Dating back to Greek times, the definition of a tragic hero has been interpreted differently by many philosophers and authors. In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, a struggling salesman, may not be seen as a typical tragic hero; however, Willy demonstrates the qualities of a tragic hero. Willy can be labeled as a tragic hero by Aristotle's definition because Willy has a tragic flaw, an event causes a reversal of fate for Willy, and Willy has a moment of realization. All tragic heroes possess a flaw that causes the hero to have a devastating death. Willy’s tragic flaw happens to be his pride. Pride normally is a good trait to possess; however, Willy’s pride gets in the way of him seeing reality. Willy, who is a struggling businessman, has too much pride to accept offers from others, especially when his neighbor Charlie approaches him, saying “You want a job? (Willy responds) I got a job, I told you that. [After a slight pause] What the hell are you offering me a job for? Don’t get insulted. (Willy responds): Don’t insult me” (Miller 75). Willy’s pride becomes his demise because he no longer has a job after being fired, and when Charlie offers to help, Willy’s ego and pride get in the way of him recognizing he Willy’s pride became an issue for him to let go of the past, and to accept help from others. Also Willy’s reversal of fate occurred when he he was fired from his job because he no longer is a good salesman. Finally Willy’s moment of recognition came at dinner where Biff explains that he never turned out to be successful. However Willy refused to believe biff’s claim because his pride got in the way. In brief Willy Loman is a tragic hero because he demonstrates actions that follow the Aristotelian definition of a tragic
The first aspect of Willy's character that affected his failure was his pride. Willy's pride caused him to in many situations make very poor and unethical decisions, that affected both himself and his family. An example of this is through the conversation between Willy and Charley “CHARLEY: ‘You want a job?’ WILLY: ‘I got a job, I told you that. [After a slight pause] What the hell are you offering me a job for?’ CHARLEY: ‘Don’t get insulted.’ WILLY: Don’t insult me.”(DOAS: pg x) Willy does not take the offer which is an obvious example of a poor decision. He makes this decision because he sees this generous whole hearted gesture as a kind of pitiful handout that his pride restricts him from taking. By not taking this handout willy puts his self pride infront of
Aristotle once said that “A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” Contrary to Aristotle’s definition, Willy Loman is a man of self-deception paired with misguided life goals. Being a salesman his entire career, Willy believes the goal of life is to be well liked and gain material success. Opposing the values and position of Willy, Oedipus is born a noble, and inherited wealth that Willy could only dream of. Even as a royal, Oedipus is as a man of noble cause. Although he is misguided unto his exile, Oedipus is not stubbornly deceived by himself, rather is misguided by his tragic flaw, his pride. While comparing Oedipus and Willy Loman using anagnorisis, it is revealed that Oedipus is a true tragic hero while Willy is not.
Willy never accomplished his dream of becoming a first-rate salesmen. Even his funeral which he had hoped would be filled with people coming from far and wide was a handful away from being empty. The book is titled Death of a Salesman which is literal as well as a parallel to his career that died. Not only is the outcome the same in his career as in his life, but so is the method. Willy Loman killed himself, but he also killed his career. Throughout the story it is mentioned that Willy was a skilled builder, “He was so wonderful with his hands”(138) not only was he talented, but “he was a happy man with a batch of cement”(138). His family make it clear that Willy would have been more suited for a job in construction than sales. Willy chose the wrong career, and it is not society's fault that he chose a life he was not suited to
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is quite a captivating piece of literature. I really thought this book was fantastic, even reading it for a second time. Since this is a play, the majority of the characterization had to be done through dialogue, but the astonishing depth of development that Miller achieved with his characters was astonishing. I truly felt that I intimately knew the characters by the end of the play despite how slim the volume was. Miller's play is an expose of the harsh reality of the American Dream, and while his play's message may not be hopeful, the honesty of his work will resonate with middle-class America even today. Miller's play showed me that not much has changed since post-WWII America. Average people are still struggling to capture the dream that we all feel this land offers us. Happy and Biff are the tragic characters that I hope never to become, but who can blame them for aspiring for something greater? Most disturbing of all, I truly hope that my parents' generation never fall victim to the same destructive hopes that possessed Willy Loman. Perhaps the scariest realization is that any one of us can get caught up in the delusion of what we believe we deserve.
