Willy Loman is not a tragic hero because he has never been at a higher or better place than where he ended. throughout the whole play Willy has struggled and has broke into a different person in many ways, he was content one moment and depressed or angry the next. Willy has always struggled and possibly always wanted to end his life as he always crashed the car. Since he ended up dying from a suicidal car crash, it was not a coincidence that he has frequently crashed the car during his travels before his death. In addition, he was never happy with his life or himself at any point. Clearly, even if not intended it was implied that he was not content with his wife or family all the time as he did not always give the proper guidance or attention to his boys, and clearly not his wife with the fact that he was cheating on her. However, before he ended his life he revealed a surprise speech from Biff that was intended to be good for his future and as an understanding of their relationship, and he let his son down again by dying as when Biff found out about the woman. Even when things were getting better, he was barely getting happier and when his sons did what they could he was still disappointed when Biff lost all his educational opportunities when failing math. Overall, Wily Loman is just a figure of common tragedy who was too vulnerable to consider an improvement in his lifestyle.
Personally, this is a very difficult question for me to answer. I have many opposing opinions and I have viewed the question from as many perspectives as I can. However, every time I try to answer the question a new thought comes to my mind. From the minute I started reading Death of a Salesman I did not believe Willy to be a tragic hero. Willy did not seem to begin in a successful or higher place. When the play started, he had already lost passion for his work and had given up on his dream of being a fantastic business man. The rubber pipe was already in the basement, thoughts of suicide were already in his mind, and the apartment buildings already surrounded his home. Even as the author began to incorporate flashbacks, I failed to see that Willy had ever been in a more fortunate place than he was in the present time of the play. I also found it difficult to find a tragic flaw that had led to his inevitable death. Of course, his affair can be perceived as a flaw. It broke his relationship with his son and could have destroyed his marriage if Linda had found out. Yet the affair did not seem to contribute in any way to his demise. I struggled to view what seemed to be depression as a tragic flaw because it was not something he brought upon himself. In Macbeth, Macbeth killed a man which eventually led to the end of his life. Macbeth’s crime was his tragic flaw; it was something he had control over. If Willy was truly suffering from a mental illness, it was out of his control and I refused to label that as his tragic flaw. Unable to see Willy’s fall from an elevated place and a tragic flaw that led to his end, I could not perceive Willy as a tragic hero. On the contrary, after reading “Tragedy and the Common Man” I developed a new understanding behind the meaning of tragedy and a hero’s tragic flaw. Miller describes in his article, “The tale always reveals what has been called his tragic flaw, a failing that is not peculiar to grand or elevated characters. Nor is it necessarily a weakness. The flaw is really nothing but his inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what he conceives to be a challenge to his dignity”(Miller). With this perspective in mind, I began to see Willy’s tragic flaw. It was not his depression or his death. It was his unwillingness to stand by and watch his sons become unsuccessful, as Willy perceived himself to be. He believed that ending his life would protect the dignity he had left. His suicide demonstrated his disinclination to be displaced from the businessman he believed he should be. Overall, I still debate which argument has persuaded me the most. Without Miller’s articles, I do not think I could have seen both perspectives so clearly.
Was Willy truly a tragic hero? Certainly Miller intended him to be one. To answer this question we must consider what makes a tragic hero. It is generally agreed that a tragic hero is a person whose ultimate demise is by their own doing, usually do to their hamartia, or fatal flaw. It is also generally agreed that the audience must pity or sympathize with the character in some way, and that they are otherwise ‘heroes’ outside of their misfortune and lapse in judgement. Now that the parameters of a tragic hero have been established, it seems wise to look at the author’s intentions for his character. Miller seemed intent on making Willy a tragic hero. He pushed the idea that tragic heroes did not have to come from nobility; rather, any man is susceptible to tragedy because they all share the same basic urge to gain their “ ‘rightful’ position in society” and to “evaluate [themselves] justly” (Miller). He would like his readers to view Willy as a tragic hero because he is a man with a dream like any other, brought down by society. Willy’s story is that of the common man, and the world around him tragically doomed him to fail. Additionally, as Charlee mentioned, Miller addresses Willy’s hamartia specific to his personal story, which is the inability to accept anything that seems to him a challenge to his honor. This is important, as it does make it easier to see this as Willy’s tragic flaw when the reader goes back and evaluates that Willy’s misguided stubbornness drove his sons away and turned him into a delusional, compulsive, shell of a man who, in the end, commits suicide. The true question here, however, is not whether Miller saw Willy as a tragic hero, which he clearly did. The question is whether he was successful in creating his tragic hero character. As mentioned before, Willy does have a hamartia, and this hamartia does lead to his downfall. Beyond this, whether Willy is a hero is purely opinion based, because, as highlighted by the definition of a tragic hero, the audience has to be able to see Willy as a hero. Both sides can be argued, and I personally can see either. I think that it is important to respect Miller’s intentions when creating his character, and Willy did not deserve to be suched in the capitalist system that tore him down, regardless of how awful a man he was, because that system helped make him that man. As such, he can be seen as the diligent victim of a system rigged against him, and he is the tragic hero to represent the common man.
For the sake of the argument, I will take the side of Willy as a tragic hero. There were some interesting points made by Brianna and Charlee to the contrary, so I would like to take time to address them here. (Note: I could only technically reply to one, but I had points involving both.) Both of you said that you failed to see Willy as a tragic hero because he was not in a higher place to begin and did not fall from grace. I say that he did, but not in the way that you think in terms of a high societal position. Willy’s fall was his optimism and persistence; his better place was whatever he was before being a salesman his entire life with broken dreams turned him into. Yes, his tragedy was commonplace, but that was the whole point of Miller writing the play; he wanted to show that anyone can fall victim to tragedy. Secondly, Willy may not be the most relatable character, and again, his disagreeable actions may leave the reader (myself included) to not sympathize with him, but the argument for him not being a tragic hero should focus around his own mistakes, such as his affair, and not around his mental illness, but not for the reason Charlee said, which was that it was not his fatal flaw because he had no control over it. I both agree and disagree; it is true that Willy’s flaw should not be just his mental illness, but Willy’s probably mental disorders likely influenced his fatal flaw, so the fact that he had little control over it is tragic and only serves to enhance the mistakes that were of Willy’s own volition. Additionally, Brianna’s argument centered around Willy’s depression being a sign of weakness rather than one of tragedy, which I disagree with, because as I said, the fact that Willy’s illness aided his flaws is tragic. I also feel that this claim is erring on the side of blaming Willy for his life and mental state, therefore making it his fault he couldn’t just try and be happy, which is unjust. One cannot simply expect Willy, a man who shows clear signs of delusions and depression, simply overcome his mental illnesses then blame him when he cannot, but throughout the play Willy did try and improve his quality of life by working all the time, constantly trying to move up and (tragically and mistakenly) pushing his sons to do the same. This is not a lazy man or someone who should be condemned for his depression or suicide; this is a suffering man who keeps trying despite all that’s wrong with him and his life. Perhaps what makes Willy’s often despicable actions more relatable, or at least understandable, is that he was a victim to his own mind along with everything else, (again something anyone can fall prey to), yet he persisted, which can be seen as heroic. The fact that his persistence and the subsequent actions were flawed is a fault of his character alongside these factors, thus the tragic hamartia
Tasha LaChac (part II) (sorry it's so long I didn't realize my feelings on the matter were so strong and convoluted)
A tragic hero is defined as "a character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction" or a character that starts off in a very high position in life. In this play we never really saw Willy in a happy and successful place in his life. Even when he was in a good relationship with his sons and successful, he was having an affair behind all of their backs. Willy never appeared to have any of the characteristics that make a hero a hero. The only one I could think of is even though he was very worn and tired he never stopped working so he could support his family. That is why I never viewed Willy as a tragic hero. I believe his depression and sad views are what stopped me from viewing his as a tragic hero. Willy was the one who destroyed himself, his biggest flaw was himself. He says that he was beginning to be really sad because he felt like people were laughing at him. Willy always let the standards life had for him determine his happiness. However, I agree with Charlee that the article "Tragedy and the Common man" helped me view Willy as more of a tragic hero. It made me realize that Willy had more setbacks as a common man. He had more standards to live up to, and because of his status, they were harder to achieve. These setbacks include the fact that he was not a very wealthy man, therefore, he had to work harder for those goals. The fact that Willy was a common man gives some excuse to his depression.
The question about Willy Loman being a tragic hero is something that is truly controversial. While there are many reasons to back both sides of the argument, for and against him, I have come to the conclusion that Willy is a tragic hero. Before I read Arthur Miller's article, I had no doubt in my mind, Willy Loman was not a tragic hero, he was a failure and could not have possibly exhibited the qualities of a tragic hero. When I think of a tragic hero, I immediately envision Macbeth. Macbeth is a heroic character who went from being a normal guy living in Scotland, to becoming the King. There is no questioning that someone who succeeds to that degree in life, then also have the archaic characteristic of having a flaw and downfall, is a tragic hero. However, in the case of Willy Loman, one may ponder what he has accomplished in life besides going crazy. Arthur Miller's article helped me think differently, besides the archaic type of thought when one thinks of a tragic hero. Miller helped me to believe that a tragic hero can come from a character who exhibits any increase in social class or power, then has a tragic downfall. By thinking outside of the archaic box or tragic hero's Willy Loman is without a doubt a tragic hero. Willy exhibits all the qualities of a tragic hero, except being highly placed on the social pyramid. In the play, Willy starts out as an average man. Over time, he develops his determination and drive which inspires him to work harder. In doing so, Willy starts to succeed in life, as a business man, until the point of being one of the best in the business. Willy was successful and his children, Biff and Happy, admired him incredibly, he was at the highest point in his life. However, from here he exhibits his downfall. Willy has a snowfall effect of destruction in his life, of Biff not succeeding in school, no one liking him anymore, not making as much money as he needs, Biff finding out he is having an affair, and Willy starts to go crazy. Willy exhibited all of the typical indicators of a tragic hero with a rise in class, followed by a flaw and downfall. In the end, it is clear that Willy Loman is a tragic hero, only when thought of outside of the archaic lens.
