They each contain a hero who is better than others in some ways. However, that same hero also has his flaws, which brings him to his downfall. In All My Sons, written by Arthur Miller, the character Joe Keller is the tragic figure of the play. Joe Keller fits the model of a tragic hero by justifying his evil means by the good ends.
Joe begins his tragic figure by making a fortune for his son, Chris, so that he doesn't have to go through what went through to get there. Joe starts his company and brings it up for Chris, because he loves him and wants him to have a jumpstart in life and to keep the family business going. He expresses his concern for Chris' decision to both stay and take care of the factory or to leave. "All right, but but don't think like that. Because what the hell did I work for? That's only for you, Chris, the whole shootin'-match is for you!" (369). At the end of the play, Joe explains to Chris that everything he did was for him; this is his good deed. To Joe, Chris was his only accomplishment in life and so he wanted it to shine and show, even if some things got in his way.
Along his way to making a fortune, Joe's flaws come out when he justifies his placing his partner, Steve, in jail for Chris' guarantee to a fortune. When Joe's company makes a fatal manufacturing flaw, Joe places the blame on his partner in order to take the fault away from himself. The only thing he was concerned about was his factory. Even if dozens of pilots would loose their lives. Joe sends out the batch of engines just to keep from going out of business. He believes that as long as his son gets what he wants, it is worth paying any price. Joe does everything to cover himself up, he even goes as far as to offer Steve a job at his factory when he gets out. "I would like him to know, George, that as afar as I'm concerned, any time he wants, he's got a place with me" (413). That was his flaw. Joe believes that the ends justify the means.
