A Modern Tragedy
A form of drama in which a person of superior intelligence and character is
overcome by the very obstacles he/she is struggling to remove defines a tragedy
as most people know it. However, tragedy can reflect another aspect of life:
the tragedies of the common people. Heroic behavior in these instances may at
times be impossible. We expect, from reading the first tragedies, that only
kings or nobility can be tragic heroes. Arthur Miller himself said, “I believe
that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as
kings were…[The same characteristics] which were enacted by royal beings…apply
to everyone in similar emotional situations.”
Death of a Salesman can be defined as a tragedy, with Willy Loman as the tragic
hero. Willy Loman has a tragic flaw characteristic of all tragic heroes,
however, it is not “necessarily a weakness.” Willy has a lot of dignity, and he
is unwilling “to remain passive in the face of what he conceives to be a
challenge to his dignity, his image of his rightful status.” His tragic flaw
leads to his demise.
A tragic hero begins with a purpose, falls on hard times, but, in the end,
gains a better perception. This perfectly describes Willy. Willy’s initial
purpose is to maintain his dignity by pretending in front of his family and not
accepting a job that he believes would lower his position. He obviously falls
on hard times: he loses his job, his sons are lazy bums, Biff is a thief, he
constantly relives his mistakes, and Biff resents his dad because of something
that happened years ago. All of these are evidence of the hard times he is
having in his life. After a confrontation with Biff, which occurred because of
Linda’s insistence, Willy gains a better perception of his life. Or, at least,
he thinks he does. Willy believes that, by committing suicide, he can gain
dignity in the eyes of his family. By doing this, they can live off the
insurance money, and he will finally have been able to provide for them. Even
though this is a twisted perception, Willy thinks he has finally discovered an
answer to his misery. This chain of events is the framework for a tragedy and a
tragic hero.
Willy’s tragic error was his pride, or dignity. Because of his dignity, he
suffered greatly. In the end, he realized his error to an extent and believed
he could correct it through his own death. His suicide, typical of many tragic
heroes, ended this tragedy of a common man.