Willy's Flaws

One’s own flaws can easily lead to a fatal outcome. The tragedy Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller follows the protagonist Willy Loman’s struggles in trying to maintain his job as a salesman and resolve his unstable relationship with his wife and sons. Miller reveals how Aristotle’s Tragic Hero is applied to the common by using Willy Loman as a model. Willy was once respected as a successful salesman but lost this due to his flaws: his excessive arrogance and his inability to realize his lack of skills in order to achieve the American Dream. Consequently, he was unable to resolve these flaws which ultimately leads to taking his own life.
Through these characteristics, Miller displays the idea that achieving the American Dream is not simple …show more content…
Willy is a model of the tragic hero as he was once respected but has lost the respect of others due to his excessive pride and his inability to realize his lack of skills to achieve the American Dream. Willy has a different view on what is seen as successful in his eyes but his view does not apply to what success really is in the real business world. He states this when he was giving his son, Biff, advice: “‘the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interests, is the man that gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want”’ (Miller 33). The fact that he believes physical appearance and superficial traits is what makes a man succesful reveals his ignorance in the business world. This explains his job as a salesman; he uses his looks and charisma in order to appeal to people. These traits only prove to be temporary when he comes to face reality when he loses his job as he tried to force his way into raising his position. After his boss, Howard Wager, asks Willy to rely on his sons for money, Willy responds “‘I can’t throw myself on my sons. I’m not a …show more content…
Even though Biff confessed to his father that he doesn't want to continue Willy’s dream, Willy misinterprets this. He exclaims, “‘He cried! Cried to me. He is choking with his love, and now he cries out his promise: That boy”’ (Miller 133). This shows how Willy was unable to resolve his flaw given the chance he had. If he resolved his flaw by coming to realize that Biff is suffering, he would of been able to resolve their relationship with each other. Taking his life after this reveals that he has nothing to rely on to achieve the American Dream. Before this, Willy showed signs of his suffering when Linda discovers that he is suicidal. When Linda was scolding Biff and Happy she mentions how Willy has been trying to take his life, “‘he wasn’t driving fast at all...he didn’t skid...deliberately smashed into the railing”’ (Miller 59). Willy shouldn’t push himself to death just because he isn’t able to be as successful as he hoped he would be. Willy resorts to death as the only way to try and resolve the situation he was in. When he is talking to Ben, he explains his the reason for his plan, “‘that funeral will be massive… that boy will be thunder-struck, Ben, he never realized- I am known!”’ (Miller 126). This reveals that Willy is willing to take drastic measures to try and fix his relationship with Biff when he could just take make easier for himself he just owned up to his