In the story, "Death of a Salesman," the main character, Willy Loman, would not be considered a tragic hero. Willy Loman would not be seen as a tragic hero because he was never at a high point. In most cases, the tragic hero starts at a very high point in his life, and falls down to what is usually his death. For example, in "Macbeth," Macbeth became the King of Scotland and gained a very high status, only for it to all come crashing down and lead to his death. Macbeth would be considered a tragic hero because of these series of events that occurs to him. Reflecting on the downfall of Macbeth, I do not think that Willy Loman would be considered a tragic hero. Willy seemed to never been at a good point in his life at any time during the story. Since just the beginning, we read that Willy swerved off of the road while driving, almost killing himself. Also, Willy's wife, Linda, had found a rubber pipe connected to the gas heater, another sign that Willy was contemplating death. These signs show that throughout the whole book, Willy was never happy with his life. Willy was never at a high point in life, because these suicidal signs shown throughout the whole story. As well as having suicidal thoughts, Willy was just overall never in a positive state of mind. Willy's mind was always jumping from past and present, and thinking of past events as if they were happening right then. Willy always seemed depressed and unhappy, showing he was never at a good place in the story. The next reason why Willy would not be a tragic hero is because he gave up on his job and his dream since the beginning. It could be argued that Willy is a tragic hero because in the beginning of the novel, Willy had his job and by the end he was fired. However, I feel that Willy was never happy with his job and it was just a matter of time until he would be fired. It seemed that Willy had already given up on his dream to be successful and have a well paying job, so he never had a better job at any time during the book. Overall, it does not seem that Willy was at a high point at his life in any time in the story, so I do not think that he should be considered a tragic hero.
Willy Loman, based on what he experiences throughout "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller, seems to be a tragic hero. A tragic hero is usually the main character of a tragedy that experiences a series of events that leads to their downfall or demise. Willy was not the typical tragic hero that is usually seen. In most tragedies, the hero is from a royal or powerful background, which makes the tragedy more profound. However, the working class, including Willy, can experience far more struggles than those of the upper classes. The reader fist gets an insight into the beginning of Willy's tragedies when we learn about his affair and his relationships with his families. Willy has been seeing another woman without his loving and caring wife Linda knowing. He is unfaithful and not a good man. Also, he is very strict on his two sons Biff and Happy which has turned them against their father. He is never satisfied with anything that the two of them do. Another tragic flaw on the road to his downfall is when Willy loses his job. Willy had been having difficulty with his job for a while now, but he knew that he needed it in order to provide for his family. Losing his job was almost like the last straw. Without his job, he had no source of income, and no where to focus his mind on so he wouldn't go completely insane. Eventually, his mental problems and the pressures of his life led to killing himself. Overall, Willy Loman is a tragic hero. He went from being a well liked salesman, to a poor old man struggling to get by. His path to his demise was riddled with obstacles and tragic flaws. He became depressed and wanted to die which was a very tragic ending to the play.
When taking into consideration the approach of Arthur Miller towards the tragic hero I do believe that Willy Loman is one. Miller's approach to this play and tragedies differs from that of a traditional view. Usually it is a requirement for a tragic hero to begin at a high place but Miller switches this and in his article says that a tragic hero can be any normal person. Keeping this in mind Willy does seem like a tragic hero. He contains a tragic flaw which is his mental illness and experiences a fatal downfall. Miller's version of a tragedy requires no beginning of success for a character. Therefore it makes Willy a plausible tragic hero. Willy's tragedy in life is that he had higher expectations than what was possible for a man like him. Themes in the play revolve around the American Dream, this ideal that no matter where you hail from that your chances for success would not differ from anyone else based on qualities you naturally possess. So when Willy set out to achieve this he had an expectation that no matter the circumstances if he worked hard he would achieve his goals. This was not the case though as throughout the play his mental deterioration began to accelerate and he watched his family sort of crumble from their earlier achievements. The Death of a Salesmen was a modern take on tragedy which to me highlights how a normal man or women could experience a fall from whichever previous state they were in. In this version of tragedy Willy Loman definitely fits the bill for a tragic hero.
In the Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is a tragic hero. In the beginning of Willy's life, he was a very successful salesman who made over a hundred dollars a week. He was well liked among his coworkers, and had a great family which loved him. However, just like all other tragic heroes, his pride and fatal flaw got in the way of his dreams. Willy's fatal flaw, or mistake, was his affair with a woman. His affair sparked the domino affect that ruined his family life, his sanity, and eventually his work performance. His family life was ruined when his son Biff discovered his affair. Biff used to idolize Willy, and loved him. After learning that his father was cheating, Biff had been disgusted and began to hate his father. Biff's hatred ruined his own future, and he distanced himself from his father by moving out West. Willy's sanity had deteriorated over the years, most likely from stress from his job. His attention span began slipping, he had hallucinations, and was plagued by depression. His mental illness came to a point where it impacted his work. He was unable to drive to his job in New England because he would not pay attention on the road. He lost his job because of his continued incompetence. Then, like with all tragic heroes, Willy's pride got in the way of fixing anything. He refused a perfect job offer, which would have kept him off the road and put food on the table. Instead, his pride lead to him to kill himself. This combination of factors prove that Willy Loman is a tragic hero, despite being a common man.
In my opinion, yes, Willy Loman is a tragic hero. Considering Miller's definition of a tragic hero, it is clear to me that the author meant for Willy to be seen as a tragic hero, as well. For starters, Willy is not 'noble' in the physical sense— he is not rich, nor is he royal. Rather, he is a completely normal salesman (at least, in the beginning of his career, before his mind began to deteriorate). However, he can be seen as noble in a way, as he wants to make a life for his family and pave the way for their futures. Willy is also looking to regain his dignity and his place in society, as he feels displaced among his peers and that he has not been able to achieve his own dreams of becoming successful. Much like Macbeth, his ego and ambition is one of his biggest flaws. Willy wants to be something that society has denied him, therefore adding to Miller's criticism of American society as a whole, and refuses to seek help from others, despite everyone around him realizing that Willy is under a great deal of stress and that he is sinking into debt. While I have heard it argued that Willy is not a tragic hero because he is unlikeable, that is not technically the definition of a tragic hero. According to Aristotelian philosophy, upon which the modern understanding of tragedy is based, the tragic hero is one that evokes pity, fear, or sadness upon their inevitable demise in the hearts of the readers. Willy has many personality flaws, obviously— cheating on his wife and generally being a pathological liar does not help his case at all. However, though Willy fails to be likeable, he succeeds in being pitiful time and time again. Willy's recurring bouts of insanity and out-of-time experiences strip him down to what he truly is inside: a sad, scared, failure of a man. He is pitiful, in every definition of the word. Such a character, though he expresses anger and violence quite often, eventually breaks down and cracks under pressure, exposing his own self-deprecative views and evoking sympathy from the reader (and empathy from those who can relate to Willy's dark thoughts). In all other aspects, Willy fits the Aristotelian definition of a tragic hero. Some other characteristics include a peripeteia, a reversal of fortune brought about by the hero's doing. Maybe there is no specific scene in which Willy's life starts to go south, but his life of bad experiences is no doubt a direct result of Willy's complete lack of good judgement. Bernard brings about Willy's anagnorisis, in which he realizes that Biff gave up on school after finding out about Willy's affair in Boston. Willy also has a hubris, or an excessive sense of pride, as he refuses help from every character in the play. Finally, Aristotle deems that a character's fate must be more severe than necessary. While Willy is no great or respectable man in any way, it is my personal belief that suicide should never be a legitimate answer to one's problems, regardless of the mental state a person is in. Willy fits several other common traits of the tragic hero, in that he is suffering as a result of his experiences, is imperfect, is doomed from the start, and that his story evokes empathy from its readers. You don't have to be an aging, partially insane salesman to relate to the play; everyone has experienced hardships at some point in their life. It is in this way that Miller turns Willy, a 'common' man who experiences suffering like any other, into the hero of the story. Miller proves that any man can be a 'hero', regardless of the circumstances.
The idea of whether or not Willy is truly a tragic hero can go many different ways. To me though, he seems to be a character that embodies the characteristics of a typical tragic hero. When we meet we see that his life is quickly collapsing right before him which is typically seen in most tragic heroes such as Shakespeare's Macbeth. Through multiple flashbacks to other portions of Willy's life we soon learn about his demise. We learn about his peak in his life, specifically when he, his children, and his wife were all at their best in the play. Shorty after life seemed great for all of the as they were living the "american Dream", Willy and his family's life quickly begin to worsen. This is what comes across in many novels and plays that involve tragic heroes in them. The problems in Willy's life only worsen and become more pronounced as the plot progresses. This only becomes more true as we learn of Willy's secrets and lies in the play. This includes his affair, and his problems with constantly lying to both his friends and even his own family. He constantly struggles to balance the bad in his life and slowly approaches his doom in the book. As the play continues, the reader possibly begins to feel sympathy for Willy along with possible hatred due to some of his actions in the play. This still makes him a tragic hero, however, as he exhibits the personality and goes through the events that are commonly associated with tragic heroes. There are times where the ready may not feel genuine sympathy for him. We see how he constantly pushes his family, children and friends off to the side in life. He does not seem to truly care for their well being as he lies to their faces and goes behind their backs and ends up having a secret affair Then again, we do see times where we may associate with Willy and understand the pain that is present in his life. The reader see how his life slowly deteriorate around his and each day becomes progressively harder for him to push through. In a way, Willy begins to lose his mind. He quickly becomes entrapped between the present and flashbacks from the past. This contributes a lot of trouble to his life. The reader sees how Willy struggles to accept the reality in which he lives in and feels as if he missed out in life as was never able to accomplish the many things that he had always wanted. Willy sees everyone around him getting out and experiencing life including his own brother. He hears of the adventurers and accomplishments in people's lives as he is stuck working a tedious job watching the world slowly take a new form around him.
