Calamity And The Common Man: Willy Loman & # 8211 ; Not A Tragic Hero Essay, Research Paper

In Arthur Miller? s essay about? Tragedy and the Common Man, ? he argues that the common adult male is as appropriate a topic for calamity as the really extremely placed male monarchs and baronial work forces. Mankind keeps calamity above all signifiers because they are given the same mental abilities as the Lords. In? Death of a Salesman? , Willy Loman is a common adult male and a in-between category worker, plenty salvaging to supply nutrient for his household. So if the tragic hero can be a common adult male, does Willy suit in that class? Even though he is a common adult male he fails to populate up to the criterions of being a tragic hero because he ne’er accepts or admits to his ain mistakes. He, hence, loses his self-respect. One of his biggest mistakes is his failure of be a good male parent. And does non keep a rightful place in his household.

Willy Loman? s character is capable of doing mistakes. He believes he is a really successful salesman and good liked. He besides thinks that the company likes what he is making. He one time said, ? I? m the New England adult male. I am critical in New England? ( Miller pg. 32 ) Because of his false belief about his success Howard fired him. After he got discharged charley offered him a occupation, but he refuses to accept, because he is excessively proud and covetous to work for Charley. His actions were incorrect because at no clip was a successful salesman. He is non a powerful character. Willy lives in his phantasies where he is the adult male. Who goes out to another topographic point and comes out rich, he is love by everyone and admired by his household. In existent life, he is lazy and does non populate up to his ain ideals. ? As Aristotle explains, a tragic hero must be one of baronial character and must fall from power and happiness. ? ( Www.ccd.rightchoice.org/lit115/poetics.html ) but Willy neither has a baronial characteristic nor does he fall from power because he does non hold a place of power.

Harmonizing to Miller, a tragic hero is person who dies for personal self-respect. Willy does decease for his

self-respect. ? Those who act against the strategy of things that degrades them. ? ( Miller. Tragedy of the Common Man ) Willy, in his thoughts and action of perpetrating self-destruction, fits in that class. In act 2, Willy reveals his desires to win back Biff? s regard by perpetrating self-destruction. During one of his semblances, he says that? Ben that funeral will be monolithic? that male child will be thunderstruck, Ben, because he ne’er realize I am known? ( Miller pg. 126 ) . In seeking to carry Biff that their male parent is a great adult male, Willy will non accept any challenge to his self-respect. He refuses to recognize that the ideals he set for himself and for Biff are false and that he in fact is non loved by all. When Biff tries to state him this, he does non listen to his boy. If he accepts the thought that he needs to allow travel of his pride, so he can make the status of being informed. He does non profess and accept the effects, Willy is, hence, non a tragic hero, merely a failure.

Willy is non a good male parent for many grounds. First, he makes his occupation his first precedence. His travels were extended. He did non hold the chance to acquire to cognize his boies. As a consequence, he did non love them like a male parent should. His love for Biff is based on his accomplishment as an jock and when Biff loses the scholarship, Willy was so huffy that he no longer loved Biff as he one time did. Willy wants Biff to be successful like his brother Ben. Furthermore Willy is unable to acknowledge his mistakes because he has excessively much pride. In all his errors, Willy fails to be a good male parent. Alternatively he is brainsick selfish failure. Subsequently on, this facet of his was defined as a failure.

By analyzing the character of Willy Loman carefully it is apparent that he is non a tragic hero. He neglects his duties as a male parent. He is non true, and this leads to loss of his pride and self-respect. Willy is blinded by his pride that he did non recognize the effects of his actions. Unlike a true tragic hero, Willy does non acknowledge his ain mistakes and his false pride.