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The Vanished Hero: An Analysis of the Social Problems of African Tribes Through the Discussion of Okonkwo Characterization

Xiaoyi Yang

Abstract


In Things Fall Apart, we are introduced to the story of a majestic male hero who eventually comes to the end of his rope. The protagonist Okonkwo’s life changes dramatically after he accidentally kills his adopted son Ikemefuna. Even though the whole incident can be described as a so-called accidental killing oops, we as readers and outsiders to Okonkwo’s story still can’t help but wonder: was it really a coincidental event? Would everything have been diff erent had it not been for the mistake at Ezeudu’s funeral?
This article analyzes the social factors and the mentality of the novel’s protagonist, exploring the heroic image in Okonkwo’s mind and in the minds of people in general in that era, as well as the disappearance of this kind of Anglo-Chineseism.

Keywords


Hero; Male power; Death; Race

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18686/ahe.v7i31.11494

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