A tragic hero is a character who goes from a place of high status to low status due to a tragic flaw, usually in their own personality. Personally, the question of Willy Loman being a tragic hero was difficult for me to answer, but after considering the question I do believe that Willy does qualify as a tragic hero. While there were many points throughout the play where I found myself disagreeing with and often disliking Willy, by definition I believe that he constitutes as a tragic hero. Willy’s fall from high status to low status does not necessarily mean that he went from being rich to being poor, as he was portrayed as unsuccessful from early on in his life. However, Willy’s fall in status mostly came from his mental state as we saw him deteriorate throughout the play, eventually so much so that he was driven to suicide. During his flashbacks, Willy is shown to be happy with his sons and his life overall. While he was not the most successful man, he was respected and therefore content with his life and his position. However, overtime this sense of security and happiness Willy had faded and he became extremely depressed and delirious. His unhappiness with his life and family led to many mistakes, including an affair that severed the relationship between Willy and Biff. Willy's change in emotional state constitutes as his tragic downfall which ultimately led to his demise, or his death. Willy’s demise was due to a tragic flaw, just like all tragic heroes. Miller defines the tragic flaw of the common man as “his inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what he conceived to be a challenge to his dignity, his image of rightful status. Only the passive, only those who accept their lot without active retaliation are ‘flawless’” (Miller). Willy was among the few who fought against society to rise in status, despite this being a seemingly impossible feat. Miller says that fighting against the “unchangeable” is what makes this action the downfall of the tragic hero, and Willy did just this. In a way, Willy’s unrealistic pursuit of success and living his dream could be seen as heroic as he refused to accept society’s boundaries for the sake of not only himself, but his family as well. Overall, Willy acted as the prime example of a tragic hero among common men. A part of Miller’s purpose in writing Death of a Salesman was to portray common tragedy, rather than continue the tragic trend among nobles and people of high social status. While Willy was not conventionally “heroic” or noble, he represented the plight of common men who were faced with society’s limitations, and his downfall was portrayed not in his wealth or social status, but in his overall mental and emotional state. -Jude Lammers
The question of whether the grand Willy Loman is a tragic hero is one of the best of its kind but at the end the most logical answer remains the same: yes, he is. To begin to answer this question, one must first know the terms that define a tragic hero. A tragic hero is someone who puts himself/ herself in a high and unstable place where by means of a tragic flaw, he/ she ends up tumbling down and shattering as a resultant. Willy Loman is indeed a tragic hero and can be perceived as one given his situation. For starters, Willy begins his career as an admired salesman with two children, a good job, and caring wife. Willy has everything he could possibly ask for but is lacking the fundamental key to his success- his ability to happiness and sense of direction. Willy has everything but he is unable to find true happiness because he does not indeed feel that he is successful because he is constantly reminded of his brother who made millions and achieved his goal of "the American Dream." Willy measures the Dream by means of monetary acquirement and therefore cannot accept himself as having attained it. Willy suffers with his brother as a reminder of his unattainable dream. He also negatively affects his loved ones and has an affair during his time away from home. This further exemplifies Willy's uncertainty within himself and how it radiates on others in a negative fashion. Willy's tragic deed and also his tragic flaw is his affair with another woman which offsets the course of Biff's life and subsequently his when he realizes that Biff will never measure of up to the ideal picture of his "American Dream." Biff ends up becoming nothing and yet Willy maintains his big talk and excessive pride also known as hubris throughout the rest of the play.
Although it is clear that Biff is not a success, Willy finds it exceptionally hard for himself to accept the fact that his son will not be a success and in part due to his own actions. The point after which Willy's truly uncertain self is discovered (the affair scene), Biff decides to spite his father and thus damage the Dream for his father and himself. Willy's hamartia as known by Aristolean tragedy, is evident in that he allows himself to be carried away with the idea of the Dream and therefore it becomes almost painfully obvious that his obsession with this elusive idea is almost too perfect for his own understanding and capability. Willy is a tragic hero because he longs for something so unattainable and tries his hardest despite all the negative possibilities. Additionally, by terms of Aristolean tragedy, Willy suffers the peripeteia or self destructive actions which he essentially sets up for himself in the play. For example, Willy is unsure of himself and is never really happy and foreshadows his depression by displaying secret attempts of suicide. Willy's uncontentment results in him in turn hurting himself. The problem was that Willy put himself in a highly susceptible position by expecting a lot from his sons and put himself in the grand position to therefore "shatter" and experience a downfall thus giving him the title "tragic hero." Willy's shattering moment was what caused his self infliction afterwards and his depression to consume him in realization that the dream was not meant to be for him. Additionally, Willy is a tragic hero because he held the aspiration of the "American Dream" too dearly and for too long. His brother achieved the dream and so did Bernard because they knew where they were and were destined to it. Not everyone can be at the top and achieve the Dream and quite frankly that was the case with Willy Loman. He was a tragic hero who fell from his short lived grace and ended up miserable simply because he did not know who he was an chased an impractical dream which he held to too high a standard- thus it became an elusive idea/ dream which could never be enough or ever be fulfilled. Therefore, Willy's tragedy can be summed up in the most earnest line of all, "He had the wrong dreams" (Miller 138). There is nothing more to it.
One can argue either that Willy was or was not a tragic hero. After evaluating the qualities of a tragic hero and what it takes to be a tragic hero, I have concluded that Willy is a tragic hero. Firstly, it is critical for a tragic hero to be at an adequate point in their life. This is true for Willy because although his business may not have been at it's highest point, Willy's hope and expectations certainly were. One clear example of Willy's expectations reaching their peak occurs throughout the play when Willy anticipates that crops will be able to grow in his back yard. This is a clear representation of his positive outlook and the emotional state he was in at the time. In addition, Willy is in possession of a fatal error that lead to his downfall. This fatal error can be described as his inability to control his emotions. Throughout the play, Willy constantly alters his opinions on certain things. One example of this is Willy's opinion on his car. At first, Willy goes on to describe just how great his car is, but then goes on to claim that the car should stop being produced all together. This error will certainly prove to be the cause of his demise. Finally, Willy experiences his anagnorisis at the conclusion of the play. This moment is when Willy truly sees the repercussions of his fatal error. This occurs when Willy is speaking with Biff, but the woman that Willy had been having an affair with appears. Biff obtains a true understanding of the situation of the situation and can never look at his father the same. This is truly the demise of Willy because his sons meant everything to him, and to lose them would be devastating. -Jason Frank
It can be argued from different perspectives that Willy Loman fits the definition of a tragic hero. By definition, Willy is a tragic hero, since he has a tragic flaw and an awakening. Willy has the tragic flaw of experiencing life blindly and setting unrealistic goals for himself. He wanted to be just as prosperous and well-liked as those around him, but failed to understand that with his impractical mindset, he was incapable of doing so. He lived in a false reality, using lies to convince both others and himself that he was doing well. With his age and delusion it became harder for him to continue working, possibly evoking sympathy from the audience since he had such high aspirations. Willy was a tragic hero who was unable to achieve what he most wanted, and eventually faces this tough reality. On the other hand, I understand that Miller's intention for Willy was to be one, but I do not agree that Willy is fit to be considered a common tragic hero that evokes sympathy from the reader. Throughout the play, Willy never reaches a point of success. Even though Miller makes the point that a tragic hero does not have to be noble or of high status, I still believe that Willy never truly experienced a significant downfall. Instead, he coasted as a failure throughout the entire play, never really getting better or worse. Willy was already at rock bottom, just made no effort to go up and therefore stays at rock bottom. Instead of a downfall, he just reaches a breaking point. Reality hits him when he loses his job and becomes fully aware that he is not well-liked. Next, he did not evoke sympathy from me as a reader since I was aware that he was a constant liar, and also cheating on his wife. With this information I see past Willy's so-called good morals as a "family man". I believe that if Willy really wanted to become a successful and well-liked salesman, he could have worked a lot harder and treated his family much better. Willy was simply not not fit or grounded enough to achieve the American Dream he wanted to achieve. And although I understand Arthur was trying to teach the lesson, "the American Dream can not be achieved by everyone", I still continue to believe that it could have been achieved by Willy with a little more focus on his behalf. -Maddie Chelak
In the "Death of a Salesman", Willy Loman is known as being a controversial tragic hero. For me personally, my opinion varies widely. At first, he did not really spark me as being so, though Miller's piece "Tragedy and the Common Man" may have swayed my opinion. Without this article, I really would not have thought of him as a tragic hero. This is due to the fact that he was never really at a high point in the play. He continuously was struggling in his work and with his family, and it just seemed to get worse. Since the start, the reader views him as a mentally unstable man, who they know is contemplating suicide when Linda mentions the pipe. The initial problem is he can not keep up with the traveling aspect of his work and that problem progresses to the point where he gets fired. In this case, I never really felt pity for him and seen him as noble. Though, through his flashbacks of the past the reader can somewhat see the positive intentions Willy had in early life. The reader could see that all Willy really wanted was to live up to the American Dream and work hard for his family. Unfortunately, he has worked himself and his children too hard which has caused him to fall. As Miller says in his article, Willy can just be a "common man" and act as a tragic hero in the same way that kings like Macbeth could. Another aspect the reader could interpret as Willy portraying a tragic hero is the way he interprets what is occurring and happening in his life. Although he hates to admit it in the beginning, by the end of the play Willy recognizes that he can not continue driving out to Boston and the fact he is gradually decreasing mentally or physically. He is trying to regain his dignity and keep working, since he is suffering from the "inevitable events spiral". Under all the struggles that he is facing, he continuously is trying to regain his position in society as the once hardworking salesman that people and his family liked. By going back to Howard and attempting/bargaining to get moved closer for work, he is recognizing his weakness of traveling and figuring out supplement ways to fix it. Therefore, at first I never initially saw Willy as a tragic hero, though with deep consideration I can see the few aspects that he proves to show Miller's intentions when writing the play. Even if it is not as noticeable,, unlike Macbeth or the Crucible, Miller did a good job at creating a prime example of a common man tragic hero.
