. However, Willy cannot be considered a tragic hero, because he has no epiphany, no anagnorisis. It is obvious that Willy never had a full anagnorisis; he could only see the shortcomings of his own life relating to the capitalist ideology. He must go to his death deluded, but his end leaves the play without the final stage that the tragic structure demands. He cannot acknowledge his mistake without also destroying his identity6. He has suffered the fate of a tragic hero, without ever actually becoming one. The only person who learns anything from his death is Biff, Happy is condemned to the same life his father led:Biff: Why dont you come with me, Happy?Happy: Im not licked that easily. Im staying right in this city, and Im gonna beat this racket! (He looks at Biff, his chin set.) The Loman brothers!Biff: I know who I am kid.Happy: All right, boy. Im gonna show you that Willy Loman did not die in vain. He had a good dream. Its the only dream you can have to come out number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where Im gonna win it for him.Biff: (with a hopeless glance at Happy, bends towards his mother) Lets go, Mom.The irony here is that Willy obviously did die in vain, for not only was his life a waste to some skewed notion of success, but Happy has condemned himself to the same fate. One could argue, however, that the American Dream Happy seeks to live is possible for him to achieve, but at what cost to his life? Biff is the recipient of the anagnorisis, he realises that to be successful he must be happy. Death of a Salesman is a political critique of the American Dream and capitalist way of life. Millers rejection of this ideology is evident throughout Death of a Salesman, and he uses the common man to articulate his arguments. There ar...
