Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller has been a controversial argument about whether or not this play is a tragedy or not. There are several arguments for and against this theory. Some arguments for tragedy include the fact that it displays the downfall of the main characters commitment towards a goal. Another argument towards tragedy is that it has the basic ingredients of a tragedy, a misguided person who’s goal in life is what ultimately leads to his downfall. Arguments against it being a tragedy involve the fact that the main character does not necessarily suffer from pride, like most classic tragedies. Another argument against this being a tragedy is that Willy Loman, the main character, is different from the classic tragic hero. These are just a few of the reasons that people have had a hard time determining if they think that this play is a tragedy or not a tragedy.
Willy used to be a very successful salesman however, he is no longer as successful as he was. Instead of trying to move on and better his life on his own he just continues to relive the past reminiscing on old times that he cannot get back to. Willy has this delusional idea of the “American Dream” that makes him believe that he is successful in life instead of working hard and deeming his success on realistic things. For example, Willy said, “You and Hap and I, and I’ll show you all the towns. America is full of beautiful towns and fine, upstanding people. And they know me, boys, they know me up and down New England. The finest people. And when I bring you fellas up, there’ll be open sesame for all of us, ‘cause one thing, boys: I have friends. I can park my car in any street in New England, and the cops protect it like their own. This summer, heh? (Act 1)”. He believes that his success is in how many people know him and not based on how well he does. Readers also find out that this is no longer true for Willy, but Willy cannot get past the reality that he is no longer the salesman that he once was. Instead of accepting that he is out of his prime and moving on with his life he is stuck reminiscing to the point that its blinding him from reality.
Another reason that some people argue that it is a tragedy is because it has all of the typical details that are in a tragedy. Death of a Salesman has, a misguided person pursuing something that he thinks will make him happy but in the end, it really turns out to be the thing that causes his downfall. Also, through this story we can see what is wrong with society and what people think makes others “successful”. For example, one of the main reasons why Willy’s children struggle in life is because they were raised to be more focused on what people thought about them rather than actually working hard. Willy tells his boys the reason why people are successful, “Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. “Willy Loman is here!” That’s all they have to know, and I go right through (Act 1)”. Readers can see that the actual importance is not on working hard and being successful but making sure that you are “well liked” and known by everyone. This is why the neighbor’s son Bernard ends up being much more successful than Willy’s sons Happy and Biff because he was raised not being well liked and learning from a young age that you have to work for the things that you want in life. Willy is pursuing people’s acceptance rather than pursuing a career that will support his family, this is his ultimate downfall.
As far as Death of a Salesman not being seen as a tragedy would mostly be because, usually in a tragedy the main character suffers from having too much pride that blinds them from being able to succeed. Willy’s downfall is not necessarily pride but rather a false reality of what will really lead him to achieving the “American Dream”. Often those who are hardworking and successful are the people that are not well liked because other people tend to become jealous of those who are deemed more successful than them. In Willy’s case his belief that being well liked is what is going to bring in money is actually the opposite of what is going to get him closer to achieving the “American Dream”. Willy tells a story about another salesman and deems his professional career a success because of the amount of people at his funeral rather than how he did financially or what position he ended his career in. This shows again that Willy is only concerned with how many people like him and remember him rather than his actual professional career. The reality is that sales might have been about who was liked the most back then but now it is a harsher world that Willy now lives in. Willy even says, “In those days there was personality in it, Howard. There was respect, comradeship, and gratitude in it. Today, it is all cut and dried and there’s no chance for bringing friendship to bear or personality. You see what I mean? They don’t know me anymore. (Act 2).” This is where Willy is finally realizing that the sales world has to developed into something that he can no longer compete in because it is too different than what he is accustomed to. Willy’s downfall is not pride it is the inability to move on from the fact that the world is changing, and he is no longer able to achieve the “American Dream” the way that he had achieved it in the past.
Another reason why some people may think that Death of a Salesman can be argued as not being a tragedy is the fact that Willy is not a traditional “tragic hero”. Some critics believe that the reason why Miller wrote this play was to make a tragedy about a simple or common man. This is also why other people believe that this is not a tragedy because thus far most tragic plays were dramatized and about noble kings and brave men. Death of a Salesman does not really have an antagonist like tragedies usually do, instead it can be argued that the antagonist is in fact Willy’s own thoughts and beliefs. Willy controls his own suicidal thoughts that are the reason behind his death rather than an actual person opposing him. It is brought to the attention of the readers that Willy has in fact been contemplating suicide, we know this because his wife, Linda, found the tools that Willy needed to kill himself hidden in the basement. The final straw that led Willy to kill himself was when he realized that even his own sons were not very fond of him. Him killing himself might have been his way to get back at his sons for treating him so poorly. If that is the case, it can be argued that the protagonist is actually the reasons that built up to Willy’s suicide. The antagonist is all of the people that gave him a reason to doubt himself causing him to not enjoy his life anymore. So, the reason why this can be seen as not being a tragedy is that this is not even close to the typical noble Greek tragedy that most people are used to, this is entirely different because it is mainly a conflict within himself.
So, is this or is this not a tragedy? I guess that all depends on the readers definition of a tragedy. This is definitely not a perfect example of a tragedy however, the tragic ending and the events that led up to this ending can definitely be argued towards Death of a Salesman being a tragedy. The reasons for this being a tragedy include Willy’s failure to see the harsh reality of his goals. Another reason for this being a tragedy is that this story is indeed a story about a misguided man on the wrong path towards his goal. However, there are reasons that argue against this play being a tragedy which include the fact that the main characters primary downfall is not pride like most tragedies. In fact, his downfall is his inability to see and accept the reality of his situation. This also then ties into the fact that Willy is definitely not what people picture when they think “tragic hero” in fact he is actually a pretty basic and common man. As readers can see there is many different angles that can be taken about this topic, maybe both are right and it just really depends on the opinions and definition of the reader.
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