After reading about previous tragic heroes, at first glance Willy Loman did not seem as though he was really one himself. But something that must be taken into account when considering Willy as a possible tragic hero, is where he stood in society (there's probably a better way to explain what I mean). As we know, tragic heroes usually goes from a place of high status to low status (@ Jude Lammers), when thinking about Willy, there is some confusion as to whether he ever was in a higher position. (This might get slightly confusing, but I'll my best to explain what I mean. This could also be totally argued against.) In order to explain, I going to use a comparison between Willy Loman and a well known tragic hero Macbeth. Macbeth's fall from status is quite obvious, at first he was a well respected general, Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, but he would later fall and become a tyrant, hated by the people. But Willy was not a king, he was not a general, he was not famous, nor would he become close to being that high in society. Willy was a businessman, in his situation, having high status did not mean being king, it meant being successful. When thinking of Willy as a tragic hero he must be thought of individually and not compared to people beyond him. Separating Willy from other well known tragic heroes, brings us to the question of whether Willy was ever at a high status. Taking into account that Willy was a businessman, was he ever at a higher position? Although it is only provided through flashbacks, we can see that Willy was temporarily a successful businessman, and as time passes Willy will gradually lose his success and face difficulties as a businessman, which can be seen as his tragic downfall. Besides this, Willy easily falls into the rest of the criteria. Although Willy had many notable flaws, I think the most important was Willy’s refusal to accept his failure. Willy continues to work and travel despite him knowing that it’s putting him in danger, seeing as he cannot focus on the road. But by giving up his job, he would be giving up his dream of becoming successful again, something he longs for deeply. In order for him to hide his failure from himself, he must hide it from others. For instance, the way he brings home money that he did not earn, or how he tries guilting Howard into keeping a job, if others knew the truth, the failure that he hid would begin to seep out, something he did not want to face. This idea of success is what causes Willy to be tough on his children to be successful businessman, rather than letting them do something they enjoy. Because Willy doesn’t want to see himself as a failure, it prevents him from changing the way he lives. Had he acknowledged this, Willy had a chance to fix up his life, earn money a different way and provide for his family. Because he did not, when his career started to go downhill, so did his life and everything in it. Failure absorbed Willy, so much that he never realized its full effect.
Initially, the idea of Willy being a tragic hero was extremely difficult for me to completely accept. Even after finishing act one, I was still skeptical as to whether or not I truly bought into the idea that Willy was a tragic hero. This most likely was due to the tragic heroes I have been previously exposed to. Macbeth for example started at a very high place in society being well respected royalty and he makes an obvious fall by the end when he is killed. In stories such as Macbeth the tragedy is more obvious to the reader. Having Macbeth as a prerequisite to tragedy is what gave me a false illusion of a tragic hero. Not until I read "Tragedy and the Common Man" by Arthur Miller again recently did I realize that Macbeth and Willy are hard to compare in terms of tragedy because Willy is simply a common man and his tragedy is a different magnitude of royalty such as Macbeth. This idea made me reconsider whether I thought Willy was a tragic hero or not. After finish act two I have come to my own personal conclusion that, yes, Willy is a tragic hero. Even though in many of the comments above people seem to argue that he does not start at a high place in society, I agree with Tasha and how he actually does take a fall even if it is not necessarily societal. In the flashbacks, Willy was a man of confidence. Even though he was not necessarily on the top of society, mentally he was in a good mindset and temporarily he felt successful. Later in his life his mental health deteriorated and he became suicidal and started to recognise his faults in life. This was a major part of his tragedy. The fact that life became too much for him to handle to the point where he came to the conclusion that suicide was his only option shows tragedy and downfall in his life. For a common man like Willy, their tragedy seems insignificant in comparison to Macbeth, but in the scheme of it all common men problems are just as valuable. Just because a character is not nobility or starts out at an extremely high point in society does not mean they should be immediately discarded when seeking the qualities of a tragic hero. Overall, after further consideration Willy to me definitely displayed most of the traits of a tragic hero which was overlooked by many possibly due to his social status or the fact that the novel does not show much of Willy's past self due to its use of flashbacks. -Nicole Tanelli
According to an article titled "Aristotelian Tragedy", in order for a work to be considered a tragedy and the protagonist to be considered a tragic hero, there are three criteria that it must follow. First of all, it must evoke pity or fear on the part of the audience. Additionally, the tragic hero must be admirable and good, their demise disturbing and causing grief from the reader. Finally, the tragic hero's demise must come from a personal error or decision. Following these criteria, I would most definitely categorize Willy Loman as a tragic hero. To begin, while Willy did not evoke fear from the reader per se, he most definitely evoked pity. Throughout the entire play I went back and forth in my head on whether I disliked or felt bad for Willy. He lived a life full of mental suffering and he consistently took his anger out on the ones around him, making him unlikeable. However, at the end of the day, his mental suffering and sad lifestyle full of discontent, regret, and misjudgment caused sympathy and pity from the reader. While Willy was never a particularly admirable nor a good person throughout his life shown through his infidelity and poor relationships with his family and friends, his relatable nature allows him to fulfill this category of a tragic hero. The majority of common people most likely know a crotchety old man similar to Willy, whose grouchy behavior is not intended to be malevolent, but is mainly caused through disappointment and deep sadness with the result of their life and choices. This pitiful life style allows for the reader to relate to the common struggles he undergoes when it comes to things like insurance, debt, familial tension and more. While Willy is not necessarily a good person, his middle-class lifestyle and problems evoke an understanding with the reader, blurring the lines between understanding and likability. Lastly, Willy perfectly suits the last criteria of a tragic hero's demise coming as a result of some personal error or decision. While the argument can be made that Willy's demise was caused by his depression, an uncontrollable disease that was not his choice, I disagree. While I am sensitive to mental illness and sympathize with all who deal with the daily struggles it entails, in this particular case, the argument can be made that it was Willy's own unachievable goals and self-set pressures that led him to his demise. While an obviously depressed man, Willy was conscious enough to make decisions to turn down help from his friends, always feeling pressure to be the best at something, rather than accepting the reality he found himself in. He made conscious lies regarding his fame and importance to make himself feel better about his failed endeavors in attempt to achieve his personal American dream. These, along with mistakes along the way such as his affair and poor relationship with his children (majorly caused by his own actions and high expectations), led to his eventual suicide, feeling no other way out of the tangled, sad life he had found himself in. This fact, although terribly sad, was indeed caused by his own failed aspirations and choices, all leading up to his final choice of suicide. Overall, Willy is indeed a tragic hero. His pitiful lifestyle, essentially 'good' and relatable nature and poor choices allow him to fall in to the classic category of a tragic hero, while also putting a modern twist on the archaic concept. -Chandler Reagan
One can argue either that Willy was or was not a tragic hero. After evaluating the qualities of a tragic hero and what it takes to be a tragic hero, I have concluded that Willy is a tragic hero. Firstly, it is critical for a tragic hero to be at an adequate point in their life. This is true for Willy because although his business may not have been at it's highest point, Willy's hope and expectations certainly were. One clear example of Willy's expectations reaching their peak occurs throughout the play when Willy anticipates that crops will be able to grow in his back yard. This is a clear representation of his positive outlook and the emotional state he was in at the time. In addition, Willy is in possession of a fatal error that lead to his downfall. This fatal error can be described as his inability to control his emotions. Throughout the play, Willy constantly alters his opinions on certain things. One example of this is Willy's opinion on his car. At first, Willy goes on to describe just how great his car is, but then goes on to claim that the car should stop being produced all together. This error will certainly prove to be the cause of his demise. Finally, Willy experiences his anagnorisis at the conclusion of the play. This moment is when Willy truly sees the repercussions of his fatal error. This occurs when Willy is speaking with Biff, but the woman that Willy had been having an affair with appears. Biff obtains a true understanding of the situation of the situation and can never look at his father the same. This is truly the demise of Willy because his sons meant everything to him, and to lose them would be devastating. -Jason Frank
Respond to the question-- Is Willy Loman a tragic hero?
