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Death Of A Salesman: Willy Loman Tragic Hero - College Paper

Death Of A Salesman: Willy Loman Tragic Hero

"If the exaltation of tragic action were truly a property of the high-bred character alone, it is inconceivable that the mass of mankind should cherish tragedy above all other forms" (Dwyer). It makes little sense that tragedy should only pertain to those in high ranks. As explained in his essay "Tragedy and the Common Man," Arthur Miller sets out the pattern for his own idea of a tragedy and the tragic hero. This pattern supports the idea that a tragedy can occur in characters of common men as well as those in high places. In his paper, he demonstrates that it should be possible for everyone to be able to identify with the tragic hero. Miller redefines tragedy as more common occurrence ...

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as he sees it, not doing well in business, though he wishes he was, and cheating on Linda, showing her to be a commodity of which he takes advantage. "The quality in such plays that does shake us... derives from the underlying fear of being displaced, the disaster inherent in being torn away from our chosen image of what and who we are in the world" (Miller, "Tragedy…"). Willy's "underlying fear of being displaced" is the real tragedy. He wants to do things right, but the fact is he has many incidences that haunt him. Consistently throughout the play, Willy drifts in and out of a dream. He is constantly haunted by memories of his dead brother Ben who struck it rich the jungle. He also has flashbacks of incidents that haunt him in other areas. For example, the sequence in which Biff catches Willy with a woman other than Linda. This haunts Willy because he sees it as part of why Biff does not love him. "Tragedy then is the consequence of a man's total compulsion to evaluate himself ...

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Death Of A Salesman: Willy Loman Tragic Hero. (2011, May 1). Retrieved April 8, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Death-Salesman-Willy-Loman-Tragic-Hero/98719

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 5/1/2011 10:13:28 PM
Submitted By: jagrubbs10
Category: Film & Theater
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1188
Pages: 5

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