True Hero
A hero is not created at the moment of his birth; rather, it is a result of fighting against many challenges in one’s life. Moreover, it is also a result of development from someone common to someone admirable. A hero could be defined as someone with courage or nobility of purpose, or it could be someone who has achieved in a particular field (Anderson 399). For a man to become a hero, he must work hard to achieve his goal unless he has some kind of super power, which is usually not the case in reality. To be a true hero, not only must he fight against the physical challenges, such as fight against a monster or enemy of the country, but also he must go through pains and tragedies for his psychological growth, such as a journey for seeking comfort or a way out of grief. There are two significant character examples to explain how a hero is made not only because of what he did but also what he has been through and thus became a hero: Gilgamesh from the story of Gilgamesh and Okonkwo from the story Things Fall Apart.
Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, was called “a god and man,” for he was two third god and one third man. He was regarded as a selfish, contradictory, and arrogant man and “a tyrant to his people” in the beginning of the story (Mason 15). One example of his selfishness is when “he demanded, from an old birthright, / the privilege of sleeping with their brides / before the husbands were permitted” so that he sleeps with the virgins for pleasure without considering the husband’s feeling and even claims it is his birthright to do so (Mason 15). Moreover, when he was going to defeat Humbaba, he only thinks how he was going to kill the monster just because he wanted to, without considering what other people were thinking; when Enkidu questioned him about the reason for killing the monster, he was “only half listening Gilgamesh thought / aloud about the cedars he would climb” (Mason 28). Gilgamesh only thinks of what he wants and how he is going to do it without thinking of other people’s feelings; even when he tried to convince Enkidu to go with him and said “…don’t be afraid, said Gilgamesh / we are together…”; he was solely for himself (Mason 28). Moreover, it was also because of his selfishness that he went on to the journey to find the ways to bring Enkidu back. When he was in deep grief, he was “into a deeper isolation. Mad, / perhaps insane, her tried / to bring Enkidu back to life / to end his bitterness…” (Mason 55). He was not only trying to bring Enkidu back to life for overcoming Enkidu’s fear of death, as mentioned as “his fear of death”, but for Gilgamesh’s own loneliness (Mason 55). Further evidence of his selfishness is when he said “why did he have to die? / he would have stayed with me in death. / he would not have let me die alone”; he was angry for Enkidu’s death because he was being left alone instead of angry because Enkidu’s death was arranged by gods (Mason 68).
Gilgamesh’s contradictory nature and boredom of ruling is clearly indicated as “he pushes his people half to death / with work rebuilding Uruk’s walls, / and then without an explanation let / the walls go unattended and decay / and left his people dreaming of the past / and longing for a change” (Mason 16). Due to his moody and callous ways of ruling the country, people are not only tired of him being a king, but also desiring to have a change; however, even “they knew his world was old / and cluttered with spoiled arts / that they defended but could not revive” (Mason 16). Another example of him being moody and his boredom of ruling is when the hunter’s son came to him and asked how to treat the Creature, Enkidu, he and his father found. Gilgamesh simply “sent the prostitute but then forgot” (Mason 17). His way of solving this problem shows his carelessness and his boredom of ruling. First, his expectation of the prostitute remains unknown since the Creature was not human and the prostitute’s job was to comfort man. Thus his carelessness was shown. Second, Gilgamesh indicated that “he had heard / so many stories of the Wondrous / Creatures of the Forest and the Steppe / that he could hardly be aroused;” it is nearly impossible to forget when someone reported to him that they actually had captured the Creature (Mason 17). However, due to the boredom of ruling, he forgot about it right after he gave the order.
The arrogance of Gilgamesh is easily shown when his mother made her prophecy from his dream about the star “…which you will try to lift / and drive away, and fail”; then he immediately replied “but I have never failed before” (Mason 19). And as she continues her prophecy, he was shocked and in deep thought that he “was quiet at this interpretation / of his dream” for those things she said such as failing and falling into love to another person were unexpected (Mason 19). Gilgamesh also takes pride on himself as he answered Siduri, the barmaid, “I am Gilgamesh, who killed Humbaba / and the Bull of Heaven with my friend” (Mason 63). He did not mentioned Enkidu’s name but rather referred to him as a friend. Moreover, he did not tell anyone that he could never have defeated Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven without Enkidu’s help. He took credit solely on himself. Even when he went on to the journey “to find the secret of eternal life / to bring Enkidu back to life”, it was an action that a human will not take, as it is arrogant to believe one has the ability the same as god (Mason 61).