Willy Loman is not a tragic hero because he has never been at a higher or better place than where he ended. throughout the whole play Willy has struggled and has broke into a different person in many ways, he was content one moment and depressed or angry the next. Willy has always struggled and possibly always wanted to end his life as he always crashed the car. Since he ended up dying from a suicidal car crash, it was not a coincidence that he has frequently crashed the car during his travels before his death. In addition, he was never happy with his life or himself at any point. Clearly, even if not intended it was implied that he was not content with his wife or family all the time as he did not always give the proper guidance or attention to his boys, and clearly not his wife with the fact that he was cheating on her. However, before he ended his life he revealed a surprise speech from Biff that was intended to be good for his future and as an understanding of their relationship, and he let his son down again by dying as when Biff found out about the woman. Even when things were getting better, he was barely getting happier and when his sons did what they could he was still disappointed when Biff lost all his educational opportunities when failing math. Overall, Wily Loman is just a figure of common tragedy who was too vulnerable to consider an improvement in his lifestyle.
ReplyDeletePersonally, this is a very difficult question for me to answer. I have many opposing opinions and I have viewed the question from as many perspectives as I can. However, every time I try to answer the question a new thought comes to my mind. From the minute I started reading Death of a Salesman I did not believe Willy to be a tragic hero. Willy did not seem to begin in a successful or higher place. When the play started, he had already lost passion for his work and had given up on his dream of being a fantastic business man. The rubber pipe was already in the basement, thoughts of suicide were already in his mind, and the apartment buildings already surrounded his home. Even as the author began to incorporate flashbacks, I failed to see that Willy had ever been in a more fortunate place than he was in the present time of the play. I also found it difficult to find a tragic flaw that had led to his inevitable death. Of course, his affair can be perceived as a flaw. It broke his relationship with his son and could have destroyed his marriage if Linda had found out. Yet the affair did not seem to contribute in any way to his demise. I struggled to view what seemed to be depression as a tragic flaw because it was not something he brought upon himself. In Macbeth, Macbeth killed a man which eventually led to the end of his life. Macbeth’s crime was his tragic flaw; it was something he had control over. If Willy was truly suffering from a mental illness, it was out of his control and I refused to label that as his tragic flaw. Unable to see Willy’s fall from an elevated place and a tragic flaw that led to his end, I could not perceive Willy as a tragic hero.
ReplyDeleteOn the contrary, after reading “Tragedy and the Common Man” I developed a new understanding behind the meaning of tragedy and a hero’s tragic flaw. Miller describes in his article, “The tale always reveals what has been called his tragic flaw, a failing that is not peculiar to grand or elevated characters. Nor is it necessarily a weakness. The flaw is really nothing but his inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what he conceives to be a challenge to his dignity”(Miller). With this perspective in mind, I began to see Willy’s tragic flaw. It was not his depression or his death. It was his unwillingness to stand by and watch his sons become unsuccessful, as Willy perceived himself to be. He believed that ending his life would protect the dignity he had left. His suicide demonstrated his disinclination to be displaced from the businessman he believed he should be. Overall, I still debate which argument has persuaded me the most. Without Miller’s articles, I do not think I could have seen both perspectives so clearly.
Charlee Alberta
Was Willy truly a tragic hero? Certainly Miller intended him to be one. To answer this question we must consider what makes a tragic hero. It is generally agreed that a tragic hero is a person whose ultimate demise is by their own doing, usually do to their hamartia, or fatal flaw. It is also generally agreed that the audience must pity or sympathize with the character in some way, and that they are otherwise ‘heroes’ outside of their misfortune and lapse in judgement.
DeleteNow that the parameters of a tragic hero have been established, it seems wise to look at the author’s intentions for his character. Miller seemed intent on making Willy a tragic hero. He pushed the idea that tragic heroes did not have to come from nobility; rather, any man is susceptible to tragedy because they all share the same basic urge to gain their “ ‘rightful’ position in society” and to “evaluate [themselves] justly” (Miller). He would like his readers to view Willy as a tragic hero because he is a man with a dream like any other, brought down by society. Willy’s story is that of the common man, and the world around him tragically doomed him to fail. Additionally, as Charlee mentioned, Miller addresses Willy’s hamartia specific to his personal story, which is the inability to accept anything that seems to him a challenge to his honor. This is important, as it does make it easier to see this as Willy’s tragic flaw when the reader goes back and evaluates that Willy’s misguided stubbornness drove his sons away and turned him into a delusional, compulsive, shell of a man who, in the end, commits suicide.
The true question here, however, is not whether Miller saw Willy as a tragic hero, which he clearly did. The question is whether he was successful in creating his tragic hero character. As mentioned before, Willy does have a hamartia, and this hamartia does lead to his downfall. Beyond this, whether Willy is a hero is purely opinion based, because, as highlighted by the definition of a tragic hero, the audience has to be able to see Willy as a hero. Both sides can be argued, and I personally can see either. I think that it is important to respect Miller’s intentions when creating his character, and Willy did not deserve to be suched in the capitalist system that tore him down, regardless of how awful a man he was, because that system helped make him that man. As such, he can be seen as the diligent victim of a system rigged against him, and he is the tragic hero to represent the common man.
Tasha LaChac (part I)
For the sake of the argument, I will take the side of Willy as a tragic hero. There were some interesting points made by Brianna and Charlee to the contrary, so I would like to take time to address them here. (Note: I could only technically reply to one, but I had points involving both.) Both of you said that you failed to see Willy as a tragic hero because he was not in a higher place to begin and did not fall from grace. I say that he did, but not in the way that you think in terms of a high societal position. Willy’s fall was his optimism and persistence; his better place was whatever he was before being a salesman his entire life with broken dreams turned him into. Yes, his tragedy was commonplace, but that was the whole point of Miller writing the play; he wanted to show that anyone can fall victim to tragedy. Secondly, Willy may not be the most relatable character, and again, his disagreeable actions may leave the reader (myself included) to not sympathize with him, but the argument for him not being a tragic hero should focus around his own mistakes, such as his affair, and not around his mental illness, but not for the reason Charlee said, which was that it was not his fatal flaw because he had no control over it. I both agree and disagree; it is true that Willy’s flaw should not be just his mental illness, but Willy’s probably mental disorders likely influenced his fatal flaw, so the fact that he had little control over it is tragic and only serves to enhance the mistakes that were of Willy’s own volition. Additionally, Brianna’s argument centered around Willy’s depression being a sign of weakness rather than one of tragedy, which I disagree with, because as I said, the fact that Willy’s illness aided his flaws is tragic. I also feel that this claim is erring on the side of blaming Willy for his life and mental state, therefore making it his fault he couldn’t just try and be happy, which is unjust. One cannot simply expect Willy, a man who shows clear signs of delusions and depression, simply overcome his mental illnesses then blame him when he cannot, but throughout the play Willy did try and improve his quality of life by working all the time, constantly trying to move up and (tragically and mistakenly) pushing his sons to do the same. This is not a lazy man or someone who should be condemned for his depression or suicide; this is a suffering man who keeps trying despite all that’s wrong with him and his life. Perhaps what makes Willy’s often despicable actions more relatable, or at least understandable, is that he was a victim to his own mind along with everything else, (again something anyone can fall prey to), yet he persisted, which can be seen as heroic. The fact that his persistence and the subsequent actions were flawed is a fault of his character alongside these factors, thus the tragic hamartia
DeleteTasha LaChac (part II)
(sorry it's so long I didn't realize my feelings on the matter were so strong and convoluted)
A tragic hero is defined as "a character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction" or a character that starts off in a very high position in life. In this play we never really saw Willy in a happy and successful place in his life. Even when he was in a good relationship with his sons and successful, he was having an affair behind all of their backs. Willy never appeared to have any of the characteristics that make a hero a hero. The only one I could think of is even though he was very worn and tired he never stopped working so he could support his family. That is why I never viewed Willy as a tragic hero. I believe his depression and sad views are what stopped me from viewing his as a tragic hero. Willy was the one who destroyed himself, his biggest flaw was himself. He says that he was beginning to be really sad because he felt like people were laughing at him. Willy always let the standards life had for him determine his happiness.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I agree with Charlee that the article "Tragedy and the Common man" helped me view Willy as more of a tragic hero. It made me realize that Willy had more setbacks as a common man. He had more standards to live up to, and because of his status, they were harder to achieve. These setbacks include the fact that he was not a very wealthy man, therefore, he had to work harder for those goals. The fact that Willy was a common man gives some excuse to his depression.
The question about Willy Loman being a tragic hero is something that is truly controversial. While there are many reasons to back both sides of the argument, for and against him, I have come to the conclusion that Willy is a tragic hero. Before I read Arthur Miller's article, I had no doubt in my mind, Willy Loman was not a tragic hero, he was a failure and could not have possibly exhibited the qualities of a tragic hero. When I think of a tragic hero, I immediately envision Macbeth. Macbeth is a heroic character who went from being a normal guy living in Scotland, to becoming the King. There is no questioning that someone who succeeds to that degree in life, then also have the archaic characteristic of having a flaw and downfall, is a tragic hero. However, in the case of Willy Loman, one may ponder what he has accomplished in life besides going crazy.
ReplyDeleteArthur Miller's article helped me think differently, besides the archaic type of thought when one thinks of a tragic hero. Miller helped me to believe that a tragic hero can come from a character who exhibits any increase in social class or power, then has a tragic downfall. By thinking outside of the archaic box or tragic hero's Willy Loman is without a doubt a tragic hero. Willy exhibits all the qualities of a tragic hero, except being highly placed on the social pyramid. In the play, Willy starts out as an average man. Over time, he develops his determination and drive which inspires him to work harder. In doing so, Willy starts to succeed in life, as a business man, until the point of being one of the best in the business. Willy was successful and his children, Biff and Happy, admired him incredibly, he was at the highest point in his life. However, from here he exhibits his downfall. Willy has a snowfall effect of destruction in his life, of Biff not succeeding in school, no one liking him anymore, not making as much money as he needs, Biff finding out he is having an affair, and Willy starts to go crazy. Willy exhibited all of the typical indicators of a tragic hero with a rise in class, followed by a flaw and downfall. In the end, it is clear that Willy Loman is a tragic hero, only when thought of outside of the archaic lens.
