In the film The Bicycle Thief by Vittorio De Sica, Antonio is the tragic hero because he is naturally wise, has a turn of fate, and shows dramatic irony.
The first way Antonio is shown as a tragic hero is his wisdom. He is naturally wise which can be seen in how he is able to get a job while everyone else must wait. He knows that he has to lie about having a bicycle to get the job and he does. His wisdom is also shown through the actions of his son, Bruno. Bruno is very mature for his age and this is likely the result of his father’s wisdom.
Another reason Antonio is the tragic hero of the film is his turn of fate. He is able to get a job that pays him well and he gets the bicycle that he needs to be able to keep the job, however the bike is stolen. After the bike is stolen Antonio realizes he will not be able to keep his job if he doesn’t get a bike. After searching for the bike for many hours and not being able to get it back he begins to think of other ways to get a bicycle. He sees many bikes all around him which cause him to feel like he is the only one who doesn’t have a bicycle and he thinks there is no reason he should be the only one without one. He decides to steal an unattended bicycle, but when he does he is quickly caught. He is caught and ridiculed in the street in front of his son. This is a very low point for Antonio and he is deeply depressed by what he has done.
The dramatic irony shown by Antonio’s situation is another reason he is the tragic hero of the film. The irony is shown through his actions as a result of his situation. He steals a bicycle after having his own bicycle stolen. He needed the bicycle for his job and couldn’t tolerate losing either, as he would be unable to feed his family if he didn’t have his job. Because of his need for a bicycle, Antonio felt he had no choice but to steal a bicycle after he had his stolen from him. This could have caused the same problem for someone else though and would have forced them into the same situation. This could have even been the reason that the man who stole Antonio’s bicycle did so, just because he had had his stolen.
Antonio’s initial wisdom, his change of fate, and the irony of his situation all show how he is the tragic hero of the film.