Growth is significant and mandatory for one to develop and to become a hero. Gilgamesh was dictating his country for years; finally he wanted to change. When his mother told him about this dream of ax, he said, “I am alone and I have longed / for some companionship. My people / also have qrown tired of my solitude” indicating that he had hit the bottom and was ready for new self (Mason20). Also his saying indicated that he was finally aware of what his people thought of him and about the country. He was indeed ready to grow and face the challenges (Mason 20). One challenge he decided to face was to defeat “the Evil One” (Mason 27). He wanted to “prove / ourselves more powerful than he” for the countrymen to gain confidence in him and the country (Mason 27). At this point of Gilgamesh’s life, he started to think of his country and to serve his people. Although when he and his friend were fighting against the monster, “suddenly it was Gilgamesh who was afraid,” then “Enkidu who reminded him to be fearless” and, by the end, they have defeated Humbaba successfully (Mason 34). He grew to be a stronger man because of his friend, and then served even as a protector then, as he said to Enkidu who was afraid, “It will pass, … we must go down into the forest together. / forget your fear of death. I will go before you / and protect you…” (Mason 35). Another example for him to be supportive was then he “knew his friend was close to death / he tried to recollect aloud their life together… not to explain but to save his friend” (Mason 48). More evidence of his growth was then he had overcome his sin of lust when Ishtar, the “goddest of love / and fruitfulness / and war,” tried to seduce him to marry her (Mason 42). He rejects sexual love as he refused her by saying “We outgrow our naiveté / in thinking goddesses / return our love / I am tired of your promises…” which indicated he was no longer the man who sleeps with virgins for pleasure without thinking of others’ feelings (Mason 43). Eventually he then “turned away to his friend / Enkidu” to his true love, also evidence of his growth from being a childish man to a more mature man who realized what true love is (Mason 44). Finally when he met with Utnapishtim, he learned that “…friendship is vowing toward immortality / and does not know the passing away of beauty / because it aims for the spirit… love is wrung from our inmost heart… love’s kiss kills our heart of flesh, / it is the only way to eternal life… ” so then he overcomes the grief and found the comfort as Utnapishtim said “… compassion is our God’s pure act / which burns forever, / and be it in Heaven or in Hell … Hell is the everlasting gift / of his presence / to the lonely heart who is longing…” (Mason 74). Loss is always painful, but once Gilgamesh overcomes, he grows stronger. He also learned from his past. He was then experienced loss again. Although he wept, he did not stop from his journey back to Uruk as indicated that “in time he recognized this loss / as the end of his journey / and returned to Uruk” (Mason 91). He then also became a less selfish man as he “said nothing more / to force his sorrow on another” and he started to consider about other’s feelings. Finally, the evidence for him to grow to a different man is when he saw “his people had achieved/ and for a moment – just a moment - / all that lay behind him / passed from view,” which action indicated that he is willing to face a new challenge and look at what is in front of him in the future, instead of being trapped to what has happened in the past like he was before (Mason 92). Although he was considered to be a hero by his people when he defeated the evil Humbaba, he then finally was considered to be a true hero thoroughly when he defeated his old self and became the better man.
Okonkwo, a well known man throughout the nine villages, whose fame rested on solid personal achievements was a successful man in opposition of his father (Achebe 3-4).There are five major events in his life that change his character and show his true self: society’s perspective of his father, the death of Ikemefuna, the night of Ezinma and Chielo, exile from his father’s village, and killing the messenger.
Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, did not leave a barn for his son to inherit (Achebe 16). He was known for his laziness and his huge debt as indicated that “he was lazy and improvident and was quite incapable of thinking about tomorrow…a debtor, and he owed every neighbor some money…” (Achebe 4). More evidence of his laziness was when he gone to consult Agbala, and the priestess had replied to him, “…You, Unoka, are known in all the clan for the weakness of your machete and your hoe…they cross seven rivers to make their farms, you stay at home and offer sacrifices to a reluctant soil. Go home and work like a man” (Achebe 17-18). He was being laughed at because “he was a failure. He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat… he was a loafer…” (Achebe 5). Due to his father’s weakness, Okonkwo had “slow and painful starting life. But he threw himself into it like one possessed. And indeed he was possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life and shameful death” (Achebe 18). Fearing to be like his father, Okonkwo worked very hard and presented himself as a very serious man, and often shows violence and disgust toward whatever his father loved, in order to show the differences between him and his father. As much he hates his father, he is presenting himself as the opposite of his father. Therefore, he dislikes whoever is similar, or even who likes music as his father did as indicated that “without looking at the man Okonkwo had said: ’This meeting is for man.’ The man who had contradicted him had no titles. That was why he had called him a woman. Okonkwo knew how to kill a man’s spirit” (Achebe 26). His father’s presence made a great impact in Okonkwo’s life as a barrier that against Okonkwo mentally stepping out of the comfort zone to experience the pain to grow.