Gianfranco Martone
In the story, "Death of a Salesman," the main character, Willy Loman, would not be considered a tragic hero. Willy Loman would not be seen as a tragic hero because he was never at a high point. In most cases, the tragic hero starts at a very high point in his life, and falls down to what is usually his death. For example, in "Macbeth," Macbeth became the King of Scotland and gained a very high status, only for it to all come crashing down and lead to his death. Macbeth would be considered a tragic hero because of these series of events that occurs to him. Reflecting on the downfall of Macbeth, I do not think that Willy Loman would be considered a tragic hero. Willy seemed to never been at a good point in his life at any time during the story. Since just the beginning, we read that Willy swerved off of the road while driving, almost killing himself. Also, Willy's wife, Linda, had found a rubber pipe connected to the gas heater, another sign that Willy was contemplating death. These signs show that throughout the whole book, Willy was never happy with his life. Willy was never at a high point in life, because these suicidal signs shown throughout the whole story. As well as having suicidal thoughts, Willy was just overall never in a positive state of mind. Willy's mind was always jumping from past and present, and thinking of past events as if they were happening right then. Willy always seemed depressed and unhappy, showing he was never at a good place in the story.
ReplyDeleteThe next reason why Willy would not be a tragic hero is because he gave up on his job and his dream since the beginning. It could be argued that Willy is a tragic hero because in the beginning of the novel, Willy had his job and by the end he was fired. However, I feel that Willy was never happy with his job and it was just a matter of time until he would be fired. It seemed that Willy had already given up on his dream to be successful and have a well paying job, so he never had a better job at any time during the book. Overall, it does not seem that Willy was at a high point at his life in any time in the story, so I do not think that he should be considered a tragic hero.
Isabella Lomauro
Willy Loman, based on what he experiences throughout "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller, seems to be a tragic hero. A tragic hero is usually the main character of a tragedy that experiences a series of events that leads to their downfall or demise. Willy was not the typical tragic hero that is usually seen. In most tragedies, the hero is from a royal or powerful background, which makes the tragedy more profound. However, the working class, including Willy, can experience far more struggles than those of the upper classes.
ReplyDeleteThe reader fist gets an insight into the beginning of Willy's tragedies when we learn about his affair and his relationships with his families. Willy has been seeing another woman without his loving and caring wife Linda knowing. He is unfaithful and not a good man. Also, he is very strict on his two sons Biff and Happy which has turned them against their father. He is never satisfied with anything that the two of them do.
Another tragic flaw on the road to his downfall is when Willy loses his job. Willy had been having difficulty with his job for a while now, but he knew that he needed it in order to provide for his family. Losing his job was almost like the last straw. Without his job, he had no source of income, and no where to focus his mind on so he wouldn't go completely insane. Eventually, his mental problems and the pressures of his life led to killing himself.
Overall, Willy Loman is a tragic hero. He went from being a well liked salesman, to a poor old man struggling to get by. His path to his demise was riddled with obstacles and tragic flaws. He became depressed and wanted to die which was a very tragic ending to the play.
When taking into consideration the approach of Arthur Miller towards the tragic hero I do believe that Willy Loman is one. Miller's approach to this play and tragedies differs from that of a traditional view. Usually it is a requirement for a tragic hero to begin at a high place but Miller switches this and in his article says that a tragic hero can be any normal person. Keeping this in mind Willy does seem like a tragic hero. He contains a tragic flaw which is his mental illness and experiences a fatal downfall. Miller's version of a tragedy requires no beginning of success for a character. Therefore it makes Willy a plausible tragic hero.
ReplyDeleteWilly's tragedy in life is that he had higher expectations than what was possible for a man like him. Themes in the play revolve around the American Dream, this ideal that no matter where you hail from that your chances for success would not differ from anyone else based on qualities you naturally possess. So when Willy set out to achieve this he had an expectation that no matter the circumstances if he worked hard he would achieve his goals. This was not the case though as throughout the play his mental deterioration began to accelerate and he watched his family sort of crumble from their earlier achievements. The Death of a Salesmen was a modern take on tragedy which to me highlights how a normal man or women could experience a fall from whichever previous state they were in. In this version of tragedy Willy Loman definitely fits the bill for a tragic hero.
In the Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is a tragic hero. In the beginning of Willy's life, he was a very successful salesman who made over a hundred dollars a week. He was well liked among his coworkers, and had a great family which loved him. However, just like all other tragic heroes, his pride and fatal flaw got in the way of his dreams.
ReplyDeleteWilly's fatal flaw, or mistake, was his affair with a woman. His affair sparked the domino affect that ruined his family life, his sanity, and eventually his work performance. His family life was ruined when his son Biff discovered his affair. Biff used to idolize Willy, and loved him. After learning that his father was cheating, Biff had been disgusted and began to hate his father. Biff's hatred ruined his own future, and he distanced himself from his father by moving out West. Willy's sanity had deteriorated over the years, most likely from stress from his job. His attention span began slipping, he had hallucinations, and was plagued by depression. His mental illness came to a point where it impacted his work. He was unable to drive to his job in New England because he would not pay attention on the road. He lost his job because of his continued incompetence. Then, like with all tragic heroes, Willy's pride got in the way of fixing anything. He refused a perfect job offer, which would have kept him off the road and put food on the table. Instead, his pride lead to him to kill himself. This combination of factors prove that Willy Loman is a tragic hero, despite being a common man.
--Sophia D'Agostino
In my opinion, yes, Willy Loman is a tragic hero. Considering Miller's definition of a tragic hero, it is clear to me that the author meant for Willy to be seen as a tragic hero, as well. For starters, Willy is not 'noble' in the physical sense— he is not rich, nor is he royal. Rather, he is a completely normal salesman (at least, in the beginning of his career, before his mind began to deteriorate). However, he can be seen as noble in a way, as he wants to make a life for his family and pave the way for their futures. Willy is also looking to regain his dignity and his place in society, as he feels displaced among his peers and that he has not been able to achieve his own dreams of becoming successful. Much like Macbeth, his ego and ambition is one of his biggest flaws. Willy wants to be something that society has denied him, therefore adding to Miller's criticism of American society as a whole, and refuses to seek help from others, despite everyone around him realizing that Willy is under a great deal of stress and that he is sinking into debt.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have heard it argued that Willy is not a tragic hero because he is unlikeable, that is not technically the definition of a tragic hero. According to Aristotelian philosophy, upon which the modern understanding of tragedy is based, the tragic hero is one that evokes pity, fear, or sadness upon their inevitable demise in the hearts of the readers. Willy has many personality flaws, obviously— cheating on his wife and generally being a pathological liar does not help his case at all. However, though Willy fails to be likeable, he succeeds in being pitiful time and time again. Willy's recurring bouts of insanity and out-of-time experiences strip him down to what he truly is inside: a sad, scared, failure of a man. He is pitiful, in every definition of the word. Such a character, though he expresses anger and violence quite often, eventually breaks down and cracks under pressure, exposing his own self-deprecative views and evoking sympathy from the reader (and empathy from those who can relate to Willy's dark thoughts).
In all other aspects, Willy fits the Aristotelian definition of a tragic hero. Some other characteristics include a peripeteia, a reversal of fortune brought about by the hero's doing. Maybe there is no specific scene in which Willy's life starts to go south, but his life of bad experiences is no doubt a direct result of Willy's complete lack of good judgement. Bernard brings about Willy's anagnorisis, in which he realizes that Biff gave up on school after finding out about Willy's affair in Boston. Willy also has a hubris, or an excessive sense of pride, as he refuses help from every character in the play. Finally, Aristotle deems that a character's fate must be more severe than necessary. While Willy is no great or respectable man in any way, it is my personal belief that suicide should never be a legitimate answer to one's problems, regardless of the mental state a person is in. Willy fits several other common traits of the tragic hero, in that he is suffering as a result of his experiences, is imperfect, is doomed from the start, and that his story evokes empathy from its readers. You don't have to be an aging, partially insane salesman to relate to the play; everyone has experienced hardships at some point in their life. It is in this way that Miller turns Willy, a 'common' man who experiences suffering like any other, into the hero of the story. Miller proves that any man can be a 'hero', regardless of the circumstances.
The idea of whether or not Willy is truly a tragic hero can go many different ways. To me though, he seems to be a character that embodies the characteristics of a typical tragic hero. When we meet we see that his life is quickly collapsing right before him which is typically seen in most tragic heroes such as Shakespeare's Macbeth.
ReplyDeleteThrough multiple flashbacks to other portions of Willy's life we soon learn about his demise. We learn about his peak in his life, specifically when he, his children, and his wife were all at their best in the play. Shorty after life seemed great for all of the as they were living the "american Dream", Willy and his family's life quickly begin to worsen. This is what comes across in many novels and plays that involve tragic heroes in them. The problems in Willy's life only worsen and become more pronounced as the plot progresses. This only becomes more true as we learn of Willy's secrets and lies in the play. This includes his affair, and his problems with constantly lying to both his friends and even his own family. He constantly struggles to balance the bad in his life and slowly approaches his doom in the book.
