The stories Death of a Salesman and Fences are both show how a tragic character should be. In Fences, Troy Maxson's traits and actions go against Aristotle's criteria of being a tragic hero. Because of this Troy Maxson can not be considered a tragic character. On the other hand, Willy Loman is different because he is a tragic character. Willy Loman fits many of the criteria of Aristotle. This shows how one character can be a tragic character and the other can not. The stories both show differences. The differences are how a tragic character can be defined and how it can not be defined. Willy Loman and Troy Maxon have similar ways; however, Willy Loman is the true tragic character according to Aristotle's qualifications. This statement can be …show more content…
He has flashbacks of certain things that have happened in the past. For example, at different parts of the story, Willy would go back in time to the times where Biff and him really got along. This would be the times where Biff was about to play football. Willy used to be really proud of Biff. Now, Biff would try to explain to his father how he felt, but Willy would try to see the good in him and try to help him. This fits the first qualification of being a tragic character: a man must be of noble stature. Willy tries to see the good in Biff because he knows that deep down he is a good person. Troy does this in a similar way, but his way is different because it does not fit the criteria. Instead of trying to see the good in Cory, Troy's son, Troy tries to keep Cory from reaching his full potential. He does this by not allowing him to play football after learning about Cory lying to him about the job. This shows how Troy is not of noble …show more content…
Troy was a garbage collector, but he wanted to be a garbage truck driver. Once he received the promotion, he was not satisfied with what he had. Troy, unlike Willy, did not care what other people thought about him or his job. Willy lied to make others believe that he is well liked in the business world. Since Troy did not have pride in his job, he did not necessarily bring about his own downfall. Willy lied about his job and when it came crashing down, it was no ones fault but his. In Aristotle's criteria, it is stated that in order for one to be considered a tragic character, he must bring about his own downfall. This is exactly what Willy did. Everything that happened to Willy was his fault and it made him a tragic