The Death of a Salesman
In "Death of a Salesman", Willy Loman's downfall is his grief. He has been utterly defeated by his family as well as his mind. His expectations for Biff have driven him to madness, as well as the guilt of his affair. However, in the end he makes the ultimate sacrifice; taking his own life so his family could receive a welfare check which would save their house. This sacrifice is a tragic view of the importance of money. In American today, it is virtually impossible to live without money. One cannot hope to have a place in society whilst they lack the very food and water that sustains it; money. Money should never have become so important.
The American Experience gone wrong
"Death of a Salesman" is a book that highlights how the American Experience can be so dangerous. Willy Loman chased The Dream his entire life, which was his inevitable downfall. Pushing Bill to his very limits, treating his wife with disdain, having a mistress on the side and ignoring his less talented son was how he showed this desire. In Act two, page 78, Willy clearly lets his desperation leak out. When Howard is showing off his new voice recorder, Willy pretends to have the money to invest in such a luxury. If a man like Howard can afford such a thing, can share an invention of such prestige with his family, why can't Willy? Why shouldn't he be able to afford such expensive things? The recorder symbolizes Willy's longing to be a part of that secret society that lives so freely. If he was secure with his position in the world, Willy would have been able to stand up to Howard and tell him that the recorder is a luxury he cannot afford, nor one he would want to. In reality, the device is quite useless. Yet, Howard has it, therefore Willy concludes that one must have it to be considered wealthy.
The American Experience gone wrong
"Death of a Salesman" is a book that highlights how the American Experience can be so dangerous. Willy Loman chased The Dream his entire life, which was his inevitable downfall. Pushing Bill to his very limits, treating his wife with disdain, having a mistress on the side and ignoring his less talented son was how he showed this desire. In Act two, page 78, Willy clearly lets his desperation leak out. When Howard is showing off his new voice recorder, Willy pretends to have the money to invest in such a luxury. If a man like Howard can afford such a thing, can share an invention of such prestige with his family, why can't Willy? Why shouldn't he be able to afford such expensive things? The recorder symbolizes Willy's longing to be a part of that secret society that lives so freely. If he was secure with his position in the world, Willy would have been able to stand up to Howard and tell him that the recorder is a luxury he cannot afford, nor one he would want to. In reality, the device is quite useless. Yet, Howard has it, therefore Willy concludes that one must have it to be considered wealthy.
The American Experience mended
On the other end of the spectrum, Walter Lee has succeeded in beating the greed of human nature, but not before he had a few bumps along the way. When Walter Lee was first introduced, it would be easy to classify him as a typical Willy Loman; a terrible father that tries to do his best for his children while also failing to be supportive in anyway. But when you take a closer look at Walter Lee, you can see that in the end, he turns out okay. The beginning of his failure was when his ambition to open a liquor store clouded his judgement for his son. He used all the money from Mama, even the money meant the for Beneatha, to go after that dream. Although his intentions were good, the act in itself did not benefit him, seeing as his partner ran off with all the money. However, losing all the money seems to benefit him as a parent. By the end of the book, he managed to make a good life for his son by helping the move the family into their new neighborhood. Even with the loss of the money, Walter keeps a good attitude and has the courage to be happy for his family rather than despair because his own plans didn't work.
Walter Lee moves into a new house with his family, ready to face the discrimination of their white neighbors with dignity.
Willy Loman...dies.
is the american experience a healthy thing if it kills you?
is willy loman a tragic hero?
A tragic hero is always searching for their place in society. Due to their tragic flaw, they will never fit in with society. So a tragic hero is not really tragic at all. One is only considered "tragic" because they refuse to conform. The fact that they have a tragic flaw, or that they refuse to have their dignity challenged are only characteristics of being a tragic hero. If you are a tragic hero, you long to fit in and crave acceptance yet you will never achieve the American Dream. One who is a not tragic hero is merely a man blind to the deceit of The American Experience vs. The American Dream. Men and women with no tragic heroism in their personality are the happiest people in society. It is the tragic heroes, the men and women who see farther than the status quo, that are the outcasts in society. On the outside, they can see more clearly than whilst a part of society, yet some long for the safety and security of being part of the "in-crowd."
Wily Loman was that tragic hero. He forever longed to be enough for his wife, and he ruined his family by trying to turn his son into something he wish he could have been in his youth. He always wanted to be a part of the wealthy salesman community, which was why he pretended that he would buy an extremely expensive and utterly useless piece of technology just to have one man accept him. Willy didn't just kill himself so his family could survive; he drove that car off a cliff because he couldn't bear to live with who he had become. Loman was the worst kind of tragic hero; the kind that cannot live with himself because he doesn't belong anywhere. That is the tragic part of being a tragic hero.
Wily Loman was that tragic hero. He forever longed to be enough for his wife, and he ruined his family by trying to turn his son into something he wish he could have been in his youth. He always wanted to be a part of the wealthy salesman community, which was why he pretended that he would buy an extremely expensive and utterly useless piece of technology just to have one man accept him. Willy didn't just kill himself so his family could survive; he drove that car off a cliff because he couldn't bear to live with who he had become. Loman was the worst kind of tragic hero; the kind that cannot live with himself because he doesn't belong anywhere. That is the tragic part of being a tragic hero.
Was walter lee a tragic hero?
Walter Lee was one of the few people who was not a tragic hero. Although he had, admittedly, a harder life than Willy Loman, his family fit in with the rest of the black community. Although they face prejudice from white people, they were not outcasts. There were so many other colored people in those run down apartments that they had built their own little community. Walter Lee's dignity and honestly was challenged when he was tricked out of his money, yet he let the thief go without a single attempt to get what was rightfully his back. If Jay Gatsby or Willy Loman had been foiled out of a large amount of money, they wouldn't have rested until the man had been caught and prosecuted. However, Walter was "flawless." As is said in "Tragedy and the Common Man, "Only the passive, only those who accept their lot without active retaliation, are "flawless."" Walter Lee, although furious and broken by the robbery, calmly accepts the mistake he made and moves on without further difficulty. If Walter Lee had been a tragic hero, he would have fought to right the wrong he had done. Of the many differences between one who doesn't have a tragic flaw vs one who is a tragic hero is the refusal to back down. Jay Gatsby says "You can repeat the past," and that was what he believed until the very end of his life. Tragic heroes will never accept the way life is, will always fight for the way they believe that the world is supposed to be. This is so tragic because they will never change the world, seeing as they are not part of accepted society, so therefore will never be listened to.