#Death of a salesman spark notes full
However this is not the case, Biff is not succeeding because of the way he was brought up, ?I never got anywhere because you blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody! That?s whose fault it is! (Death of a Salesman 131). During the play, Willy believes Biff is not succeeding in life because he wants to spite Willy. Willy realizes this during the huge fight he has with Biff at the end of the play, ?Isn?t that remarkable? Biff-likes me! (Death of a Salesman 133). Through his tragedy, he finally sees that Biff loves him despite his affair and lies. In the case of Willy Loman, his tragedy should not be considered pessimistic. Of course Willy denies this and that?s why the reader sees him questioning himself even though the answer is right in front of him. Basically, he did do something wrong, by sleeping with the secretary in Boston, and having Biff find out, it showed Biff that his entire life was a lie. The secret in this case is the secret to success, and here, he?s asking Bernard why Biff never succeeded in anything he did over the age of seventeen. During his brief meeting with Bernard, Willy asks, ?What-what?s the secret? How-how did you? Why didn?t he ever catch on? (Death of a Salesman 92). Throughout the story, the reader sees Willy questioning his already deceased brother Ben, and in one case, he even questions Bernard about what he did wrong. This statement shows that Biff also considers Willy a typical guy. You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash can like all the rest of them! I?m one dollar an hour, Willy!? (Death of a Salesman 132). At the end of the play, where Biff breaks down and cries, he goes to his dad and says, ?Pop! I?m a dime a dozen, and so are you! I am not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. Arthur Miller isn?t the only person to perceive Willy Loman as an average Joe. In the essay Tragedy and the Common Man, Arthur Miller believes that tragedy can happen to the common man, or in this case, Willy Loman. ?I believe that common people are as apt subjects for tragedy in its highest sense as monarchs are? (Tragedy and the? 1). Lastly, tragedy should not be considered pessimistic, the possibility of victory is there, and usually good things come out of bad things as in the case of this play. Tragedy is also the consequence of a person?s total compulsion to evaluate himself ?justly?. To Arthur Miller, a tragic hero can be a common person who is ready to lay down his life to secure their sense of personal dignity. Throughout the story, Willy proves through his actions that he is indeed a tragic hero in Arthur Miller?s eyes. Written by Arthur Miller, the play centers on Willy Loman who is a salesman, a father of two sons Biff and Happy, and husband to a wonderful wife, Linda. Death of a Salesman revolves around a tragic and misunderstood hero who eventually takes his own life for the betterment of his family, especially his eldest son.