The American dream is comfort, motivation, reason, obsession, imprisonment and death. There are few that understand it and benefit. And others suffer from its unachievable promise. In the modern era God-controlled nobles are not the only who suffer from considerable flaws. When humans dedicate their lives to chase material objects they unwillingly play the role of a Loman, never a Great man. Every average individual may live twenty four hour long tragedies ripe with pity and fear. It is those very emotions on what “Death of a Salesman” empathizes with. To define tragedy, many look toward Aristotle 's “Poetics” though centuries later a revision is in need. Classical conceptions of the tragedy are invaded by the common man, as a result of Arthur …show more content…
Willy, a traveling salesman, his wife Linda, and his sons Biff and Happy, are all in the pursuit of happiness which is the American dream. The most faulty view of this happiness belongs to Willy as he constantly alters the truth to deal with reality. Doing so, throughout the play he contradicts himself and begins to slip into almost a dementia-like state. Frequently Willy suffers specific flashbacks, that transport the play into a time where the family were younger and happier; they take place around the time the brothers were finishing high school, which results in the biggest factor to the Loman …show more content…
Then as the audience enters Willy Loman 's psyche, more elements of a tragedy become evident. For example, His unwillingness to accept an actual job from charley shows the overwhelming pride he has. Even though he is jobless, and his world crashing down around him only accepts money but not the offer, exemplifying the trait of Hubris. With each flashback and times where lucid intervals escape his mind the audience begin to have emotion toward Willy, pity. The play thrives on the pity shown for Willy, he lives in his own world false world, only doing harm to those around him, and listening to imaginary characters. His main fault, the denied fake world he lives in, becomes the downfall. In a delusion he misreads his son, and kills himself, suffering a downfall. Through which, the “audience experiences a catharsis — the cleansing or purgation associated with classical tragedy.” (Johansson) In the most true sense of the meaning, it is argued that “Death of a Salesman” is not a Classical tragedy. The first and foremost reason: Willy Loman is not a king nor can he ever become great or noble. To further support the anti-Classical tragedy clause many of the poetics are not included within the play. Also within Classic tragedy the gods control the fate of the hero, Willy came across many options to help himself and his family, his choices made were his own, his hand was the only one controlling
Willy Loman is not the only victim of his tragic flaw. The rest of the Loman family is also affected by Willy's problem. Willy's wife, Linda, is the only one who supports and understands Willy's tragic flaw completely. Linda supports every far-fetched claim her husband makes. She is even described as having “infinite patience” whenever she is conversing with Willy (Miller 99). Willy's two sons, Biff and Happy, are also affected by his flaw. Happy, when in the company of two ladies, claims that Willy is not even his father, and “just a guy” (Miller 91). Later in the play, Biff decides that he does not want to be in his father's life anymore. Biff's problems are simply too much for Willy to handle with his current state of being, even though Willy needs Biff in his life. After both internal and external conflict, Biff reveals to Willy that Willy had been lied to for a number of years, and that the life he lives is essentially a lie (Miller 104).
The tradition of the tragedy, the renowned form of drama based on human suffering that invokes an accompanying catharsis, has principally become a discontinued art. Plays that evoke the sense of tragedy-the creations of Sophocles, Euripides, and William Shakespeare-have not been recreated often, nor recently due to its complex nature. The complexity of the tragedy is due to the plot being the soul of the play, while the character is only secondary. While the soul of the play is the plot, according to Aristotle, the tragic hero is still immensely important because of the need to have a medium of suffering, who tries to reverse his situation once he discovers an important fact, and the sudden downturn in the hero’s fortunes. Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is the modern tragedy of a common man named Willy Loman, who, like Oedipus from Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, exhibits some qualities of a tragic hero. However, the character Willy Loman should not be considered a full-on tragic hero because, he although bears a comparable tragic flaw in his willingness to sacrifice everything to maintain his own personal dignity, he is unlike a true tragic hero, like Oedipus, because he was in full control of his fate where Oedipus was not.
Many dilemmas throughout the recent decades are repercussions of an individual's foibles. Arthur Miller represents this problem in society within the actions of Willy Loman in his modern play Death of a Salesman. In this controversial play, Willy is a despicable hero who imposes his false value system upon his family and himself because of his own rueful nature, which is akin to an everyman. This personality was described by Arthur Miller himself who "Believe[s] that the common man is as apt a subject for a tragedy in its highest sense as kings were" (Tragedy 1).
