Can Willy Loman Be Considered A Tragic Hero?
Whether Willy Loman can be considered a tragic hero has long been
debated between critics. Ever since Miller produced the play, people
have discussed whether Willy’s status was high enough for his fall to
be considered tragic, or whether Willy can be seen as an altogether
modern tragic hero, I will be looking at both these views taking into
consideration critics views and also adding my own thoughts.
Tragedy has its origin in ancient Greece. In his Poetics Aristotle
defined a tragedy as portraying a serious, complete and important
action involving pain or destruction and shows the fall of an
important person from happiness and prosperity into misery and
catastrophe. The problem with this view is that some believe it cannot
be used to define modern tragedies as many things have changed and are
no longer relevant since Aristotle’s time of ancient Greece.
Critics such as Bier man, Hart and Johnson1 believe that Willy Loman
can be seen as a tragic hero, they have described death of a salesman
as “a tragedy set in our own time, played out on our own scene, in our
own language”. The fact that the play is modern, helps us to identify
with Willy Loman and therefore it affects our emotions more, there is
more of a connection between ourselves and the character, the fact
that we feel more emotion brings us closer to classical tragedy for
example catharsis. There are many factors throughout the text, which
show connections to the modern world, the references to insurance
payments, front porch, refrigerator, Chevrolet and the tennis are
reflective of contemporary society. These things make the play seem
far more realistic to the audience as they can relate to these
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...t at all whether the hero falls from a great
height or a small one”. The fact that Willy Loman is a modern hero
allows us to connect with him and understand his situation more,
“Tragedy, he argues, should bring out not only sorrow but
understanding” I believe that understanding is shown throughout the
play and that things become clearer in the requiem as it provides some
insight.
In my own opinion I believe that it is true, Willy Loman cannot be
seen as a traditional tragic hero, however I believe that he can be
seen as a modern hero to an extent. Willy had a tragic fall in life in
his own opinion, just as it would seem if it happened to someone you
knew. However Willy didn’t do anything in society to make his
character seem heroic. I think that the audience would feel more
sympathetic towards Willy and not feel that the story was a tragedy as
a whole.
According to Frye's definition, tragic heroes bring suffering upon themselves. Willy Loman is delusional and has a skewed view on the world he lives in. Willy asserts that he is young, popular, and respected among his family and workmates. Flashbacks of past memories, which interrupt the present day flow of time, prove that Willy is not everything he used to be in his younger years. This constant misconception of time is Willy Loman's main flaw, and he is the main victim in this suffering. Willy's misunderstanding of the world around him is shown in key scenes, such as his conversation with his brother Ben in the garden near the end of the play (Miller 99). The death of Willy Loman is also a consequence of his flaw: Willy's disorganized state of mind causes him to jump into a car and crash.
In ‘Death of a salesman,’ Miller uses Willy to depict the common man who “is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were.” Willy is a character whom is referred to as a “tragic hero” because he has been suppressed by society from succeeding as a salesman, and has been forced to “put thirty-four years into this firm … and now I can’t pay my insurance!” This idea ...
... morals and personality towards his goals and at the same time trying to pass those values onto his sons, making him lose their respect, which is one of the many reasons that ended up taking his life. For the most part one can see that issues like Willys cannot only be seen or heard of in a play but also in the real world. Everybody in general wants to conform and be liked in today's competitive society, which is one of the reasons why many people don't get to accomplish the things they want to accomplish because they are either to scared or don't have the courage to step out of the social norms and achieve what they what to achieve. If anyone learns anything from this tragic character, one can say that truly knowing ones-self can really help in the long run because if one doesn't know who they are, they can end up leading a miserable life, in a miserable world.
Willy is a Multifaceted character who portrayed a deep problem with sociological and psychological causes and done so with disturbing reality.
Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid.
According to Miller, a tragic hero is someone who dies for personal dignity. Willy does die for his dignity. “Those who act against the scheme of things that degrades them.”(Miller. Tragedy of the Common Man) Willy, in his ideas and action of committing suicide, fits in that category. In act 2, Willy reveals his desires to win back Biff’s respect by committing suicide.