As the play continues, the reader possibly begins to feel sympathy for Willy along with possible hatred due to some of his actions in the play. This still makes him a tragic hero, however, as he exhibits the personality and goes through the events that are commonly associated with tragic heroes. There are times where the ready may not feel genuine sympathy for him. We see how he constantly pushes his family, children and friends off to the side in life. He does not seem to truly care for their well being as he lies to their faces and goes behind their backs and ends up having a secret affair Then again, we do see times where we may associate with Willy and understand the pain that is present in his life. The reader see how his life slowly deteriorate around his and each day becomes progressively harder for him to push through. In a way, Willy begins to lose his mind. He quickly becomes entrapped between the present and flashbacks from the past. This contributes a lot of trouble to his life. The reader sees how Willy struggles to accept the reality in which he lives in and feels as if he missed out in life as was never able to accomplish the many things that he had always wanted. Willy sees everyone around him getting out and experiencing life including his own brother. He hears of the adventurers and accomplishments in people's lives as he is stuck working a tedious job watching the world slowly take a new form around him.
A tragic hero is a character who goes from a place of high status to low status due to a tragic flaw, usually in their own personality. Personally, the question of Willy Loman being a tragic hero was difficult for me to answer, but after considering the question I do believe that Willy does qualify as a tragic hero. While there were many points throughout the play where I found myself disagreeing with and often disliking Willy, by definition I believe that he constitutes as a tragic hero. Willy’s fall from high status to low status does not necessarily mean that he went from being rich to being poor, as he was portrayed as unsuccessful from early on in his life. However, Willy’s fall in status mostly came from his mental state as we saw him deteriorate throughout the play, eventually so much so that he was driven to suicide. During his flashbacks, Willy is shown to be happy with his sons and his life overall. While he was not the most successful man, he was respected and therefore content with his life and his position. However, overtime this sense of security and happiness Willy had faded and he became extremely depressed and delirious. His unhappiness with his life and family led to many mistakes, including an affair that severed the relationship between Willy and Biff. Willy's change in emotional state constitutes as his tragic downfall which ultimately led to his demise, or his death. Willy’s demise was due to a tragic flaw, just like all tragic heroes. Miller defines the tragic flaw of the common man as “his inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what he conceived to be a challenge to his dignity, his image of rightful status. Only the passive, only those who accept their lot without active retaliation are ‘flawless’” (Miller). Willy was among the few who fought against society to rise in status, despite this being a seemingly impossible feat. Miller says that fighting against the “unchangeable” is what makes this action the downfall of the tragic hero, and Willy did just this. In a way, Willy’s unrealistic pursuit of success and living his dream could be seen as heroic as he refused to accept society’s boundaries for the sake of not only himself, but his family as well. Overall, Willy acted as the prime example of a tragic hero among common men. A part of Miller’s purpose in writing Death of a Salesman was to portray common tragedy, rather than continue the tragic trend among nobles and people of high social status. While Willy was not conventionally “heroic” or noble, he represented the plight of common men who were faced with society’s limitations, and his downfall was portrayed not in his wealth or social status, but in his overall mental and emotional state.
ReplyDelete-Jude Lammers
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ReplyDeleteThe question of whether the grand Willy Loman is a tragic hero is one of the best of its kind but at the end the most logical answer remains the same: yes, he is. To begin to answer this question, one must first know the terms that define a tragic hero. A tragic hero is someone who puts himself/ herself in a high and unstable place where by means of a tragic flaw, he/ she ends up tumbling down and shattering as a resultant.
ReplyDeleteWilly Loman is indeed a tragic hero and can be perceived as one given his situation. For starters, Willy begins his career as an admired salesman with two children, a good job, and caring wife. Willy has everything he could possibly ask for but is lacking the fundamental key to his success- his ability to happiness and sense of direction. Willy has everything but he is unable to find true happiness because he does not indeed feel that he is successful because he is constantly reminded of his brother who made millions and achieved his goal of "the American Dream." Willy measures the Dream by means of monetary acquirement and therefore cannot accept himself as having attained it. Willy suffers with his brother as a reminder of his unattainable dream. He also negatively affects his loved ones and has an affair during his time away from home. This further exemplifies Willy's uncertainty within himself and how it radiates on others in a negative fashion.
Willy's tragic deed and also his tragic flaw is his affair with another woman which offsets the course of Biff's life and subsequently his when he realizes that Biff will never measure of up to the ideal picture of his "American Dream." Biff ends up becoming nothing and yet Willy maintains his big talk and excessive pride also known as hubris throughout the rest of the play.
Although it is clear that Biff is not a success, Willy finds it exceptionally hard for himself to accept the fact that his son will not be a success and in part due to his own actions. The point after which Willy's truly uncertain self is discovered (the affair scene), Biff decides to spite his father and thus damage the Dream for his father and himself. Willy's hamartia as known by Aristolean tragedy, is evident in that he allows himself to be carried away with the idea of the Dream and therefore it becomes almost painfully obvious that his obsession with this elusive idea is almost too perfect for his own understanding and capability. Willy is a tragic hero because he longs for something so unattainable and tries his hardest despite all the negative possibilities.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, by terms of Aristolean tragedy, Willy suffers the peripeteia or self destructive actions which he essentially sets up for himself in the play. For example, Willy is unsure of himself and is never really happy and foreshadows his depression by displaying secret attempts of suicide. Willy's uncontentment results in him in turn hurting himself. The problem was that Willy put himself in a highly susceptible position by expecting a lot from his sons and put himself in the grand position to therefore "shatter" and experience a downfall thus giving him the title "tragic hero." Willy's shattering moment was what caused his self infliction afterwards and his depression to consume him in realization that the dream was not meant to be for him.
Additionally, Willy is a tragic hero because he held the aspiration of the "American Dream" too dearly and for too long. His brother achieved the dream and so did Bernard because they knew where they were and were destined to it. Not everyone can be at the top and achieve the Dream and quite frankly that was the case with Willy Loman. He was a tragic hero who fell from his short lived grace and ended up miserable simply because he did not know who he was an chased an impractical dream which he held to too high a standard- thus it became an elusive idea/ dream which could never be enough or ever be fulfilled. Therefore, Willy's tragedy can be summed up in the most earnest line of all, "He had the wrong dreams" (Miller 138). There is nothing more to it.
~ Julia Tuck
One can argue either that Willy was or was not a tragic hero. After evaluating the qualities of a tragic hero and what it takes to be a tragic hero, I have concluded that Willy is a tragic hero. Firstly, it is critical for a tragic hero to be at an adequate point in their life. This is true for Willy because although his business may not have been at it's highest point, Willy's hope and expectations certainly were. One clear example of Willy's expectations reaching their peak occurs throughout the play when Willy anticipates that crops will be able to grow in his back yard. This is a clear representation of his positive outlook and the emotional state he was in at the time. In addition, Willy is in possession of a fatal error that lead to his downfall. This fatal error can be described as his inability to control his emotions. Throughout the play, Willy constantly alters his opinions on certain things. One example of this is Willy's opinion on his car. At first, Willy goes on to describe just how great his car is, but then goes on to claim that the car should stop being produced all together. This error will certainly prove to be the cause of his demise. Finally, Willy experiences his anagnorisis at the conclusion of the play. This moment is when Willy truly sees the repercussions of his fatal error. This occurs when Willy is speaking with Biff, but the woman that Willy had been having an affair with appears. Biff obtains a true understanding of the situation of the situation and can never look at his father the same. This is truly the demise of Willy because his sons meant everything to him, and to lose them would be devastating.
ReplyDelete-Jason Frank
It can be argued from different perspectives that Willy Loman fits the definition of a tragic hero. By definition, Willy is a tragic hero, since he has a tragic flaw and an awakening. Willy has the tragic flaw of experiencing life blindly and setting unrealistic goals for himself. He wanted to be just as prosperous and well-liked as those around him, but failed to understand that with his impractical mindset, he was incapable of doing so. He lived in a false reality, using lies to convince both others and himself that he was doing well. With his age and delusion it became harder for him to continue working, possibly evoking sympathy from the audience since he had such high aspirations. Willy was a tragic hero who was unable to achieve what he most wanted, and eventually faces this tough reality.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I understand that Miller's intention for Willy was to be one, but I do not agree that Willy is fit to be considered a common tragic hero that evokes sympathy from the reader. Throughout the play, Willy never reaches a point of success. Even though Miller makes the point that a tragic hero does not have to be noble or of high status, I still believe that Willy never truly experienced a significant downfall. Instead, he coasted as a failure throughout the entire play, never really getting better or worse. Willy was already at rock bottom, just made no effort to go up and therefore stays at rock bottom. Instead of a downfall, he just reaches a breaking point. Reality hits him when he loses his job and becomes fully aware that he is not well-liked. Next, he did not evoke sympathy from me as a reader since I was aware that he was a constant liar, and also cheating on his wife. With this information I see past Willy's so-called good morals as a "family man". I believe that if Willy really wanted to become a successful and well-liked salesman, he could have worked a lot harder and treated his family much better. Willy was simply not not fit or grounded enough to achieve the American Dream he wanted to achieve. And although I understand Arthur was trying to teach the lesson, "the American Dream can not be achieved by everyone", I still continue to believe that it could have been achieved by Willy with a little more focus on his behalf.
-Maddie Chelak
In the "Death of a Salesman", Willy Loman is known as being a controversial tragic hero. For me personally, my opinion varies widely. At first, he did not really spark me as being so, though Miller's piece "Tragedy and the Common Man" may have swayed my opinion. Without this article, I really would not have thought of him as a tragic hero. This is due to the fact that he was never really at a high point in the play. He continuously was struggling in his work and with his family, and it just seemed to get worse. Since the start, the reader views him as a mentally unstable man, who they know is contemplating suicide when Linda mentions the pipe. The initial problem is he can not keep up with the traveling aspect of his work and that problem progresses to the point where he gets fired. In this case, I never really felt pity for him and seen him as noble.
