The common man, Miller maintains, knows this fear better than any king, queen, dictator, or politician. Joe Keller knows the consuming fear of not being able to provide for his family. The business is all that matters to Joe Keller; his entire world “had a forty-foot front, it ended at the building line” (Miller 63). Joe’s entire life consisted of make money to provide for his family and sons. Like Oedipus, Joe Keller’s tragic spiral leads to a climax in which he finally accepts the answer of his fate and admits that his actions affected not only his family, but “all my sons,” (Miller 68) and he pays the ultimate price. Joe, who defends his decision to save his business and his family’s future by shipping out the cracked cylinder heads by saying “[he] did it for [Chris]” (Miller59). Joe is just a common man who feared not being able to provide for his son. The readers can pity Joe because he lost everything that is important to him at this point. Chris’ love and approval is what was important to Joe. Readers understand the situation Joe is in because they too have the fear of losing their purpose in life whether that is being a parent or serving the country. Joe is a common man who is the tragic hero of the play and is relatable to the audience because he worked his entire life to provide for his family at all costs. Losing a job that supports your family no matter how high paying comes with the fear that one day the family cannot be provided for if the job is lost. Therefore, the common man is suitable to be a tragic hero because their fear of losing their purpose is relatable and we pity the
The common man, Miller maintains, knows this fear better than any king, queen, dictator, or politician. Joe Keller knows the consuming fear of not being able to provide for his family. The business is all that matters to Joe Keller; his entire world “had a forty-foot front, it ended at the building line” (Miller 63). Joe’s entire life consisted of make money to provide for his family and sons. Like Oedipus, Joe Keller’s tragic spiral leads to a climax in which he finally accepts the answer of his fate and admits that his actions affected not only his family, but “all my sons,” (Miller 68) and he pays the ultimate price. Joe, who defends his decision to save his business and his family’s future by shipping out the cracked cylinder heads by saying “[he] did it for [Chris]” (Miller59). Joe is just a common man who feared not being able to provide for his son. The readers can pity Joe because he lost everything that is important to him at this point. Chris’ love and approval is what was important to Joe. Readers understand the situation Joe is in because they too have the fear of losing their purpose in life whether that is being a parent or serving the country. Joe is a common man who is the tragic hero of the play and is relatable to the audience because he worked his entire life to provide for his family at all costs. Losing a job that supports your family no matter how high paying comes with the fear that one day the family cannot be provided for if the job is lost. Therefore, the common man is suitable to be a tragic hero because their fear of losing their purpose is relatable and we pity the