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DEATH OF A SALESMAN
IS WILLY LOMAN A MODERN
TRAGIC PROTAGONIST?
- BY Shiladitya Chakraborty

The character of Willy Loman is created by Miller to show
that "Tragedy is a consequence of a man's total compulsion
to evaluate him justly "
...
The element of fate is
responsible for the misfortunes of tragic hero
...
In the first place , the tragic hero in "Death of a
Salesman " belongs to the middle class , which means that
this play is a burgeois tragedy
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as kings were "
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Willy's downfall arises from his continued
misconception of himself
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So, Willy , like Aristote's description of
tragic hero , moves from " Ignorance to knowledge "
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Despite Willy's
difference from classical tragic protagonists like Sophocles'
"OEDIPUS" and Shakespeare's "HAMLET" , his struggle with
his situation , the desitiny that surrounds him and the
choices he makes , make Willy a tragic hero in the
contemporary sense of term
...
Willy Loman could be said to fit in this
criteria as the audience can clearly see what he aspires ,
such as popularity and material wealth
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As
a tragic hero , Willy is a victim of what is known as
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"AMERICAN DREAM "
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Willy is a worshipper of material success and he
thinks that not only he himself but his son Biff can attain
top of the ladder through personal magnetism and
attractiveness
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In order to
believe that he is successful he lies to himself and lives in a
world of illusions
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" I am vital in New England "
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" Oh , I'll
knock'em dead next week
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All this is of
self-deception
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The character of Willy is tragic because he is unable
to embody this deceptive ideal
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" What is mystery ? The man knew what he wanted
and went out and got it ! "

Eventually the schism between his dreams and
reality results in his mental collapse
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He carefully recretaes
past events in order to justify his present lack of
prosperity
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Willy's constant movement from the present
to past results in his contradictory nature
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Willy often
contradicts himself and becomes absent minded
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Willy also lives in a world of illusion about his
two sons
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In truth Happy is a looser who lives in his owm world
of illusion , liquor and sex
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Willy proudly recalls memories
of Biff because it is more pleasant to recreate the past in
which Biff adored him rather than face the present where
Biff says , " You fake ! you phony little fake
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He
goes onto say , "You are my foundation and support , Linda
"
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Willy has a lot of self-respect and a sense of
personal dignity
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"I don't want your goddamn
job "
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At the end of the play Willy
perceives himself as a failure
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Even when Biff
forces his father to face realty , Willy is unable to accept
the truth and instead he chooses to commit suicide making
the ultimate sacrifice for his family
...
"
I don't say he's a great man
...


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