Order 781381: How Pride is Willy′s Tragic Flaw in Death of a Salesman and how it is the central theme of the play

In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, pride is the central theme of the play and plays a role in many of the other themes such as identity, values, legacy, change and honesty. Willy’s identity is heavily influenced by his false sense of pride, as it is the driving force of his decisions, the cause of his behaviour in society and within his relationships. The stubborn nature of his pride hinders his ability to learn from his mistakes and change from his obstructed mindset which has negative consequences that lead him to his own demise and continue to have lasting effects on his family, making false pride his tragic flaw.

Pride is a state of being proud, but the pride that Willy also displays is that of having a dignified sense of what is due to oneself. Willy’s pride is false because of his unwarranted and highly exaggerated opinion about himself and his arrogance, when in reality he has nothing to be proud of. Willy’s lack of accomplishment and failure also stems from the fact that Willy's false pride causes him to think so highly of himself which in turn allows him to continuously strive for outdated goals that he can never possibly be able to achieve. Part of this comes from his blinding values and his ideas of success and how they are devoid of any flaws which allow him to keep making the same mistakes.

Pride also functions a coping mechanism for Willy to deal with the reality of a world that he has nothing to be proud of in regards to his financial situation and his failings as a salesman and as a father. Willy Loman’s false pride derails him into a life of delusion where he has become divorced from reality in his pursuit of an illusion he can’t give up. Willy lives in a belief that it is not knowledge but who you know and how well-liked you are that would make you successful. “Willy fails to see the folly of his dream and ends up passing on not only his dream but also his confusion to Biff and Happy” (Centola, 32)

Willy Loman’s false pride leads him to believe that he has been successful as a father. He remembers how he was once looked up by his children, especially by his son Biff. However, Willy fails to realize that the relationship he once had with his son Biff has been broken, due to the fact that Biff caught Willy in an affair he was having with The Woman. Willy makes it seem as if he played no part in the destruction of Biff’s education, and that it was solely Biff’s fault. However, Willy knows the real reason why Biff dropped out on his education. He knows that Biff was angry at him for what happened at the hotel and lives his life in denial because Willy has so much pride in himself that he will always convince himself that he has done his best, even when he knows that he has done wrong.

In Steven R. Centola’s “Family Values in Death of a Salesman”,