Read the passage:
'In Chinua Achebe's classic novel Things Fall Apart, the protagonist Okonkwo is defined by an all-consuming dread of personal failure and perceived weakness. Determined never to resemble his father Unoka, an indebted flute player who despised labor and died without titles, Okonkwo cultivates fierce physical prowess and unyielding severity. Yet this very inflexibility, which wins him early prestige in the clan of Umuofia, ultimately precipitates his tragic downfall when he finds himself unable to adapt to the profound social transformations introduced by British colonial administrators and Christian missionaries.'

Which word best captures the tone of the author toward Okonkwo's trajectory in the passage?