Tragic heroes should pave way for current epic heroes

Literary sages teach us that writing is therapeutic. I am not here to contradict them since in all matters literature, they enjoy boundless monopoly. I have decided to hang on their word and this is the reason I have turned to the art writing for solace. It is an experimental mission. Let us see if writing will do justice to my misty eyes. I hope when I am finally done writing, the stubborn lump in my throat will have disappeared. I am in this foul mood because the protagonist in a manuscript I was ploughing through has ended up very badly. What this lead character has turned into is the exact opposite of what I had expected. It is sad. It is very frustrating. I have not a single work of fiction under my name yet. You should therefore understand the difficulty I have telling who it is between the author and the character that controls the other. One day a prolific author, Professor Ngugi wa Thiong’o, perhaps, will have to offer me free tutorials on why some authors seemingly put their characters on an auto-pilot mode.

I have called the Author and expressed my concerns. I have been firm in the expression of my wish to have the story have a different ending. Despite my consciousness of the obvious alteration this will cause to the plot of the narrative, I can’t help feeling the way I do. In response, the Author has shot back saying that she is an artist and her bit in this life is to give the society the exact image of itself.

For the record, the author in question is one who is as decorated as she is shrewd. Let us avoid details. Do not worry about how our conversation ended. It is upon the ‘altercation’ I had with the author that I want to predicate my opinion. What justification do we have for our love for the tragic hero? For beginners, the tragic hero is a literary phenomenon that is attributed to Aristotle. Aristotle was one of the foremost Ancient Greek thinkers. In his definition of a tragic hero, he paints him as a character whose fall elicits fear and pity among the audience. Interestingly, Aristotle blames the tragic hero for his tribulations. The tragic hero, through subconscious error of judgment, brings misfortune upon himself.

Since the days of the Biblical Samson, Oedipus the King, Lwanda Magere to that of Okonkwo of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, we have been fed on a literary diet replete with tragic heroes. Isn’t it time the tragic hero paved way for the epic hero? Literary purists will remind me that the core business of a literary piece of work is the excitement of catharsis in its various sheds. Let me assure them that on this, I am on the same page with them.

However, considering the dynamic and versatile nature of the contemporary society, I am rooting for a shift of gears. I am persuaded that we need stories that inspire hope. I am talking about stories that bring forth heroes whose fortunes are brought about by their own admirable attributes. Look at our society. Aren’t we grappling with a scarcity of role models? Hasn’t youth radicalisation and delinquency become the new norm?

In such a society as ours, literature is the reliable redemption vehicle. Feminist literary theorists have been keen and consistent in their defence of literature that exemplifies the girl child at the expense of the boy child. Whether I agree with them or not, is a debate we had better reserve for another day. It is however very timely and pertinent for us to adopt the same zeal and vigour in our campaign for the creation of epic heroes by writers. The epic hero should hog our tales.

Time has come for the creation of strong protagonists. Let authors breathe life into characters that will teach the young, for example, how to accept loss gracefully. The stories that will quench the literary thirst of the youth are those that teach them that life offers everyone a lifeline- a chance to rise again after a fall. It is time we gave this generation works of fiction that exemplify such values as patriotism.

Stories of reckless sexual behaviour among the youth that we are fed on by the media will subside and eventually go away if our literature preaches chastity. There can never be any other better time than this to use literature as a rallying platform in our campaign against drug abuse, corruption and the betting menace. I am not in any way implying that the literary works that the present day author has been crafting are completely wanting in these aspects. Far from it. The modern day author has done remarkably well. My intention is show the way as Papa Wemba, in one of his numbers, reminds me to do.

It is worth pointing out that unless we initiate a literary renaissance; all that I have said will be equivalent to the wishes of a mad man. We should therefore teach the youth to love literature. It would be very wise of us to turn our love and reverence for the arts and the artist into a national value. Let us show our appreciation to Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Francis Imbuga, David Mailu, David Mulwa, John Kiriamiti, Mwangi Ruheni and Meja Mwangi, among many others for their literary contributions that shaped the thinking of many a generation. At the same time, let us not forget the Publisher without whom the works of an artiste regardless of how talented they are, can reach the target audience.

Saturday Nation published this article on February 1, 2019.