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Student’s Name
Ms. Palacios
World Literature Honors
10 October 2010
Thesis: In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo fits the mold of a
classic tragic hero by his refusal to absorb new information which ultimately leads to his
demise; however, Oedipus, whose fate is predestined, is not as fortunate to realize he
causes his own downfall in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. CM: Although Okonkwo has
more cultural related issues, he inevitably bears more responsibility for his failure. CM:
Oedipus’ fate is determined from birth, so one naturally feels more pity for him as
opposed to Okonkwo. CM: However, narrow-mindedness leaves them both at fault for
their self-destruction.
TS: Oedipus’ and Okonkwo’s undying arrogance conveys their hubris in each
story. CD: Okonkwo remains stubborn even when Ezeudu tells him, “That boy calls you
father. Do not bear a hand in his death” (Achebe 57). CM: If Okonkwo were truly
concerned with the moral value of not taking part in Ikemefuna’s death, then he would
have stood aside and watched. CM: All he is concerned with is appearing powerful to the
other clansmen. CD: Oedipus can be accused of the same unbending arrogance when he
tells Teiresias, “It has, but not for you; it has no strength for you because you are blind in
mind and ears as well as in your eyes” (Sophocles Part I l. 416-418). CM: Oedipus’ blunt
disregard to the oracle’s wise information classifies him as not only ignorant, but
impatient as well. CM: Although Oedipus’ ignorance is a major factor in his oblivion to
his true identity, he is raised as “the perfect child” meaning he doesn’t know how to face
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his faults. CM: He has the mindset that he can do no wrong, which makes it harder to
admit when he is wrong. CS: The tragic flaw in each character contributes to their
responsibility in their own downfall.
TS: The peripeteia for both Okonkwo and Oedipus is a major turning point in
Things Fall Apart and Oedipus the King. CD: After accidentally killing a clansman,
Okonkwo is left wondering, “Why should a man suffer so grievously for an offense he
had committed inadvertently?” (Achebe 125). CM: The unintentional killing is a rather
unfortunate event for Okonkwo, and the punishment seems a bit severe, but he deserves
it. CM: Possibly the isolation could help him clear his head and realize he is plagued by
this unhappiness that comes from an ever-present fear of weakness. CD: Oedipus’
reversal of fortune comes when he uncovers the truth and scolds himself by saying,
“Then I would not have come to kill my father and marry my mother infamously. Now I
am godless and child of impurity, begetter in the same seed that created my wretched
self. If there is any ill worse than ill, that is the lot of Oedipus,” (Sophocles Part II l.
1471-1476). CM: At last, the bold Oedipus is exposed, and the ugly truth is too much for
Jocasta to handle, who hangs herself. CM: The tables have turned, and the all mighty,
powerful king has become lesser than any commoner, but one can’t help to feel some
sympathy. CM: He has been doomed from birth, so he has no way of knowing his
crimes. CS: Peripeteia affects both tragic heroes, but along with a turnaround in the plot
comes pity for Oedipus because he didn’t have the opportunity to right his wrong, unlike
Okonkwo who basically set the stage for his own failure.
TS: Towards the close of Oedipus the King and Things Fall Apart, the audience is
astonished by the unbearable truth of Oedipus’ acts of incest and murder and Okonkwo’s
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acts of murder and abuse, but pathos does come into play. CD: Fear for Oedipus is
portrayed when the chorus says, “This is a terrible sight for men to see! I never found a
worse! Poor wretch, what madness came upon you! What evil spirit leaped upon your life
to your ill-lucka leap beyond man’s strength! Indeed I pity you, but I cannot look at
you, though there’s much I want to ask and much to learn and much to see. I shudder at
the sight of you,” (Sophocles Part II l. 1420-1428). CM: Oedipus’ fate ultimately
provokes the audience to empathize with him. CM: In all truthfulness, Oedipus has a
very short temper, but he is fated from his birth to fall. CD: The reader could be tricked
into feeling genuine compassion for Okonkwo when he reads, “That man was one of the
greatest men in Umuofia. You drove him to kill himself; and now he will be buried like a
dog…” (Achebe 208). CM: Okonkwo was, in fact, a very important man to the Ibo
village, but he has wronged himself and the people around him too many times over.
CM: He has all the necessary information at hand to change, but he utilizes none of it,
remaining intolerant of unfamiliar material. CS: When comparing Okonkwo to Oedipus,
pathos is in favor of Oedipus because of his unawareness of his situation.
Reworded Thesis: In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo exemplifies
a classic tragic hero plagued by his inability to accept foreign information which results
in his suicide, similar to Oedipus, whose fate has been predetermined, but who is also
blinded by his arrogance in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. CM: Both Okonkwo and
Oedipus encounter hardships and intolerable times, but Oedipus can be considered the
better man simply because he is so naïve to his honest self. CM: The deeper lesson
behind these stories is to accept knowledge and be able to take responsibility and admit
one’s wrong doing.
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