to his superiors is the reason for his flaws. He

is instructed not to particpate in the killing of Ikemefuna. However, Okonkwo slays him

with his machete out of fear of being looked at as weak His passions dwindles when he

goes to his motherland where he is exiled for seven years. In his motherland he has to

start over and he feels that all his achievements has been put to waste. His fellow

clansmen has cast him out for the accidental killing of the clansman Ezeudu's son.

“Clearly his personal god or chi was not made for great things. A man could not rise

beyond the destiny of his chi. The saying of the elders was not true-that if a man said yea

his chi also affirmed. Here was a man whose chi said nay despite his own

affirmation”(131). Okonkwo's uncle Uchendu, reminds him that his exile situation could

be worse. Some men have lost their wives and children along with their yams. Uchendu

confirms Okonkwo he is not the only sufferer or victim to be punished. Okonkwo gains

a little strength by this affirmation and continues to plan his future return back to

Umuofia.

Okonkwo shows obligations to his village. The obligations he shows builds his

characteristic of an hero.