Death Of A Salesman Essay

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorHigh School, 12th grade May 2001

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Death of a Salesman Essay Willy Loman is a character that can be portrayed as a tragic figure, a heroic figure, or a man who may gain our sympathy but not necessarily our respect. He can be seen as a tragic figure because of the pathetic life he lives. He can be seen as a heroic figure because of how he tries to lead his life. The reader may sympathize with Willy because of his pathetic life but may not respect him because he is so pathetic. I see Willy as a character that is both a tragic figure and a heroic figure.

Willy can be seen as a tragic figure for many reasons. The first is the pathetic life he lives. Willy's whole life, he has been obsessed with being the most popular. Instead of working hard to make lots of money, he has relied on his popularity to sell.

As he got older, Willy no longer knew as many people and his popularity decreased. He did not work hard and his boss had him working on commission. Willy began to make less and less money. The downfall of Willy Loman can be seen as being tragic. Another reason why Willy can be seen as a tragic figure is the downfall of his relationships with people. At this stage in Willy's life, he only has one friend, Charley. His relationship with Biff has become so little that all they do is fight. Biff may love his father, but he cannot get along with him and live in Willy's tangled web of lies. Willy's most tragic characteristic is that he is going crazy. He lives his life through Biff's life. He believes that one day Biff will be a great man. All the time, Willy has some sort of flashback...