Death of a sail man
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is looked upon as a paradigm of modern tragedy by many casual readers and scholars alike. His portrayal of Willy Loman, an aging salesman who must come to face the deterioration of both his family and career, stands as a powerful illustration of the failed American Dream. Yet, Millers tragedy is different from most that have come before him. That is, its protagonist does not seem to resemble the heroic figures that have come to characterize the genre. In his work, Poetics, Aristotle famously breaks down the structural necessity for good tragedy. One of these features, to put it concisely, is that the protagonist must be a noble person, falling from a great height in order to meet his bitter ending. Willy is by no means a noble, or highly regarded man; in fact, he fails to even garner respect from his family. However, it can be seen that Willy Loman is still a fitting example of the tragic hero, because he is willing to sacrifice his life in an attempt to realize the ideals to which he has placed such powerful importance. Scholars such as Irving Jacobson, and Robert A. Martin find similar conclusions in regards to Willy’s status as a tragic figure. Jacobson appeals to Willy’s desperate but somehow noble attempts to “make the world a home,”(258) while Martin discusses the very real emotions that the play is able to evoke for the audience, classifying it as not only an American tragedy, but a universal one (97). Finally, in a symposium that involves seven speakers, one of which is Miller himself, the issue of Willy Loman’s tragic nature is hotly debated. This dialogue ends somewhat unresolved. While Miller and other speakers involved in discussion hold Willy as a tragic figure, others claim that Miller asks us to give more sympathy to Willy than what is due, making him merely a sad character. Nonetheless, the truth lies in Willy Loman’s dedication to values; these values, whether or not they are ever actualized and however deluded
Cited: “ "Death of a Salesman": A Symposium,” Miller, Arthur, Gore Vidal, Richard Watts, John Beauford, Martin Dworkin, David W. Thompson and Phillip Gelb. The Tulane Drama Review Vol. 2, No. 3 May, 1958, pp. 63-69 The MIT Press web. Nov. 2012 Family Dreams in Death of a Salesman Irving Jacobson American Literature Vol. 47, No. 2 (May, 1975), pp. 247- 258 Duke University Press web. Nov.2012 Miller, Arthur. “Death of a Salesman.” Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. ed. Robert DiYanni. New York University. (1211-1278) The Nature of Tragedy in Arthur Miller 's "Death of a Salesman" Robert A. Martin South Atlantic Review Vol. 61, No. 4 (Autumn, 1996), pp. 97-106 South Atlantic Modern Language Association web. Nov. 2012 Miller, Arthur Tragedy and the Common man. Robert W. Corrigan Tragedy: Vision and Form. 2nd ed. New York: Harper,1981. Web. Nov. 2012 MacManus, F. Barbara, Outline of Aristotle 's Theory of Tragedyin the POETICS November, 1999 web. Nov. 2012.