ipl-logo

Is Willy Loman A Tragic Hero

1072 Words5 Pages
Imagine this: you’re a teenager on the verge of adulthood, excited for the rest of your life to begin, but then your world comes crashing down around you. Everything you thought you knew is now no more. You go to tell the person you look up to, your dad, but he’s the one who caused the world to crash. The worst part? The fact that he is unaware of the impact he had on you, and blames you for the mistakes you make because of it. This is the exact thing that Willy Loman does to his son in Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman is a tragic hero because he was ravished by a need to be rich and successful. So much so that he was oblivious to the affect his actions had on those around him. Ultimately, these actions led to his demise. Firstly, Willy Loman is a tragic hero because he is obsessed with American Consumerism and making as much money as he can. He disregards everything else in life, besides money. He was power hungry and greedy, and because of that he chose a career that he didn’t like over something he loved doing. He chose to follow the paycheck that comes with the job instead of the love he felt for the job. He loved building things and work that required his hands. There is a quote in the play where Biff, Willy’s son, says, “He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong” (Miller 136). Willy did go after the wrong dream. Instead of going after what would make him happy, and what would make him a good father for his children and a good husband for his wife, he went after money.
Open Document