I do not see Willy as a tragic hero at all. I do not view him as pathetic either. He is a man who has visions of grandeur and who desperately wanted to be much more of a success than he was. He also longed to be truly liked and greatly respected. He envisioned himself as being more popular and liked than he was. He longed for the acceptance and love he never got from his occupation, so he created this false vision of himself. I felt sorry for Willy, actually. He struggled with so much and did not have the tools to deal with those struggles, so the only way out was to kill himself, which is never a good option. Arthur Miller succeeds in demonstrating incredibly well in Death of a Salesman that not only is tragic heroism …show more content…
This characteristic is also identical to the characteristic of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman because he carries the same belief; however, they hold the same belief tightly for different purposes: Gatsby strives to gain his first love back where as Willy just wants his family to live happier from success. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby repeatedly looks upon the “green light”(p.90), at the end of the dock across the water, as his hope towards his love, Daisy. The “green light” is always there, representing the “unreachable” Daisy. Later, when Gatsby finally meets Daisy who is not the same person anymore. He knew Daisy is now married and could not give up her family, he is disappointed and the “green light” becomes unreal like their relationship and evokes to an “enchanted object” he cannot attain because it is a false hope. Gatsby believes in the American Dream so greatly because he believes he can get everything (including Daisy) if he succeeds. In Death of a Salesman, Willy also looks upon Dave Singleman (p.81), who is a salesman he met