... hero while Willy is a common man and resembles a modern tragic hero, both protagonists demonstrate excessive amount of pride and arrogance. The hubris of the two characters is evident throughout the play as seen through Oedipus, who attempts to alter his fate and Willy, who rejects Charley’s offer for work. The flaws that these characters possess cause them to inflict harm towards themselves, as Oedipus stabs his own eyes and Willy commits suicide. Also, these protagonists are blinded by their own realities. Oedipus tries to change his fate and shows disrespect towards those who speak the truth that he does not want to hear. Willy Loman believes he is a successful businessman and continuously lies to himself so he can prove that he is very well liked. Both Oedipus and Willy have goals to try and prove something, but as tragic heroes, fail to prove themselves.
the battle in business. Willy's character is full of pride he doesn't really care about. anything else. If he has his pride, he is happy. He has pride in his sons and pride in being independent.
Explore the view that Willy’s uncertain sense of masculinity is a major cause of his tragic downfall.
What made Willy so important to everyone, as was stated in the article, was not that he was known by so many people, but it was that fact that he made an impact on the lives of all those with whom he came in contact. In the article it talked about all of the people at his funeral who shared stories of love and leadership. Imagine how many more could say the same thing about Willy that didn't make it to the funeral or even those he touched who didn't even remember what his name was or how they knew him. Willy was the kind of person that every leader should aspire to be like. When people develop the characteristics that Willy had, they become true leaders. Willy probably never aspired to be a great leader; he was able to develop those characteristics because of his passion and knowledge of what he did and also his love for other people. One of the most important characteristics of leadership is that a leader must have the ability to see a persons potential and know how to help that person to develop it.
Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman follows protagonist Willy Loman in his search to better his and his family’s lives. Throughout Willy Loman’s career, his mind starts to wear down, causing predicaments between his wife, two sons and close friends. Willy’s descent into insanity is slowly but surely is taking its toll on him, his job and his family. They cannot understand why the man they have trusted for support all these years is suddenly losing his mind. Along with his slope into insanity, Willy’s actions become more aggressive and odd as the play goes on. Despite Willy and Biff’s “family feud”, his two sons Happy and Biff truly worry about their father’s transformation, Happy saying: “He just wants you to make good, that’s all. I wanted to talk to you about dad for a long time, Biff. Something’s – happening to him. He – talks to himself” (Miller 21). Willy, as a father, cares about his children but he wishes they would do better. He believes Biff should have been an athlete. According to Harrington, “Even figuratively, Willy is haunted, and particularly in Biff’s failure to achieve success as a sports figure” (108). This haunting is part of what led to Willy’s slow plunge into madness. As Willy’s career in sales fails, he also fails, even failing his family. Heyen adds: “He didn’t have anything of real value to give to his family, or if he did, he didn’t know what it was” (48). His debilitating flashbacks and delusional hallucinations with Uncle Ben cement his horrifying realizations that he has let down his family. Willy Loman blames the economy for his downfall in his career. In one of his more extreme outbursts he exclaims, “There’s more people! That’s what’s ruining this country! Population is getting out of control. ...
Willy is a multi-faceted character which Miller has portrayed a deep problem with sociological and psychological causes and done so with disturbing reality. In another time or another place Willy might have been successful and kept his Sanity, but as he grew up, society's values changed and he was left out in the cold. His foolish pride, bad judgment and his disloyalty are also at fault for his tragic end and the fact that he did not die the death of a salesman.
As Willy has always been a salesman, but his good for nothing father distorted his beliefs making sure that he would be nothing like his father. By trying to be likable, but in the end things because through the course of his life nothing has gone his way. His brother working hard doing the opposite that Willy believed in made a fortune and died with his wealth. Understanding this Willy attempted suicide hoping he could accomplish the same thing. Eventually, Willy became what his father was through his view as his connection with his sons slowly faded away. “Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens?”(Miller
“The goat song” is the original meaning of the word “tragedy.” The word developed when men lined up to offer their goats as sacrifices to their gods. The goats they held or lead realized their fates and began bleating sorrowfully. They mourned that their lives were to be laid down for others; however, Willy Loman from “Death of a Salesman” gave up his life courageously. Arthur Miller's character, Willy Loman, thought the only way he could help his family was to die. After much defeat Willy reflected on his life and said that he was of more value dead than alive (Miller 2173). Many arguments have been made about Willy's character; is Willy truly tragic or plainly pathetic? Considering all the factors of Willy's life that weighed upon him, the reader should determine that this low man was, indeed, tragic.
Willy Loman’s character in Death of a Salesman portrays him as a tragic hero. Willy Loman continued to want recognition and his reputation, but never forgets about his family. These characteristics describe him as a tragic hero in Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman’s tragic flow leads him to pursue the idea that reputation in society has more relevance in life than knowledge and education to survive in the business. His grand error of wanting recognition drove him crazy and insane and led to his tragic death.