A white picket fence surrounds the tangible icons of the American Dreams in the middle 1900's: a mortgage, an automobile, a kitchen appliance paid for on the monthly - installment - plan, and a silver trophy representative of high school football triumph. A pathetic tale examining the consequences of man's harmartias, Arthur Miller's "Death of A Salesman" satisfies many, but not all, of the essential elements of a tragedy. Reality peels away the thin layers of Willy Loman's American Dream; a dream built on a lifetime of poor choices and false values.
The play, “Death of a Salesman” written by Arthur Miller, presents Willy Loman, as a salesman, who fails to earn a living and slowly loses his mind. Willy continuously seeks the past to find out where he went wrong. During his years in life, Willy wanted his two sons, Biff and Happy to become someone they’re not; Willy wanted them to become a salesman like him. However, because of his obsession in the American Dream of easy success and wealth, he created a life full of lies for himself and his sons. In the end because of “his misconception of himself as someone capable of greatness” leads to his downfall and the end of his life (Death of a Salesman).”
Willy Loman is a 60 year old senile salesman who desperately wants to be a successful salesman; however, his ideas about the ways in which one goes about achieving this are very much misguided, just as his morals are. He believes that popularity and good looks are the key to achieving the American dream, rather than hard work and dedication. He not only lives his entire life by this code, but instills his delusional beliefs in his two sons Biff and Happy. As a result, his sons experience similar failures in their adult lives. Willy led a life of illusion, lies and regret which not only ruined his life, but gad a negative impact on the lives of family as well.
Aristotle made observations of classical tragedies. He described tragedy as “an imitation of an action of high importance, complete and of some amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these emotions.” Concerning the tragic hero, he must have a reversal of fortune, contain a fatal flaw, and be of a high estate. Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, is an indisputably tragic story. Willy Loman, the salesman, lived in his fantasies. He avoided reality until it was inevitable, and he could no longer live with it. The play fits into the Aristotelian definition of tragedy because Willy Loman’s success in his career declined significantly; he consistently lived in an imaginary world, and thought he was of high social class.
Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman follows protagonist Willy Loman in his search to better his and his family’s lives. Throughout Willy Loman’s career, his mind starts to wear down, causing predicaments between his wife, two sons and close friends. Willy’s descent into insanity is slowly but surely is taking its toll on him, his job and his family. They cannot understand why the man they have trusted for support all these years is suddenly losing his mind. Along with his slope into insanity, Willy’s actions become more aggressive and odd as the play goes on. Despite Willy and Biff’s “family feud”, his two sons Happy and Biff truly worry about their father’s transformation, Happy saying: “He just wants you to make good, that’s all. I wanted to talk to you about dad for a long time, Biff. Something’s – happening to him. He – talks to himself” (Miller 21). Willy, as a father, cares about his children but he wishes they would do better. He believes Biff should have been an athlete. According to Harrington, “Even figuratively, Willy is haunted, and particularly in Biff’s failure to achieve success as a sports figure” (108). This haunting is part of what led to Willy’s slow plunge into madness. As Willy’s career in sales fails, he also fails, even failing his family. Heyen adds: “He didn’t have anything of real value to give to his family, or if he did, he didn’t know what it was” (48). His debilitating flashbacks and delusional hallucinations with Uncle Ben cement his horrifying realizations that he has let down his family. Willy Loman blames the economy for his downfall in his career. In one of his more extreme outbursts he exclaims, “There’s more people! That’s what’s ruining this country! Population is getting out of control. ...
In the play, The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller,Willy Loman, an unsuccessful businessman struggling to support his family is completely out of touch with reality throughout the plot line. Many characters throughout this play and their interactions with Willy have shown the audience his true colors and what he thinks is important in life. His constant lying and overwhelming ego certainly does not portray his life in factual terms, but rather in the false reality that he has convinced himself he lives in. Being raised by Willy, Biff and Happy are becoming failures and have no motivation to work hard to achieve anything in life. Throughout this novel, Biff has a few recurrences with stealing.