ReplyDeleteThough, through his flashbacks of the past the reader can somewhat see the positive intentions Willy had in early life. The reader could see that all Willy really wanted was to live up to the American Dream and work hard for his family. Unfortunately, he has worked himself and his children too hard which has caused him to fall. As Miller says in his article, Willy can just be a "common man" and act as a tragic hero in the same way that kings like Macbeth could. Another aspect the reader could interpret as Willy portraying a tragic hero is the way he interprets what is occurring and happening in his life. Although he hates to admit it in the beginning, by the end of the play Willy recognizes that he can not continue driving out to Boston and the fact he is gradually decreasing mentally or physically. He is trying to regain his dignity and keep working, since he is suffering from the "inevitable events spiral". Under all the struggles that he is facing, he continuously is trying to regain his position in society as the once hardworking salesman that people and his family liked. By going back to Howard and attempting/bargaining to get moved closer for work, he is recognizing his weakness of traveling and figuring out supplement ways to fix it.
Therefore, at first I never initially saw Willy as a tragic hero, though with deep consideration I can see the few aspects that he proves to show Miller's intentions when writing the play. Even if it is not as noticeable,, unlike Macbeth or the Crucible, Miller did a good job at creating a prime example of a common man tragic hero.
After reading about previous tragic heroes, at first glance Willy Loman did not seem as though he was really one himself. But something that must be taken into account when considering Willy as a possible tragic hero, is where he stood in society (there's probably a better way to explain what I mean). As we know, tragic heroes usually goes from a place of high status to low status (@ Jude Lammers), when thinking about Willy, there is some confusion as to whether he ever was in a higher position. (This might get slightly confusing, but I'll my best to explain what I mean. This could also be totally argued against.) In order to explain, I going to use a comparison between Willy Loman and a well known tragic hero Macbeth. Macbeth's fall from status is quite obvious, at first he was a well respected general, Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, but he would later fall and become a tyrant, hated by the people. But Willy was not a king, he was not a general, he was not famous, nor would he become close to being that high in society. Willy was a businessman, in his situation, having high status did not mean being king, it meant being successful. When thinking of Willy as a tragic hero he must be thought of individually and not compared to people beyond him. Separating Willy from other well known tragic heroes, brings us to the question of whether Willy was ever at a high status. Taking into account that Willy was a businessman, was he ever at a higher position? Although it is only provided through flashbacks, we can see that Willy was temporarily a successful businessman, and as time passes Willy will gradually lose his success and face difficulties as a businessman, which can be seen as his tragic downfall. Besides this, Willy easily falls into the rest of the criteria.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Willy had many notable flaws, I think the most important was Willy’s refusal to accept his failure. Willy continues to work and travel despite him knowing that it’s putting him in danger, seeing as he cannot focus on the road. But by giving up his job, he would be giving up his dream of becoming successful again, something he longs for deeply. In order for him to hide his failure from himself, he must hide it from others. For instance, the way he brings home money that he did not earn, or how he tries guilting Howard into keeping a job, if others knew the truth, the failure that he hid would begin to seep out, something he did not want to face. This idea of success is what causes Willy to be tough on his children to be successful businessman, rather than letting them do something they enjoy. Because Willy doesn’t want to see himself as a failure, it prevents him from changing the way he lives. Had he acknowledged this, Willy had a chance to fix up his life, earn money a different way and provide for his family. Because he did not, when his career started to go downhill, so did his life and everything in it. Failure absorbed Willy, so much that he never realized its full effect.
ReplyDeleteInitially, the idea of Willy being a tragic hero was extremely difficult for me to completely accept. Even after finishing act one, I was still skeptical as to whether or not I truly bought into the idea that Willy was a tragic hero. This most likely was due to the tragic heroes I have been previously exposed to. Macbeth for example started at a very high place in society being well respected royalty and he makes an obvious fall by the end when he is killed. In stories such as Macbeth the tragedy is more obvious to the reader. Having Macbeth as a prerequisite to tragedy is what gave me a false illusion of a tragic hero. Not until I read "Tragedy and the Common Man" by Arthur Miller again recently did I realize that Macbeth and Willy are hard to compare in terms of tragedy because Willy is simply a common man and his tragedy is a different magnitude of royalty such as Macbeth.
This idea made me reconsider whether I thought Willy was a tragic hero or not. After finish act two I have come to my own personal conclusion that, yes, Willy is a tragic hero. Even though in many of the comments above people seem to argue that he does not start at a high place in society, I agree with Tasha and how he actually does take a fall even if it is not necessarily societal. In the flashbacks, Willy was a man of confidence. Even though he was not necessarily on the top of society, mentally he was in a good mindset and temporarily he felt successful. Later in his life his mental health deteriorated and he became suicidal and started to recognise his faults in life. This was a major part of his tragedy. The fact that life became too much for him to handle to the point where he came to the conclusion that suicide was his only option shows tragedy and downfall in his life. For a common man like Willy, their tragedy seems insignificant in comparison to Macbeth, but in the scheme of it all common men problems are just as valuable. Just because a character is not nobility or starts out at an extremely high point in society does not mean they should be immediately discarded when seeking the qualities of a tragic hero. Overall, after further consideration Willy to me definitely displayed most of the traits of a tragic hero which was overlooked by many possibly due to his social status or the fact that the novel does not show much of Willy's past self due to its use of flashbacks.
-Nicole Tanelli
According to an article titled "Aristotelian Tragedy", in order for a work to be considered a tragedy and the protagonist to be considered a tragic hero, there are three criteria that it must follow. First of all, it must evoke pity or fear on the part of the audience. Additionally, the tragic hero must be admirable and good, their demise disturbing and causing grief from the reader. Finally, the tragic hero's demise must come from a personal error or decision. Following these criteria, I would most definitely categorize Willy Loman as a tragic hero.
ReplyDeleteTo begin, while Willy did not evoke fear from the reader per se, he most definitely evoked pity. Throughout the entire play I went back and forth in my head on whether I disliked or felt bad for Willy. He lived a life full of mental suffering and he consistently took his anger out on the ones around him, making him unlikeable. However, at the end of the day, his mental suffering and sad lifestyle full of discontent, regret, and misjudgment caused sympathy and pity from the reader.
While Willy was never a particularly admirable nor a good person throughout his life shown through his infidelity and poor relationships with his family and friends, his relatable nature allows him to fulfill this category of a tragic hero. The majority of common people most likely know a crotchety old man similar to Willy, whose grouchy behavior is not intended to be malevolent, but is mainly caused through disappointment and deep sadness with the result of their life and choices. This pitiful life style allows for the reader to relate to the common struggles he undergoes when it comes to things like insurance, debt, familial tension and more. While Willy is not necessarily a good person, his middle-class lifestyle and problems evoke an understanding with the reader, blurring the lines between understanding and likability.
Lastly, Willy perfectly suits the last criteria of a tragic hero's demise coming as a result of some personal error or decision. While the argument can be made that Willy's demise was caused by his depression, an uncontrollable disease that was not his choice, I disagree. While I am sensitive to mental illness and sympathize with all who deal with the daily struggles it entails, in this particular case, the argument can be made that it was Willy's own unachievable goals and self-set pressures that led him to his demise. While an obviously depressed man, Willy was conscious enough to make decisions to turn down help from his friends, always feeling pressure to be the best at something, rather than accepting the reality he found himself in. He made conscious lies regarding his fame and importance to make himself feel better about his failed endeavors in attempt to achieve his personal American dream. These, along with mistakes along the way such as his affair and poor relationship with his children (majorly caused by his own actions and high expectations), led to his eventual suicide, feeling no other way out of the tangled, sad life he had found himself in. This fact, although terribly sad, was indeed caused by his own failed aspirations and choices, all leading up to his final choice of suicide.
Overall, Willy is indeed a tragic hero. His pitiful lifestyle, essentially 'good' and relatable nature and poor choices allow him to fall in to the classic category of a tragic hero, while also putting a modern twist on the archaic concept.
-Chandler Reagan
One can argue either that Willy was or was not a tragic hero. After evaluating the qualities of a tragic hero and what it takes to be a tragic hero, I have concluded that Willy is a tragic hero. Firstly, it is critical for a tragic hero to be at an adequate point in their life. This is true for Willy because although his business may not have been at it's highest point, Willy's hope and expectations certainly were. One clear example of Willy's expectations reaching their peak occurs throughout the play when Willy anticipates that crops will be able to grow in his back yard. This is a clear representation of his positive outlook and the emotional state he was in at the time. In addition, Willy is in possession of a fatal error that lead to his downfall. This fatal error can be described as his inability to control his emotions. Throughout the play, Willy constantly alters his opinions on certain things. One example of this is Willy's opinion on his car. At first, Willy goes on to describe just how great his car is, but then goes on to claim that the car should stop being produced all together. This error will certainly prove to be the cause of his demise. Finally, Willy experiences his anagnorisis at the conclusion of the play. This moment is when Willy truly sees the repercussions of his fatal error. This occurs when Willy is speaking with Biff, but the woman that Willy had been having an affair with appears. Biff obtains a true understanding of the situation of the situation and can never look at his father the same. This is truly the demise of Willy because his sons meant everything to him, and to lose them would be devastating.
ReplyDelete-Jason Frank
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