The Tragic Hero In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” exemplifies a tragedy in many ways. Though others may argue otherwise, “Death of a Salesman” has all the ingredients to be considered a tragedy. A tragedy usually consist of a tragic figure who has a tragic flaw, that tragic flaw ends up leading them to their own destruction. In this case, the plays main character, Willy loman, is the tragic figure. Though many individuals would disagree with the idea of Willy loman as a tragic figure, Willy has the qualifications to be one: “Although he does not carry the social rank of a king, may, indeed, be a king 's equal in stature and, consequently, the worthy protagonist of a tragedy if his experience and his confrontation with that experience…” (Heims 62). Willy loman is an average everyday man. He is a traveling salesman living in a little old house in the middle of a developed city with his wife Linda and their two …show more content…
Willy loman is a tragic figure in Arthur Miller’s modern tragedy “Death of a Salesman” because he has numerous tragic flaws that builds his up as a character but at the same time is the cause of his own tragic downfall.
First off, what makes Willy loman a tragic figure are his tragic flaws. Willy loman has many tragic flaws. His first tragic flaw is his delusional way of thinking. Throughout the play Willy suffers through flashbacks or some form of dementia. Willy is never able to accept reality and is constantly living in the pass: “The inability to face reality harms him …this inability results in the losing of his many opportunities to be successful. He has the wrong illusion that he could be as successful as the salesman named Dave Singleman. He misses his opportunity to go to Alaska with Ben to make a fortune...” (Danqing 28). Will has no