In the novel "Things Fall Apart", the author Chinua Achebe characterises the protagonist Okonkwo as the tragic hero archetype. A tragic hero in the classical sense embodies a hero who "is noble in nature, has a tragic flaw and discovers his fate by his own actions". This is evident throughout the story and there are multiple reasons as to why Chinua Achebe chose to go with this theme.
The portrayal of the tragic hero archetype draws many parallels to the Igbo culture and the progression the story takes. For one, how the story is divided is also how Okonkwo's tale is divided. By this it is meant that the first part of the book establishes Okonkwo and the Igbo culture. The second part is when there is a turning point and Okonkwo is faced with serious trouble as he is exiled and the colonisers begin to spread across Igboland breaking down that culture. The third and last section of the book ventures through the end of Okonkwo as he kills the messenger and the broken Igbo culture does not support him, leading to his demise and also the end of the old Igbo culture.
However, this is not the only point that can be made. The fact this this man not only impersonates, but also opposes the classical Igbo traditions is also an important factor as to why Achebe chose to characterise him the way he is. In many ways, he is the perfect Igbo man who owns a big farm, has a family, is wealthy and has titles to carry in honour. Nonetheless, his impatience and fear of failure are also his greatest enemy. The fact that he is flawed in this sense keeps the reader hooked onto this character and almost feel pity for him, as all he fights for diminishes in an instant and all of his culture and what he stood for deserts him to end the old ways, and open up to a westernised "new Igboland".
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