Tragedy- Death Of A Salesman Essay, Research Paper

The optimistic mentality of calamity

Many people who read calamities believe that they offer a pessimistic mentality on life. Arthur Miller? s novel, Death of a Salesman, expresses the message that to accomplish the American dream you have to follow your bosom. Those who have read? Tragedy and The Common Man? , an essay by Arthur Miller, recognize that calamity offers more to its readers so a sad stoping ; it offers optimism and encouragement for the hereafter.

Willy Loman frequently pauses to reflect upon past conversations he had with his brother Ben, a adult male who fulfilled the American dream, to acquire rich quick. When Ben was 17 he? walked into the jungle, and when I was 21 I walked out and by God I was rich? ( 1891 ) . The jungle represents adult male? s oppurtunity to accomplish the American dream. Whenever Ben talks about the jungle he talks about the diamonds he has found. The diamonds symbolize success. Willy has many oppurtunities to travel into the jungle and? bring a diamond out? ( 1937 ) , but he ne’er makes it. Tragedy, in this instance, is? the effect of a adult male? s entire irresistible impulse to measure himself rightly? ( ? Tragedy? , 1341 ) . Willy believes in his head that he will be successful on his ain. Willy admires his brother? s success, but instead so follow in his footfalls, Willy feels he can do it as a salesman. His self-control is an encouragement to readers. Even though Willy was non successful, he ne’er gave up.

As clip passes though, Willy? s oppurtunities pass until eventually? the forests are firing! I can? t thrust a auto! ? ( 1887 ) . Willy? s opportunity? to bring a diamond out? has passed, non merely is he unable to follow his uncle? s footfalls, he now is unable to make full his current occupation demands. Willy is a salesman and is required to drive to Boston for work. His inability to drive renders him useless to his company. Willy believes that? You can? t eat the orange and throw away the peel- a adult male is non a piece of fruit. ? ( 1908 ) . That is precisely what Willy? s foreman does, throw? s Willy off one time he has nil left indoors. In his article on calamity, Miller illustrates features of tragic characters and relates them to common adult male. He determines that the tragic defect in Willy? s character is non? needfully a failing. The defect, or cleft in the character, is truly nil? and need be nil? but his built-in involuntariness to stay inactive in the face of what he conceives to be a challenge to his self-respect, his image of his rightful position? ( ? Tragedy? , 1341 ) . Willy? s pride prevents him from one concluding oppurtunity to win. Charlie offers him a occupation after hearing that Willy was fired. Though Willy borrows money from Charlie, he is offended when Charlie offers him a occupation for fifty-dollars a hebdomad. He sees it as a direct hit on his pride. Willy ever assumed he would be more successful in life so Charlie because Charlie is? liked, but he? s non good liked? ( 1882 ) . This belief sets Willy and his boies up for failure because they believe being good liked is the key to success, instead so working for it. When Willy realizes that his whole life is wasted the calamity of the narrative unfolds. For the readers, ? The quality in [ Calamities ] that does agitate us, nevertheless, derives from the underlying fright of being displaced, the catastrophe inherent in being torn off from our chosen image of what and who we are in this universe? ( ? Tragedy? , 1341 ) . Willy? s calamity is in recognizing that he has wasted his life with

out of all time accomplishing his dream. This is the unhappy stoping every reader looks for in a calamity. The reader is left to recognize, nevertheless, that the narrative is non meant to sadden. Tragedy is meant to edify the reader. It illustrates for the reader what life will be like if the reader does non listen to the writer? s message.

Willy strives to affect upon his boies the importance of success. Since their childhood he has boosted their self-importances by pumping their caputs full of unrealistic outlooks. They are raised to believe that they should get down at the top and remain at the top. Biff is the lone boy to recognize what a error it was to be raised with such high outlooks. All his life he? had to be large foreman shooting in two hebdomads? ( 1936 ) . This made it impossible for him to settle in to a profession and work his manner up. Willy would ne’er believe Punch when he told him he was? a dime a twelve, and so are you? ( 1936 ) . Unfortunately, Willy insists that he is Willy Loman, and is? ready to put down his life, if need be, to procure one thing- his sense of personal self-respect? ( ? Tragedy? , 1341 ) . This by and large brings about a feeling of calamity. In the terminal Willy gives up life in effort to? derive his? rightful? place in society? ( ? Tragedy? , 1341 ) . Biff learns from his male parent? s errors, as the reader should every bit good. He decides to travel out and follow his bosom and seek to accomplish the American dream his manner. Thus the optimism and encouragement in a calamity extremums through once more. At Willy? s funeral, Biff acknowledges that Willy? had the incorrect dreams. All, all wrong. ? ( 1939 ) . Biff realizes that Willy ne’er knew what he was. He ne’er saw that the existent manner to happen success would be to work with his custodies, something Willy often remarks on basking. Unfortunately, Biff? s younger brother Happy ne’er realizes that his male parent was incorrect about the route to success. Happy goes on believing that any minute he? s traveling to acquire a large interruption and come out in front. He vows to? demo you and everybody else that Willy Loman did non decease in vain. He had a good dream. It? s the lone dream you can have- to come out number-one-man. ? Happy ne’er realizes that his male parent? s life was unsuccessful and following it alternatively of following his ain way will destine him to reiterate the same destiny.

Right before Willy? s concluding confrontation with Biff, he is out seting the seeds he has ever talked about seting. The garden represents Willy? s concluding effort to be remembered. Willy wants to go forth something behind so that people will retrieve him as being a great adult male. He has decided that? after all the main roads, and the trains, and the old ages, you end up deserving more dead so alive. ? ( 1917 ) . He anticipates that his household will value him more when he is gone. He strives for the decease of a salesman, a decease that attracts many people to mourn the loss. Charley tries to convert Willy that? cipher? s worth nothin? dead? . His effort to salvage Willy is ineffectual, as Willy looks to the hereafter with optimism of happening success for the seeds he has merely planted, both in the garden and in his boies.

One of the greatest calamities in literature is the misconception that tragic narratives offer little more so a sad stoping. After comparing Arthur Miller? s essay with his tragic work, one realizes that the Miller is seeking to offer optimism and encouragement to his fellow adult male. To read of person? s failures, and to use that information to life in order to avoid failure, is to truly appreciate a calamity and it? s significance.