with the entrance of Mr. Brown, Reverend Smith,
and the other white characters. As Christianity
begins to spread through the clan, Okonkwo’s eldest
son becomes a missionary, conflict arises between
the clan and the government of the colonists, and
Okonkwo’s desire to lead the clan results in vio-
lence as he kills a white man. Yet the tribe does not
partake in his violence, and Okonkwo reacts by tak-
ing his own life. His tragic story probes into themes
of heroism’s validity, the solidity of tradition, and
the relationship between an individual and a society
in flux.
Lindsay Cobb
HerOism in Things Fall Apart
In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe immedi-
ately asserts the main character Okonkwo’s status
as a heroic figure. Okonkwo’s position as a pillar
of strength throughout nine villages and “even
beyond” solidifies his laudable identity. However,
it is Okonkwo, more than any other character, who
aims for self-definition as a hero—a hero defined
by personal triumphs and masculinity. This defini-
tion problematizes the theme of heroism because
Okonkwo’s definition of a hero lacks the substance
to prevail in Achebe’s work. In fact, Okonkwo’s
pursuit to attain extraordinary status as the leader
of a healthy tribe occurs alongside the tribe’s own
attempt to retain its strength against the threat of
the white man’s government and religion. Okonkwo,
indeed, represents the human embodiment of the
failing strength of his tribe, Umuofia. As tensions
between Umuofia and the white man’s society test
Okonkwo’s greatness, his fear of failure and desire
to succeed supersede his ability to thrive as a hero.
Moreover, Okonkwo’s need to prove his masculinity
serves as a catalyst to his inability to understand not
only the world of the white man but the needs of
his own tribe, thus resulting in his loss of heroism.
Okonkwo’s definition of heroism exists primar-
ily as an exact opposite to his father, Unoka. During
his childhood, Okonkwo felt shame over his father’s
status as an agbala, a term meaning both “woman”
and “man without titles.” Okonkwo, as a result of
his father’s idleness and gentleness, did not enter
the world with prosperity; he had neither a barn
nor a wife to inherit. Thus, even at a young age, he
endeavored to build a prosperous future—to achieve
a heroic life—by representing everything his father
did not. He therefore valued emotional strength
and physical strength above all else, and he ruled
his lands, wives, and children with a heavy hand.
Yet this strength overextends into brutality when
Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna, a boy who calls him
father—an action that begins to damage Okonkwo’s
heroic identity.
Ikemefuna came under Okonkwo’s care after
Umuofia helped make a settlement with a neighbor-
ing tribe, and his presence brought a subtle shift in
Okonkwo’s house. Despite the fact that Okonkwo
did not show Ikemefuna any outward affection, for
to him such affection would denote weakness, he
develops great affection for the boy. Nevertheless,
when the tribe decides that Ikemefuna must die
after three years, Okonkwo’s hardness overshadows
his ability to gently love a new son. In order to not
seem weak in front of his peers, he kills the boy
with his own hand. After Okonkwo’s decision to
kill Ikemefuna, his status as the tribe’s hero seems
to crumble. First, his close friend Obierika bemoans
his action; then, at a tribal meeting, Okonkwo acci-
dentally kills a 16-year-old boy, and for atonement
he must leave the clan for seven years. This series of
events eventually exposes the message Achebe folds
into the relationships between fathers and sons—a
message concerning heroism.
Okonkwo’s great flaw, then, derives from his
obdurate passion for strength and thus heroism.
His zeal stems from his own disappointment in his
father; moreover, this fervor damages his relationship
with, first, his eldest son, Nyowe, and then his own
clan. After Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna, Nyowe ques-
tions the clan’s practices, and his doubts fuel his deci-
sion to follow the new Christian religion. Nyowe’s
departure from the clan marks an irrevocable gap
between Nyowe and his father. When Okonkwo
notices Nyowe’s growing interest in the Christian
faith, he reprimands his son through violence and
threatens to kill him. Though Okonkwo does not kill
Nyowe, this exchange leads to Nwoye’s permanent
departure and Okonkwo’s own perception of his
son as degenerate and effeminate. He extends this
perception to his own tribe when he feels that they
will not stand up against the ever-growing presenceThings Fall Apart 127