Essay on Things Fall Apart and Heart of Darkness -- comparison compare

The Tragic Fall in Things Fall Apart and smell of darkness In Achebes Things Fall Apart and Conrad Heart of Darkness, the role of Africa is intertwined. It is seen as highly primitive and the Africans belief system is belittled. The two heroes in the novels also be rattling similar, and most especially in oneness aspect. They both insure a downfall. This is a vital theme throughout both books. Aristotle would enounce it is the fall of two tragic heroes. However, even though these two characters parcel out these similar incidences, the readers be given several different perceptions of one event. The closure of the Europeans paid a heavy toll on the Africans and their way of life. The Europeans are consistently portrayed at the outsiders. Okonkwo is also quite familiar with Africa, besides Marlow was not. In his eyes, the Africans are seen as the outsiders. Okonkwos father, Unoka, was seen as a person who was very lazy and who made no contribution to their society. This m ade Okonkwo hate him and any(prenominal) trait of any kind that correlated with that of his father. One way that this is dis compete is that Okonkwo never showed emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show emotion was a cross of weakness, the only thing worth demonstrating was strength (Achebe 28). Okonkwos greatest weakness was fear, besides this a contradiction in its own terms. His fear of fear played such a big part of his adult life that it came seat to haunt him. He never wanted to be considered a victim. Yet, ironically, he was only setting himself up to self-destruction and tragedy. Because of fear, it drives him pull his machete and break a blow, first killing Ikemefuna and later the Court Messenger. Finally, this drives him to be physically abus... ...d, but instead because he could cast been so great. Instead, he becomes cruel, unfeeling, and greedy. The admittedly tragedy is that Kurtz did not become the great man that he could have been. Okonkwo a nd Kurtz were two men from the opposite ends of the spectrum. Their beliefs did not coincide, but they did have one aspect in common. They both brought themselves to the point of a tragic fall. For several(prenominal) reason or another, they both had to leave their homes. This is the marking of their fall. As concisely as they do leave, the downfall begins, and it does not stop until there is naught else to lose. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1959. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York W.W. Norton & Company, 1988. Daniel, Patsy J. Conrads Heart of Darkness. Explicator. 54(3)164-165.