How Is Willy Loman A Tragic Hero

Willy Loman is a weak and selfish character in the play of Death of a Salesman. As Willy changes and grows throughout the novel his family and friends are affected as well. Willys family, consisting of his wife Linda and sons Biff and Happy, show a continuous cycle of denial and neglect. The character Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is not an example of a tragic hero.
The salesman, Willy Loman, does not suffer more than he deserves. Willy deserves what is given to him. He did many things for himself instead of for his family including, cheating on his wife and buying The Woman stalkings when his wife needed them. Also, Willy has to beg for his job as a salesman when he has plenty of other opportunities for work and to make …show more content…
He chooses to kill himself seeing no other option when there was. He killed himself so his family would get the insurance money so they could pay their bills. Due to Willy being unable to provide for his family they ended up in debt. He also failed to see the reality of situations where he could have supported his family but instead he was blinded by pride.
Willy Loman’s story is a story of a weak man that was unable to get his life together, it should not arouse fear or empathy. Willy had his life together with a job, a loving wife, and sons. Then his son Biff caught Willy cheating on Linda his wife, so Willy started giving up on his life. He didnt work on his job. He tried killing himself multiple times and is unable to hold a conversation. It pushes him over the edge and he successfully kills himself. This does not arouse empathy or fear because all of the issues he had were actions Willy chose, choices he could control. Willy was not faced with an ultimatum. He choose to kill himself to benefit his family for a short time, instead of swallowing his pride and working for Charley. Willy also, choose to live his life neglecting his family, so he could be selfish and live life how he wanted with a hole in his