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller concerns itself with the fall of a simple man perpetually in a steadfast state regarding his own failure in a success-driven society. The protagonist of the play, Willy Loman, will follow a tragic trajectory that will eventually lead to his suicide. Arthur Miller's tragic play is an accurate portrayal of the typical American myth that sustains an extreme craving for success and a belief in the illusion of the American dream, a dream attainable only by a handful of people. Having chosen a career in sales Willy Loman constantly aspires to become 'great'. Nevertheless, Willy is a poor aging salesman that considers himself to be a failure when comparing himself to his successful father and brother, but he is incapable of consciously admitting it. Consequently, Willy will measure his level of success with the level of success attained by his offspring, particularly his eldest son Biff. Their difficult relationship contribute to the play's main plot. Willy unfolds his deluded perception and recollection of the events as the audience gradually witnesses the tragic downfall of a man shadowed by a mental illness that has already began to take it's toll on his mind and personality.
Salesman Willy Loman is in a crisis. He is about to lose his job, he can't pay his bills, and his sons Biff and Happy do not respect him and cannot seem to live up to their potential. He wonders what went wrong and how he can make things up to his family. The story is revealed through Willy's illusions-where much of story is told- so in consideration of the audience, it is possible that the events have not occurred the way they are seen, though the audience has no idea since they are seeing it through Willy's eyes. Willy is so depressed that he does not know what he is doing, he's got bills, insurance, etc to pay and cannot seem to find a way he can do all this. Each week he borrows fifty dollars per week, from Charley, to show his wife that he has a temporary job. He always wanted live the life an "American Dream." That is-in Willy's opinion- to succeed, to be known or well liked. He tells his sons, "be liked and you will never want Take me, for instance Willy Loman is here!' That's all it takes, and I go right through." He is also lying to himself and is not able to consent to changes nor is he able to face reality. All this is due to depression, not having a job, his unsuccessful sons Biff and Happy, and the fact that he they do not accept him. Because of all this he has thought of committing suicide few times. Charley offered him a job few times but Willy refuses him perhaps because of his self respect. Linda Loman, Willy's wife, knows about this problems but she does not speak about it because she thinks that it will only make matters worst. Willy fights his depression but at end he commits suicide because he is not able to face reality and always lives in an illusion. He dies in a car accident after all so that Biff will get his insurance money, start a business, and be successful.
The play “Death of the Salesman” by Arthur Miller, introduced the dramatic story of Willy Loman, a salesman who has reached the end of the road. Willy Loman is a washed-up salesman who is facing hard times. In “Death of a Salesmen,” Willy Loman has been deluding himself over the years to the point he cannot understand what is wrong with him. This leads to the problems with is sons, wife, and career; it ultimately is what ends his life. I believed that the character of Willy 's delusion caused him to fall. While there were many contributing factors to Willy 's demise, his failure to cope with such circumstances and to become trapped in his own delusion is what tears Willy apart from himself and his family. Rather than facing the reality, Willy
Willy believes that he is much more successful than he is in reality. The first sign of Willy’s illusion about his life occurs rather early in the play. He has the illusion that “[he’s] the New England man. [He’s] vital in New England” (14). In reality any person could have taken Willy’s position at work. This illusion leads to his downfall because as his life begins to fall apart, he lives in the illusion that he has enough money to support his family, so he does not recognize that he has to put the pieces of his reality back together. More towards the end of the play, in an outburst of anger Willy refuses to be called “a dime a dozen” and states “I am Willy Loman, and you are Biff Loman” (132), as if the Loman family is a special figure in society. His unclear view of his place in society leads to his destruction; with only one view of his life, Willy believes that he is living his life to the fullest.
Willy is a salesman. Willy believes that success comes from being well liked and popular and has tried desperately to instill his notions to his two boys Happy and Biff, Willy's biggest aspirations in life. His wife Linda is extremely supportive and is Willy's only connection to reality. While raising his boys and trying to instill his "American Dream", he fails to teach them any sense of morality, leading them down to what he feels is the wrong path. At one point, he defended Biff for stealing just because he was an amazing football player.
Willy Loman’s character in Death of a Salesman portrays him as a tragic hero. Willy Loman continued to want recognition and his reputation, but never forgets about his family. These characteristics describe him as a tragic hero in Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman’s tragic flow leads him to pursue the idea that reputation in society has more relevance in life than knowledge and education to survive in the business. His grand error of wanting recognition drove him crazy and insane and led to his tragic death.