2003. According to critic Northrop Frye, “Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning.” Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you explain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the work as a whole.
In Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Will Loman acts as both a victim and an orchestrator of tragedy. He himself was a once successful businessman that could support his family but now is a lonely father that cannot except the fact that he is no longer excelling at being a salesman. This leads Willy into a downward spiral not only effected himself but also his family and relationships.
Willy Loman's family are ones that are directly effected by Willy's tragedy. Throughout the play Miller uses a non-parallel structure of time to show how much Willy is stuck in the past and wants to relive the times when he was successful and his family was happy. Biff his son, is one of the characters that is very effected by Willy's downfall, Willy cheated on his wife and that is what really started the spiral and his relationship with Biff to deteriorate. Biff was only the start to Willy's affect on his family, Willy being a tragedy of the common man very much so affected the relationship with his wife as well. When Willy started to look to the past for answers and tried to kill himself it put serious strains on his wife and Willy started to act hostile towards her. She being very loyal and forgiving never gave up on him but Willy could still not take on the guilt of having an affair and being very mean towards her. Willy being a tragic hero did not only lead Willy to an eventual death it caused a lot of pain to his family as well.
Willy's family weren't the only ones that were affected by Willy's tragic downfall. He also had other relationships that were ruined by the fact that he couldn't except his life and how it had become. Charlie is Willy's next door neighbor and his only friend, Charlie is giving Willy money to pay the bills and even offers Willy a job, Willy refuses the job very rudely and is jelous that Charlie has a successful son. This in turn hurts their relationship and creates a rift between them, when Willy was trying to deal with his own tragedy he took some of it out on Charlie and was mean to him in the process. When Willy is trying so desperately to hang on to his job as a salesman and his life how it once was he also ruins the relationship with his boss Howard, he ends up losing his job and getting himself even more depressed than he was before.
Willy Loman is a tragic hero, he started out his life successful and happy, then slowly deteriorated from there. During the process he ruined every relationship that he had and that proved to be a catalyst in his undoing and suicide. He was a victim in the fact that he was just trying to do everything right but made fatal mistakes along the way like cheating on his wife. Part of the why he was not as successful as his brother Ben was the economy at the time and some of the events were not all Willy's fault adding more pressure on him and making him a victim as well. He however was also the conductor of some of the tragic events in his life, for example cheating on his wife was also something he could control, he made a mistake but it was still his fault in the end. Another way he sped up his own deterioration was the way he handled situations, he ruined all of his relationships, lost his job, couldn't get over the past, mistreated his wife, didn't take Charlies help because of pride, and tried to commit suicide multiple times. The play illustrates the tragedy of the common man and how Willy couldn't help some of the things that happened to him but he also had a choice about a lot of the other things leading to his death in the end.
Death of a Salesman is not only about Willy as a tragic hero, it is also about what kind of effect that can have on the people around him. The way that his relationships with family and friends changed shows how the tragedy as a whole is deeper than just one person. The meaning of the play is to understand the consequences of actions and how they can be very serious, in Willy's case they lead to death. Willy was not only a victim of tragedy he also made decisions that lead to him being a tragic hero in the end, so wrapped up in the past that he lost his chance at the future.
Willy's family weren't the only ones that were affected by Willy's tragic downfall. He also had other relationships that were ruined by the fact that he couldn't except his life and how it had become. Charlie is Willy's next door neighbor and his only friend, Charlie is giving Willy money to pay the bills and even offers Willy a job, Willy refuses the job very rudely and is jelous that Charlie has a successful son. This in turn hurts their relationship and creates a rift between them, when Willy was trying to deal with his own tragedy he took some of it out on Charlie and was mean to him in the process. When Willy is trying so desperately to hang on to his job as a salesman and his life how it once was he also ruins the relationship with his boss Howard, he ends up losing his job and getting himself even more depressed than he was before.
Willy Loman is a tragic hero, he started out his life successful and happy, then slowly deteriorated from there. During the process he ruined every relationship that he had and that proved to be a catalyst in his undoing and suicide. He was a victim in the fact that he was just trying to do everything right but made fatal mistakes along the way like cheating on his wife. Part of the why he was not as successful as his brother Ben was the economy at the time and some of the events were not all Willy's fault adding more pressure on him and making him a victim as well. He however was also the conductor of some of the tragic events in his life, for example cheating on his wife was also something he could control, he made a mistake but it was still his fault in the end. Another way he sped up his own deterioration was the way he handled situations, he ruined all of his relationships, lost his job, couldn't get over the past, mistreated his wife, didn't take Charlies help because of pride, and tried to commit suicide multiple times. The play illustrates the tragedy of the common man and how Willy couldn't help some of the things that happened to him but he also had a choice about a lot of the other things leading to his death in the end.
Death of a Salesman is not only about Willy as a tragic hero, it is also about what kind of effect that can have on the people around him. The way that his relationships with family and friends changed shows how the tragedy as a whole is deeper than just one person. The meaning of the play is to understand the consequences of actions and how they can be very serious, in Willy's case they lead to death. Willy was not only a victim of tragedy he also made decisions that lead to him being a tragic hero in the end, so wrapped up in the past that he lost his chance at the future.
Kate,
ReplyDeleteBe careful, there is evidence in the play that Willy's "successful" past was a delusion, and he never prospered as a salesman. But I do think his family was happy in the past. Since this is central to your argument, I would say the only work-related thing he loses is when he is fired completely. It still fits your overall argument, though, so don't worry too much.
I'm not sure why you kept saying "Tragedy of the common man" throughout the piece. I don't think it's wrong, but if your reader hasn't read Miller's defense of the piece they may be puzzled by that.
You did a good job of explaining the domino-effect of Willy's actions on himself and others! You answered the question clearly and used a lot of evidence. I think you have a great essay here, but you push yourself a little too hard to use literary pizazz like "Tragedy of the common man" or "non-parallel structure of time" which can sound not quite right at times. Keep it simple, but accurate. "Irregular time flow" or "non-chronological" because parallel means something a little different, I think.
Good job though, you argued your thesis very well! And I like the greater meaning you tucked in there at the end. Overall, this is a great response!
Hi Kate,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mary that saying Willy was successful may not be correct, but I think she pretty much covered everything that I would have said.
You seem to get your tenses mixed up sometimes -- for example, you say at one point that "this in turn hurts their relationship and creates a rift between them, when Willy was trying to deal with his own tragedy he took some of it out on Charlie and was mean to him in the process." Even within the sentence you switch between present and past tense. I think the general rule is to use present tense when talking about literature, so make sure you're doing that!
I do really like your last sentence! I think it sums up Willy's situation very well.
You start your essay well with a clear introduction and thesis. I think your first two body paragraphs are also good; you describe Willy’s relationships with his family and Charlie, and you clearly explain both. You do have some unnecessary summarizing in there though, so if you took some of that out, those paragraphs would be even stronger. Your third body paragraph though feels like a conclusion paragraph because, although you add some new information, you kind of summarize what you’ve already written. An essay with just two body paragraphs is perfectly acceptable for the exam, so you could probably find a way to combine your last two paragraphs into one solid conclusion. Good job overall!
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