Tragedy and the Common Man - Miller Redefines the Tragic Hero :: Tragedy and the Common Man Essays

Tragedy and the Common Man -  Arthur Miller redefines the sad Hero   Arthur Miller states in his essay, Tragedy and the Common Man, . . . we atomic number 18 often held to be below catastrophe--or tragedy below us . . . (tragedy is) fit only for the passing placed . . . and where this admission is not made in so many words it is most often implied. However, Miller believes . . . the common man is as intelligent a subject for tragedy in its highest nose out as kings were (1021). It is this belief that causes Miller to use a common man, Willie Loman, as the subject of his tragedy, Death of a Salesman. Miller redefines the tragic whizz to fit a more modern age, and the product of this redefinition is Willie. Miller states, . . . the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life . . . to secure one thing, his sense of own(prenominal) dignity (1021). Willie is no exception. Willies sense of personal dig nity is originally found in his family, most notably his son sack. Willie transfers his dreams of being great onto Biff and, when Biff is a failure in the world, these dreams affect Willies self-image and sense of personal dignity. To regain this personal dignity, Willie must make Biff great. In the end, it is the love for his son and the belief that his insurance money go forth make Biff fantabulous that give him the needed excuse and cause him to end his life. Tragedy, then, is the consequence of a mans total compulsion to evaluate himself justly (1021). It is the record of man to make evaluations of himself establish upon his peers. Willies peer with whom he evaluates himself is Charley. Willie and Charley are about the same age, their children grew up together, and have been friends for many years. Charley has achieved what Willie has dreamed of for so long. Charleys son is a successful lawyer, whereas Biff is a loafer. Charley is successful in business, whereas Willie has w ashed out. As mentioned before, for Willie to be great, Biff must be great. Willie has failed his job in making Biff better than Charleys son, therefore he fails his evaluations of himself. The flawTragedy and the Common Man - Miller Redefines the Tragic Hero Tragedy and the Common Man Essays Tragedy and the Common Man -  Arthur Miller redefines the Tragic Hero   Arthur Miller states in his essay, Tragedy and the Common Man, . . . we are often held to be below tragedy--or tragedy below us . . . (tragedy is) fit only for the highly placed . . . and where this admission is not made in so many words it is most often implied. However, Miller believes . . . the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were (1021). It is this belief that causes Miller to use a common man, Willie Loman, as the subject of his tragedy, Death of a Salesman. Miller redefines the tragic hero to fit a more modern age, and the product of this redefinition is Will ie. Miller states, . . . the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life . . . to secure one thing, his sense of personal dignity (1021). Willie is no exception. Willies sense of personal dignity is primarily found in his family, most notably his son Biff. Willie transfers his dreams of being great onto Biff and, when Biff is a failure in the world, these dreams affect Willies self-image and sense of personal dignity. To regain this personal dignity, Willie must make Biff great. In the end, it is the love for his son and the belief that his insurance money will make Biff magnificent that give him the needed excuse and cause him to end his life. Tragedy, then, is the consequence of a mans total compulsion to evaluate himself justly (1021). It is the nature of man to make evaluations of himself based upon his peers. Willies peer with whom he evaluates himself is Charley. Willie and Charley are about the same age, their c hildren grew up together, and have been friends for many years. Charley has achieved what Willie has dreamed of for so long. Charleys son is a successful lawyer, whereas Biff is a loafer. Charley is successful in business, whereas Willie has washed out. As mentioned before, for Willie to be great, Biff must be great. Willie has failed his job in making Biff better than Charleys son, therefore he fails his evaluations of himself. The flaw