Literary Anylasis

Literary Analysis

In Chinua Achebe's novel, Things Fall Apart, there are many great themes. However, the main theme is the Tragic Hero with a Tragic Flaw. The Tragic hero in this book is Okonkwo and his tragic flaw is his obsession of looking manly and not at all weak; his biggest fear is looking weak. Throughout the novel, Achebe uses an abundance of literary devises such as similes, personification, and hyperboles.

Right away in chapter one, we learn that Okonkwo is a strong, well known person. "Okonkwo was well know throughout the nine villages and even beyond. As a young man he brought fame to his village by throwing down the great wrestler, Amelize the Cat." (Achebe, 3) The book also uses a simile at this point, "Okonkwo was as slippery as a fish in water." (3) This gives the reader a message that they understand. It tells us just how good Okonkwo was at wrestling. Again the book uses a simile to describe Okonkwo's character, "Okonkwo's fame had grown like a bush-fire in the harmattan." (3) This tells the reader that Okonkow is well respected for his hard earned achievements. Achebe has now given us the key clues to Okonkwo being the tragic hero of the story. Achebe's descriptions of Okonkwo just keep coming, "He was tall and huge, and his bushy eyebrows and wide nose gave him a severe look. When he walked, his heals hardly touched the ground and he seems to walk on springs, as if he was going to pounce on somebody." (4) Achebe continues to use his literary devises by including a hyperbole in this last sentence. It states that he seems to walk on springs, which is over-exaggerating Okonkowo's walk so that we can create a picture of how it might look.