Things Aren't Always As They Seem

When asked the question "Is Okonkwo a hero?" I immediately thought yes. Though at the time of the question I had only read the first few chapters of the novel. Now that I have finished the novel, I would like to change my answer. I do not believe Okonkwo is a hero but I do believe he has heroic qualities. Okonkwo is described in the novel as being strong, courageous, determined and honourable. Those are four great qualities that any hero should have but Okonkwo doesn't use his qualities in a heroic way. He doesn't stand up for his adopted son Ikemefuna when he is taken to be killed. Instead Okonkwo goes along and watches as his son is killed. Thinking about that, I can't understand how a father could watch his son die and be a part of that instead of standing up against it. Okonkwo is extremely strong physically which could be a heroic quality. He uses his strength to intimidate his own children and wives, whether it be beating them or just talking down to them. His reason for it is so that they won't end up like his father, a failure. Just because he has a reason for it, doesn't make it right. It's wrong to beat someone no matter what the reason. In doing this Okonkwo shows that he uses his strength to hurt others and not to help them. In the beginning of the novel we are told that Okonkwo lacks patience. It foreshadows that Okonkwo is going to have a high strung temper throughout the novel, and that is definitely true. Having a lack of patience doesn't make you a lesser person, but a hero should be able to handle hard situations in a way which will help that situation instead of worsening it. At the end of the novel Okonkwo commits suicide. This shows that he has selfishness inside of him and that he is a coward. He decides to give up because he's ashamed of all the bad things he has done. A hero would not give up. They may have doubts and insecurities, but they would overcome them and try to move forward.

A hero is someone who thinks of others before them self. Someone who isn't afraid to accept their actions, overcome those actions and ultimately move forward in their lives. At the start of the novel I really believed Okonkwo was a hero because I wanted him to be. Having read the rest of the novel it's clear to me that someone may have heroic qualities and yet not be a hero. What sets a true hero apart is someone who uses their strengths for good and not evil.