The Tragic Hero Reimagined: Analyzing Andrews’ Deviations from Aristotelian Ideals in The Man Within

Abstract

This paper analyzes the deviations and complexities in the protagonist, Francis Andrews, of Graham Greene’s The Man Within by exploring it in the light of Aristotle’s tragic hero. Unlike Aristotle’s ideal, Andrews emerges from humble origins and is neither noble nor virtuous but cowardly, riddled with inner conflict, and morally ambiguous. This research uses qualitative textual analysis to explore Andrews’ journey of fear, self-pity, and brief courage, all compared to the Aristotelian ideal of Hamartia and Catharsis. Greene rewrites the tragic hero archetype for modern literature, melding the existential crises of contemporary anti-heroes with the classical model’s emotional depth, the study finds. From a research perspective, this work helps to explain how modern narratives rework classical literary frameworks to embody the changing conditions of humanity.