Ikemefuna’s death has significant impact on Okonkwo’s life. First, the first two days Okonkwo did not eat anything other than drinking (Achebe 63). He did not sleep at night, and can not help to think of Ikemefuna (Achebe 63). Many evidences showed that Okonkwo did not wish to kill Ikemefuna but he had to do it because “he was afraid of being thought weak” (Achebe 61). The pressure that his father gave him in his early age affected him so much that eventually ruled through his entire life. Although Ikemefuna was important to him, he was still too afraid of what other people think of him in order to take the step on expressing his true feeling in the public. Through Ikemefuna’s death, Okonkwo started to gain deeper relationship with his daughter and even thought “she should have been a boy” (Achebe 64). Not only this is an evidence that indicated the importance of losing a part of himself, but also an indication of his changing of mental state: from a cold heart and not attached to anyone, changed to a warm hearted person without showing to people because of he is afraid to be like his father. Ikemefuna’s death served as the force to enforce Okonkwo to step out of his comfort zone and to feel the pain and thus grow. Not only now Okonkwo re-examined his relationship between him and Ikemefuna, but also the relationship with the people around him. Such as when he thought of Ezinma should have been a boy again (Achebe 64).
Okonkwo’s passion in his daughter had gained overtime. One evidence for his attachment to his daughter was when she has been token by the priestess Chielo for mysterious reason. Although at the first moment he questioned Ekwefi for going to follow Chielo, he was then prepared to go after Ekwefi has left (Achebe 103). He had shown the warm love by his action, as he “gone with his machete to the shrine, where he thought they must be… When he thought he had waited long enough he again returned to the shrine. But the Hills and the Caves were as silent as death. It was only on his fourth trip that he had found Ekwefi, and by then he had become gravely worried” (Achebe 112). Although he was still not dare to show his tiresome to other people, but his change has definitely took its place psychologically (Achebe 112).
Due to the tragedy Okonkwo had been through, his exile from his father land was painful. “Oknkwo and his family had to work very hard to plant a new farm. But it was like beginning life new without the vigor and enthusiasm of youth… work no longer had for him the pleasure it used to have, and when there was no work to do he sat in a silent half-sleep” (Achebe 131). Okonkwo had discouraged and hopelessly live his life after his exile. As “his life had been ruled by a great passion – to become one of the lords of the clan… but everything had been broken…” he had been forced to step out to face new challenge again (Achebe 131). He lost the fame he had worked on, and it was what he looked upon the most. Although he was then accepted to be back to his father land after seven years, everything has changed. Nwoye, his son, has threw himself into Christianity and left. Okonkwo reminds that people used to call him the “Roaring Flame” as he looked at the fire (Achebe 153). As an evident of his psychological progress that he realized his traditional thoughts are not relevant for the new era anymore; while him recalled his popular name as the flaming fire, “he sighed heavily, and as if in sympathy the smoldering log also sighed. And immediately Okonkwo’s eyes were opened and he saw the whole matter clearly. Living fire begets cold, impotent ash. He sighed again, deeply” (Achebe 153). And also at this point of his life, he thought of the end of the old and the tradition as well as the end of his life.
While part of him matured, another part of psychological himself still exists. Therefore, self-confliction has resulted in him. While he was struggling with the tradition and the new concepts of accept the soft and passionate himself, the killing of messenger played an important role in his life. “Okonkwo stood looking at the dead man. He knew that Umuofia would not go to war… ‘Why did he do it?’ He wiped his machete on the sand and went away” (Achebe 205). The question the man asked indicated not only the difference Okonkwo’s traditional thought is no longer useful, but also forced Okonkwo to re-evalue himself in the society. All his life he had worked on to take the highest title in the clan, but in the end, he was just a common person without any significance to other people in the clan (Achebe 131). Not only he will not be recognized as an important person in the village, but also he was a criminal and will eventually have an undignified death. Therefore, in order to keep his last dignity, he decided to commit suicide, for he was too proud to be taken to be judged, but also in contradict, his maturation of his new concept allows him to decide when and how his own death is. Okonkwo was a complicated character who faces many challenges, while the challenges he faced also makes his characteristic to become more complex than before. Although he might not be considered as a hero by Western culture, he is definitely regarded as a hero in another culture for his way of fighting, his passionate heart, his mental progress of maturation, and his way of protecting his dignity.
While people are praising heroic actions, they seem to forget the difficult journey the hero had to take in order to be a hero. Moreover, people seem to be only seeing the result the hero had produced, such as peace and happiness. However, it is superficial to do so; people must not ignore what heroes have been through. Not only what they did for the common good as the result but also the developments and growth they have made is often painful but essential to become a hero.
Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994.
Anderson, B. ed. "Hero." The American Heritage Dictionary. New York: Dell, 2004. 399.
Mason, Herbert. Gilgamesh: a Verse Narrative. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
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