Death of a Salesman is not a Tragedy

Steven Bosco

Mr. Thomas

English 11

7 May 2013

Death of a Salesman is not a Tragedy

Arthur Millers’ Death of a Salesman is not a tragedy because the truest definition of tragedy does not fit the play. Willy, the father and traveling salesman, does not fit the typical qualities a character has that plays a role in famous tragic stories. According to Aristotle’s theory of tragedy, a character in a tragedy should have specific qualities. For example, the character should be almost idealized. The play must be understood by one to form an opinion on whether or not it is a tragedy.

Death of a Salesman is a play written by Arthur Miller of a family who has troubles and meets an unfortunate end. Two brothers, Biff and Happy, are still living at home. They are in their 30′s and seem to have no motivation to leave the house and tackle their life. Biff and Happy’s father, Willy Loman, is a traveling salesman who is wrapped in so much false pride that he does not accept his failure in life. Willy refuses to understand and embrace his true self — an an unsuccessful salesman. Willy’s wife, Linda, knows of Willy’s faults, one of which is that Willy had cheated on her and had been caught by Biff. Biff never told Linda about Willy’s affair; although, Biff did hint at it a few times.

A well-respected, well-liked man is all Willy Loman ever prided himself in being, but Willy never achieved that in reality. Well into the play, Biff goes to meet Bill Oliver, but is unsuccessful. “Pop, I’m nothing! I’m nothing, Pop. Can’t you understand that? There’s no spite in it any more. I’m just what I am, that’s all.” (Pg. 102). Biff tries to tell Willy that he just needs to understand and accept that Biff was never a successful salesman or anything worthy for that matter. Willy has such expectations of Biff, yet Biff feels they are not realistic or true. Willy continues to make up unreal scenarios that just feed lies.

Finally, a very essential argument happens in which Biff says, “I stopped in the middle of that building and I saw — the sky. I saw the things that I love in this world. The work and the food and time time to sit and smoke. And I looked at the pen and said to myself, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am! Why can’t I say that, Willy?” (Pg. 105). Such a sad, yet beautiful thing occurs after this is said. Willy finally understands that for all the time together, they have never restrained from telling a lie for more than 10 minutes. Willy finally realizes that Biff truly loves him. That night, Willy was full of happiness, selflessness, and may have even felt free — Free from all the bullshit that he and his sons have gone through. Willy, with deep excitement, preaches to Ben, his dead brother, how amazing it would be to put $20,000 of insurance money into Biff’s pocket. Willy, in a relieved cheerful manner, gets in his car and speeds off to meet his death.

Death of a Salesman cannot be defined as a tragedy because Willy does not fit the usual characteristics a victim of a tragedy would. Aristotle’s theory of tragedy states that the characters should be “good or fine,” as in their quality of morals. Willy, Biff, and Happy do not fit this first quality. Willy does not have good morals on how to respect what his boys truly are. Biff does not possess good morals in the way he treats his father, Willy. Happy, just like Biff, does not deeply care for Willy. For example, Happy was more interested in two girls rather than his father, who was alone in the bathroom. Happy selfishly abandoned Willy.

Based on Aristotle’s theory of tragedy, Death of a Salesman is not a tragedy because Willy Loman was not “true to life” and lacked “consistency.” Willy was not “true to his life”, or realistic. He continuously misleads himself to believe that Biff was very successful and that everything would be just fine. Willy lacked “consistency”, meaning he is not true to himself. For the play to be a tragedy, Willy would have had to be idealized and ennobled. In no way is Willy perfect or well-liked, instead, Willy thinks himself to be such.

Death of a Salesman does in fact have a katharsis, an important aspect to a tragic story. According to Aristotle, the end of a tragedy is a katharsis, or a cleansing of the tragic emotions of pity and fear. “Tragedy arouses the emotions of pity and fear in order to purge away their excess, to reduce these passions to a healthy, balanced proportion.” (Aristotle). At the end of the play, there is a katharsis when Biff, Happy, and Linda are standing at Willy’s grave. “I’m gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain. He had a good dream. It’s the only dream you can have – to come out number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I’m gonna win it for him.” (Pg. 130). This is a purification of emotion for Biff especially. Biff is freed from pity, fear, and decides he will prove that he can become something great, and is motivated by his father’s passing.

Even though some of the characters expeirenced a katharsis, Willy Loman did not. Willy never undergoes a true moment of insight. Throughout the entire play, Willy believes wealth and material possession is the most important thing in life. Willy proves his materialistic nature when he takes his own life to make money; although, suicide for Biff’s benefit is out of selflessness because he cares so much about Biff’s future.

If Aristotle’s view of the word, tragedy, is believed to be the principal meaning, then Willy Loman must show peripeteia, or a reversal of circumstances. Willy Loman does not go through a reversal of fortune and success. He was never very successfull in the first place, and never made much money. Willy is not of a high status in society; therefore, Willy is not qualified to be a tragic hero. For example, in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet are of high class and fortunate nobility and undergo peripeteia. Romeo and Juliet’s status’ in society were diminished and there was a unfortunate tragic end. This reversal seen in Romeo and Juliet is not present in Death of a Salesman. Arthur Miller, author of Death of a Salesman, argues that you do not need to be of noble birth to experience tragedy. This is why a concrete definition of tragedy does not exist. It depends on what the reader believes to be a tragedy, and it is ultimately up to the reader to decide for his or her self whether or not something is a tragedy.

While writing Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller may have not been trying to fit the play with the Aristotelian view of tragedy. Miller wanted to connect with the readers of the modern era by modelling Willy just as most people of the time. Miller may have been trying to make Willy an unimportant man who was just trying to make a living, to represent the common people of the time. Simply the name, “Loman”, sounds like a usual, regular name. The name represents commonness and unimportance. Miller was attempting to get the point across that tragedy can affect us all, and not simply in the way Aristotle believes. To Miller, tragedy can be experienced by anyone, whether ones a king or peasant, soldier or businessman.

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman can be thought of as an unfortunate, awful occurance, but does not fit the truest sense of the word, tragedy. The principal meaning of tragedy was set by Aristotle. Although Death of a Salesman does not meet all the circumstances a tragedy must have, it is ultimately a melancholy play that connects with even the most regular people who are struggling to make a living.

Works Cited

“ARISTOTLE & THE ELEMENTS OF TRAGEDY: English 250.” Aristotle’s Tragic Terms. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2013.

Best, Micheal. “Is Romeo and Juliet a Tragedy?” :: Life and Times. University of Victoria, Feb. 1999. Web. 07 May 2013.

Lozzoms. “Tragedy in Death of a Salesman.” HubPages. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2013.

McManus, Barbara F. “Outline of Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy.” Outline of Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy. N.p., Nov. 1999. Web. 07 May 2013.

Miller, Arthur. “The Portable Arthur Miller.” Google Books. Penguin Group, n.d. Web. 07 May 2013.

Schweinitz, George D. “Death of a Salesman: A Note on Epic and Tragedy.” N.p., n.d. Web.

“What Is Catharsis?” WiseGEEK. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2013.

Death of a Salesman is not a Tragedy