The Dramatic Hero

Although Don Pedro is shown as a dashing, strong and important man in La Habanera, he cannot be considered the hero. While his motives for stopping Dr. Nagel may have been benevolent (he did not want the outside world to know about the fever because it would hurt business and leave more people to die of hunger), it ultimately brings his demise, as he dies of the disease before Dr. Nagel can save him. His death is the most telling reason as to why he is not the hero of the story. When a hero dies at the end of a film, he usually does so in memorable fashion, risking his life for the common good or standing up for what he believes in. However, Don Pedro’s death is not glamorous. He dies quickly and does not give any inspirational last words. In fact, he could have prevented his own death had he not been so short-sighted and destroyed Dr. Nagel’s antidote. Don Pedro’s death scene does not glorify Don Pedro but actually glorifies the film’s real her, Dr. Nagel. Even when he learns that Don Pedro had his hotel room sacked, Dr. Nagel can still only think about saving him, as he shows by insisting that Don Pedro’s workers give him his antidote. While Don Pedro “dug his own grave,” Dr. Nagel tried to prevent him from doing so, even though he had betrayed him and ruined his work.

The other reason why Dr. Nagel is the film’s ultimate hero is that he gets the girl. In a melodrama or any movie that has a romantic element to it, the hero is the guy who ends up winning the girl’s heart. In this case, Dr. Nagel saves Astree from her miserable marriage is able to bring her back home to raise her son the way she wants. Even though she is wearing black and is in mourning when she gets on the boat, she seems to only be doing it for cultural reasons and is actually looking forward to going back to Sweden. Dr. Nagel is able to convince her to get on the boat and that makes him the film's ultimate hero.