For my class I had to answer a question with an essay about the play. If you could proofread my essay I would appreciate it. I've been having trouble with this class all semester long, my teacher disects my essays, and this is the last one so I really want to get a decent grade on it. If you could also let me know if my essay does answer the question that would be great. Thank you for any help!!!!
What makes Willy Loman a tragic figure?
A Tragic Character
In Arthur Miller's play, "Death of a Salesman," the main character, Willy Loman, is a tragic figure. Throughout the play Miller gives the reader incite into the life of Willy Loman and in doing so he shows us a tragic character. At the end of the play Willy does commit suicide but to me that doesn't make Willy a tragic character. Willy's son Biff, his wife Linda, and his pride are what make Willy Loman tragic.
When Biff was born Willy feared that he would become more financially successful than he was. Willy felt threatened and thought it would ruin his dignity so he decided to tell his kids "that being physically fit would lead to success in the business world," (Caught 22 Para 4). If Biff became rich it would be because of his strength and Willy could say that he, himself, became successful with his mind not his strength. The fact that Willy felt threatened by his son is a tragic. When people have children they always say how they want the best for their child, and that they would do anything to give them the world. Willy decided to lie to his son because he didn't want him to be more successful than him, which in itself is sad and pathetic. A parent shouldn't feel threatened by their child, but Willy does and that is one thing that makes him a tragic figure.
Willy's wife is another reason why the character of Willy is a tragic one. When Willy admits his own shortcomings his wife quickly steps in and makes excuses for him. Thomas Lourdeau wrote, "We are introduced to his wife, who seems to make excuses for his lack of motivation, concentration, or ability to focus for any period of time," (Para. 8). His Wife enables him to live in his fantasy world, ultimately making it seem okay that he is scattered and all over the place. I know that if my husband acted like Willy I wouldn't stand there and make excuses for him because it wouldn't be helping him. Willy acts the way he does because his wife isn't helping him, she is reinforcing his bad behavior.
Pride is another factor that makes Willy a tragic figure. Willy's pride is one of his downfalls. When Willy lost his job his only friend and neighbor, Charley, offered him a job. Willy refused to take him up on the offer because he felt that it would be admitting failure. Willy let his pride get in the way of getting a job. Willy believed that pride was one of the only things in his life that he still had control of, and it was one of the most important things to him.
Willy can be viewed as a lonely man, whose life isn't going the way he wants it to. To me, it's sad that Willy committed suicide, but it is sadder that the people in his life didn't realize he needed help. I place most of the blame on the wife, she took vows and I don't believe that she fulfilled her duty as his wife. She could've been more supportive and maybe Willy wouldn't have felt threatened by his sons being more successful. The main reason why he liked having a mistress is because he could pretend he lived a life he wanted. The character Willy Loman is definitely a tragic figure.
Works Cited:
Lourdeau, Thomas. "Willy Loman & Oedipus-Tragic Heroes?" Associated Content.
Miller, Arthur. "Death of a Salesman."Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 8th Ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2007.
"Willy Loman's Tragic Flaw." Caught 22: Character Analysis.
Greetings!
I think you've written a good essay! Here are some editing suggestions:
In Arthur Miller's play, "Death of a Salesman," the main character, Willy Loman, is a tragic figure. Throughout the play Miller gives the reader insight into the life of Willy Loman and in doing so he shows us a tragic character. At the end of the play Willy does commit suicide but to me that doesn't make Willy a tragic character. Willy's son Biff, his wife Linda, and his pride are what make Willy Loman tragic.
When Biff was born, Willy feared that Biff would become more financially successful than he was. Willy felt threatened and thought it would ruin his dignity if Biff became more successful, so Willy decided to tell his kids "that being physically fit would lead to success in the business world," (Caught 22 Para 4). If Biff became rich it would be because of his strength and Willy could say that he, himself, became successful with his mind not his strength. The fact that Willy felt threatened by his son is [delete a] tragic. When people have children they always say how they want the best for their child, and that they would do anything to give them the world. Willy decided to lie to his son because he didn't want him to be more successful than he was, which in itself is sad and pathetic. A parent should not feel threatened by their child, but Willy does and that is one thing that makes him a tragic figure.
Willy's wife is another reason why the character of Willy is a tragic one. When Willy admits his own shortcomings his wife quickly steps in and makes excuses for him. Thomas Lourdeau wrote, "We are introduced to his wife, who seems to make excuses for his lack of motivation, concentration, or ability to focus for any period of time," (Para. 8). His wife enables him to live in his fantasy world, ultimately making it seem okay that he is scattered and all over the place. I know that if my husband acted like Willy I wouldn't stand there and make excuses for him because it wouldn't be helping him.- I think I'd leave out this bit of editorializing. Willy acts the way he does because his wife is not helping him, she is reinforcing his bad behavior.
Pride is another factor that makes Willy a tragic figure. Willy's pride is one of his downfalls. When Willy lost his job, his only friend and neighbor, Charley, offered him a job. Willy refused to take him up on the offer because he felt that it would be admitting failure. Willy let his pride get in the way of getting a job. Willy believed that pride was one of the only things in his life that he still had control of, and it was one of the most important things to him.
Willy can be viewed as a lonely man, whose life is not going the way he wants it to. [delete To me,] It is tragic that Willy committed suicide, but it is more tragic still that the people in his life did not realize he needed help.
[I think the last part needs a little fine tuning]: Willy's wife failed to fulfill her duty as a wife. If she had been more supportive, Willy might not have felt so threatened by his son's greater success. Willy escaped the patheticness of his life by having a mistress; in this way, he could pretend he lived a life he wanted, but it was as much a sham as the rest of his life. Ultimately, the character of Willy Loman epitomizes the tragic figure, as he allows himself to be trapped by his own failings, and gives up rather than engaging in a struggle to improve himself.
I hope this helps!
Thanks,
Sarah, EssayForum.com
