Willy Loman - A Tragic Hero Essay - 744 Words

In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, the author conveys the reader about how a person lives his life when he or she cannot live the â€Å"American Dream.† Willy Loman, the main character in the play is a confused and tragic character. He is a man who is struggling to hold onto what morality he has left in a changing society that no longer values the ideals he grew up to believe in. Even though the society he lives in can be blamed for much of his misfortune, he must also be the blame for his bad judgment, disloyalty and his foolish pride. Willy Loman believes in the â€Å"American Dream,† which is the belief that anyone can be lifted from humble beginnings to greatness. His belief on this idea is that a man can reach success by selling his†¦show more content†¦He realizes that these values are not true, and is not too concerned if he does not come out on top. He wants to be able to know who he is. Happy, on the other hand, continues to believe in Will y’s ideas, even after his father’s death, and decides that Willy’s name will succeed. As the play progresses, one begins to feel sorry for Willy and his problem, but at the same time angry and frustrated with him for his foolish pride. With this trait, it prevented him from accepting a job from Charlie, something that could have saved his life. Also, it is with this false pride that has been sparking the family flame for years, the fact that the Loman name was well known and well-liked. The family lie that was amongst themselves is revealed during the climax of the play. One example is the way in which Willy led Biff to believe that he is a salesman for Oliver, which at the end left Biff disappointed. The reason for this estimation of the truth may be because of Willy’s idea that he has not raised Biff and Happy the right way. The most important quote in the story is when Happy says about Willy, â€Å"He’s never so Happy as when he’s lookin forward to something.† Willy’s spirit decline when he has nothing to look forward to, in effect, causes him to have flashbacks. For example, when he is in the restaurant expecting big news from Biff, he is all together and happy about the fact that the news will fullfill hisShow MoreRelatedWilly Loman Tragic Hero730 Words   |  3 PagesIn 1949, the forlorn life of Willy Loman is introduced in Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman†. At this time the American Dream was something everyone craved during the peak of suburbia. The American Dream was the golden standard of living like Donna Reed, all wrapped up with a white picket fence. To Willy Loman, The American Dream was not the golden standard, but the only standard. His wife Linda dutifully greeting him as he came home from a successful day as a salesman, and sits down to dinnerRead MoreWilly Loman Tragic Hero Analysis956 Words   |  4 Pagesis revolved around the concept of tragedy and a tragic h ero. Aristotle defines tragedy as â€Å"the consequence of a man’s total compulsion to evaluate himself justly†. A tragic hero is defined as â€Å"a literary character who makes a judgement error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction†. These two concepts apply to the play in the sense that Willy Loman is a man of good intentions, but there is often an undesirable outcome of them. Also, Willy is a victim of himself and his own beliefs. ArthurRead MoreWilly Loman Tragic Hero Analysis971 Words   |  4 Pagesor affair; disaster†. The main character, Willy Loman, shows how one dream can become a disaster through his impractical dreams and failing at achieving these goals. 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A tragic hero is someone who makesRead MoreHow Is Willy Loman A Tragic Hero727 Words   |  3 Pages The tragic hero referenced throughout the essay Tragedy and a Common Man is Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman. What Arthur Miller means by tragic hero is a protagonist in a play or a different form of filmography who is a subject for tragedy in its highest sense. The essay refers to a character who is ready to lay down his life to secure his personal dignity. The next reference to this character is society the struggle to gain a rightful posi tion. 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Willy Loman’s tragic flow leads him to purse the idea that reputation in society has more relevancies in life than knowledge and education to survive in the business. His grand error of wanting recognition drove him crazy and insane and lead toRead MoreEssay on Can Willy Loman Be Considered A Tragic Hero?1632 Words   |  7 PagesCan 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 GreeceRead More Willy Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a Salesman Essay1519 Words   |  7 PagesWilly Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a Salesman       Willy Loman, the title character of the play, Death of Salesman, exhibits all the characteristics of a modern tragic hero. This essay will support this thesis by drawing on examples from Medea by Euripedes, Poetics by Aristotle, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, and Shakespeares Julius Caesar, while comments by Moss, Gordon, and Nourse reinforce the thesis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Death of Salesman, by Arthur Miller, fits the characteristics of classicRead MoreEssay Death of a Salesman, Tragic Hero. Willy Loman.1503 Words   |  7 PagesTo what extent can Willy Loman be considered a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s rules? Arthur Miller presents his play ‘Death of a Salesman’ in the ancient form of a tragedy. Aristotle has defined his idea of the ‘perfect’ tragedy in his text, ‘Poetics’ (350 BC).Here he suggests that the protagonist must fall from an elevated social standing as a result of a â€Å"fatal flaw† within the character; the fall from the main character creates resolution to the play which is seen as just; finally, Aristotle