Everybody believes in a manipulative lie where in heroes are judged to possess no flaws, but deep within, heroes are humans too. Dr. Wheeler, a literary critic from Carson-Newman University, analyzed that tragedies enlightens those individuals involved to be more vigilant of the consequences of their actions and to act upon these mistakes before it becomes too late. Specifically, Willy Loman is a devoted father that was eager to achieve the idealistic American Dream. He fantasized that his failed ambition, accompanied by tragedies, would be endured and accomplished by his two sons, Biff and Happy. In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is portrayed as a tragic hero through examples of his fate affecting the welfare of a number of people and his
Willy Loman’s character is capable of making errors. He believes he is a very successful salesman and well liked. He also thinks that the company likes what he is doing. He once said, “I’m the New England man. I am vital in New England” (Miller pg. 32) Because of his false belief about his success Howard fired him. After he got fired charley offered him a job, but he refuses to accept, because he is too proud and jealous to work for Charley. His actions were wrong because at no time was a successful salesman. He is not a powerful character. Willy lives in his fantasies where he is the man. Who goes out to another place and comes out rich, he is love by everyone and admired by his family. In real life, he is lazy and does not live up to his own ideals. “As Aristotle explains, a tragic hero must be one of noble character and must fall from power and happiness.”(Www.ccd.rightchoice.org/lit115/poetics.html) but Willy neither has a noble characteristic nor does he fall from power because he does not have a position of power.
A tragic hero is commonly known as a character of nobility that undergoes a fatal change which ultimately results in a tragedy. Arthur Miller, however, has a slightly different view in regards to what a tragic hero is. He asserts that a tragic hero does not necessarily have to be a character of nobility, instead can be an average person in possession of a tragic flaw. In Death of a Salesman, a play written by Arthur Miller, the criteria of a modern tragic hero are best expressed and demonstrated through the main character, Willy Loman. Willy Loman’s tragic flaw would be his excessive and unwarranted pride. This is because his pride causes him to live his life in a world of delusion, ultimately resulting in his very death. Willy’s pride first leads him into misunderstanding and mistreating his family, consequently resulting in family feuds and resentment. It then leads him into building his life out of false hopes, consequently resulting in his absolute failure in the business world. Finally, it results in him living an incredibly narcissistic and delusional life; to a point where he believes that he can attain fame and success through suicide. As it has been thoroughly demonstrated by Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, having excessive pride in one’s self can ultimately derail an individual’s life into a mass pit of delusion and failure.
... hero while Willy is a common man and resembles a modern tragic hero, both protagonists demonstrate excessive amount of pride and arrogance. The hubris of the two characters is evident throughout the play as seen through Oedipus, who attempts to alter his fate and Willy, who rejects Charley’s offer for work. The flaws that these characters possess cause them to inflict harm towards themselves, as Oedipus stabs his own eyes and Willy commits suicide. Also, these protagonists are blinded by their own realities. Oedipus tries to change his fate and shows disrespect towards those who speak the truth that he does not want to hear. Willy Loman believes he is a successful businessman and continuously lies to himself so he can prove that he is very well liked. Both Oedipus and Willy have goals to try and prove something, but as tragic heroes, fail to prove themselves.
Yet, Willy was already down, and society kept him there. He lost the job that he'd worked at faithfully for thirty-four years simply because the younger owner couldn't bear having an older, less successful salesman representing the company. Willy is sealed off from his family, especially from his sons, because of an unseen force that causes an inability to communicate. Finally, he can't fight the predicament that society placed him in because deep down, he can't accept the fact that he's not what he wanted to be in life. All of the actions that alienated Willy Loman validate the prejudice and bias of society.
