Open Prompt Blog part 2 (1/12)

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 lightening." 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.

     Tragedies are often seen with the fall of great and powerful men. Kings have often made for some of the most memorable tragic heroes as those with the furthest to fall. Unfortunately, as monarchies disappear, it becomes harder to relate to these great tragic heroes. A new, more relatable, type of tragedy has risen: the tragedy of the common man. Nowhere is the tragedy of the common man seen better than through Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. A father and struggling businessman, Willy may not have a thrown to fall from, but represents a tragic hero none the less. Because of his pride and his refusal to take responsibility, Willy Loman is the every-man's tragic hero and hurts those closest to him.

     In his youth, Willy Loman was a god among men to his eldest son Biff. Willy could do no wrong and solve every problem. Biff was so confident in his father that he asked his father to speak with his math teacher after he failed the class. According to Biff his teacher would have to listen "to a man like [Willy]". His father was his idol until Biff caught Willy in an affair. Suddenly Willy had changed in his son's eyes, he had fallen from his son's graces. Willy proceeded to fall even further when he tried to convince Biff that the woman meant nothing and Biff just didn't understand. Though he did not fall from a thrown or high status, Willy Loman fell from the pedestal his son had placed him on.

     Pride not only led to Willy's fall, but to Willy hurting those around him. Most notably Willy hurt his eldest son Biff. Though his lies regarding his affair and the affair itself hurt his son, Willy's great pride in his first born led to other problems. In high school, Biff had played football and one day "borrowed" a football from his school. Instead of scolding him, Willy praised Biff on his initiative. Later in Death of a Salesman, it is uncovered that Biff has a stealing problem; a problem we can only assume was fostered under Willy's praise. Biff's sticky fingers have led him to move around fairly often, but that is not the only reason. As the eldest son, Willy placed an extreme amount of pressure on Biff. Throughout the play, Biff struggles between his wants and his father's wants. Because Biff strays from the salesman and business world, Willy becomes disappointed in him and his pride refuses to let him accept Biff's dreams. Since Willy cannot accept Biff's choices due to his pride, Biff becomes volatile and miserable in the life he lives.

     Biff isn't the only one affected by Willy's pride. Happy, Linda, and Charley also feel the sting of Willy's pride. As Biff was his first born, Willy put everything into Biff, leaving nothing for his other son Happy. The younger son, Happy was essentially neglected by his father and always came second to Biff. Unlike his brother, Happy is pursuing business like his father would have wanted. Unfortunately, neither of his parents pay Happy any attention so he is left living a life in which he continuously strives to please his parents. Now Linda has had to watch Willy's pride tear her family apart. Despite her pleading, neither her husband nor her eldest son will tell Linda what happened between them. Willy's pride keeps him from taking responsibility for his affair, instead blaming Biff for their falling out. Pride keeps Willy from reconciling with his son, leaving Linda to sit by and watch her family fall apart. Willy's pride affects Charley in an interesting way. Unlike the others affected, Charley is not made miserable by Willy's pride, only insulted by it. In a weird way, Charley and Willy have a sort of friendship and like a good friend, Charley tries to help Willy when he struggles to make ends meet. A number of times throughout the play Charley offers Willy a job, which Willy always turns down. By accepting the job, Willy would have to acknowledge the fact that he has failed in his dreams. With little tact Willy harshly turns Charley down, leading Charley to believe that Willy thinks himself better. This puts an unneeded strain on one of Willy's only friendships. Willy's pride pushed those closest to him away, leading to feelings of inadequacy and the destruction of relationships.

     Pride has been known to topple even the greatest of heroes regardless of that hero's status. Willy Loman, the common man's tragic hero, is no different. His pride leads to a huge rift between himself and Biff, completely ignoring his youngest son Happy and tearing his family apart. He damages one of his only friendships because he is too proud to admit his dreams have failed. With all the elements of  a tragic hero, Willy shows a tragic hero in a modern setting with a fatal flaw we can all relate too. Willy's pride causes him to hurt those he's closest too and leads to the tragic vision of the play.