Paul Walker Tragic Hero Analysis

The tragic hero our one-act play centers around is Paul Walker. Paul Walker was a famous Hollywood actor, known for his role as Brian O’Conner in the popular film series The Fast and the Furious. Paul Walker was an incredibly charitable man, who dedicated countless hours to charity and volunteer work. Walker founded the charity "Reach Out Worldwide”, an organization that provides relief efforts in areas that are affected by natural disasters, such as earthquakes or hurricanes. The three elements of the tragic hero we incorporated into our play are hamartia, hubris, and catharsis. A tragic hero is a character who makes an error in judgment which ultimately leads to his or her downfall. Hamartia is the tragic flaw or error of judgment which

On the other hand, hubris is the excessive pride or disrespect the tragic hero has for natural order. Lastly, catharsis are the feelings of fear and pity the audience experience for the tragic hero as a result of his or her actions. Paul Walker exhibits the element of hamartia when he encourages his business partner and friend, Roger Rodas, to drive incredibly fast on the road. Walker, besides being in a rush to get home, exhibits a strong desire to experience the thrill of freedom associated with driving at high speeds. Walker antagonizes his friend, saying that Rodas drives “like a grandma”. Walker, an experienced driver who participated in auto shows and in car races, thinks that just because no one else is on the road that it is appropriate for his friend to drive at maximum speeds. He continues to push his friend to drive as fast as one-hundred miles per hour. However, it is not long before Rodas can no longer control the car, resulting in the horrific accident which ended both of

Throughout the beginning of the one-act play and up until the moment of his death, the audience is exposed to how deeply Walker cares for his daughter, Meadow. Two months prior to his death, Meadow moved from Hawaii to Los Angeles to be closer to her father. The pair emphasizes how they missed out on countless moments that fathers and daughters who live together are able to experience together, as well as how they can now make up for the lost time, such as by Walker expressing how he “didn’t really get to see her grow up”. Meadow goes as far as citing an interview Walker had with Us Weekly prior to his death, where he asserts: “I 'm glad I had her at 25 because at 40 and 15, we 're matching up sweet. It 's just working. It 's perfect." Paul Walker’s contributions to charity are also highlighted, as much attention is focused on how he helped the victims of the 2010 earthquake in Constitución, Chile. The audience is also aware of how Walker was headed to a fundraiser to raise money for supplies and humanitarian aid for the victims of Typhoon Haiya. Due to Walker’s untimely death, he is unable to make up for lost time with his daughter, and can no longer contribute to those who are in need of aid. The audience, having seen the connection Walker shares with his daughter, how desperately he wants to get to know her better, and how devoted he