Not only did he fail as a salesman but also as being a father. Willy actions made his kids be like they were. Just like any parent would, Willy wanted Biff and Happy to both be happy and for them to not end like him. During the emotional confrontation between Biff and Willy, Willy frustratingly fails to change. Which makes the audience think that the true tragic hero is actually Biff, because for the most part he experiences much struggles as Willy did and the difference between them was that Biff realizes that business is not the true strength or interest. As for Willy he lived in a pathetic existence full of lies, insecurity, and an obsessive focus on wealth and success. This realization, coupled with his confrontation with Willy ; fulfills Miller's definition of a tragic
Willy's main flaw is his foolish pride, this it what makes him a tragic hero. Yet there are many facets to his personality that contribute to the state he and the family are in during the play. His upbringing of the boys is one major issue, he raised them with the notion that if one is well-liked, he need not worry about qualifications, he believed that if his boys were popular they would come out on top. Sadly, he doesn't realize that the only way an ordinary person can get rich is through work (represented by Bernard) or through luck and good timing (Ben), and Willy missed the boat when it came to ...
The dramatic play Death of a Salesman, composed by Arthur Miller in 1949 portrays the hours leading up to Willy Loman’s death. Willy is a sixty-year-old salesman living in Brooklyn New York with his wife Linda and after thirty-five years working as a traveling salesman he feels defeated by his lack of success and difficult family life. As a salesman, Willy Loman focuses more on personality and being well liked by everyone than actual skills. When he returns early from a business trip it is apparent that he is extremely distressed and confides that he almost got into an accident. All thought the play we get to witness Willy’s brain unravel and his tragic character flaws that all seem to stem from being abandoned by his father and brother. This abandonment leaves Willy with an extreme need for approval and direction but he’s also riddled with fears and insecurities. This fear ruins his character, making him an emotionally desperate and needy man who feels that the only way you can ever be successful in life is if you’re “well liked”. Which is heartbreaking because it becomes apparent throughout that he is not really liked or successful at all but living out fantasy scenarios to soothe the pain. His brother was the man he admired the most but throughout the play Ben is revealed as being a mean, nasty man who believe that being rich is the only sign of success even thought he stumbled upon his wealth thought pure luck. We began to see his open wounds from being abandoned that leads to this obsession with needing to be liked by everyone, why he and Biffs’ relationship is so tense and irreversibly broken but also why he’s so disrespectful to Linda.
Willy’s death was ironic due to all the of consequences that he faced each point of his life; however, he wanted to leave money behind by his $20,000 insurance policy for his family to prove he finally made success in life. After Willy death, Biff realized his true beliefs and changes his life’s path to the right direction. Happy on other hand, followed his father’s footsteps and aimed to become successful as a businessman. I believed that Willy’s character lead himself to his failures and miseries with his wife, his two sons, and his career. What Willy pictured in his mind of himself was not completed by his wrong ambition of being successful. “We’re free and clear. We’re free…. We’re free” (Death of the Salesman, Requiem. lines 66-67). Willy’s wife and sons were not a bit disappointed or saddened by the news of their father. Willy’s death defined a symbol of a new beginning for his family. Throughout my research I discovered all Willy wanted to be was a devoted husband, a father that his sons can be proud of, and a successful salesman; however Willy was unsuccessful in not completely to fulfill his dreams so his death brought him and his family a break from the
He decided that there were some factors that made a tragedy: plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle, melody. The character had to have a tragic flaw that would ultimately lead to his downfall. The traits of tragedy's character defines Willy Loman as a tragic man. Also, a tragedy must have catharsis at the end, and the end of Death of a Salesman cleanses the audience. Aristotle believed that the protagonist of a tragedy should be “good or fine”.
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.