The Death of a Salesman is a Tragedy as Defined in Miller's Tragedy and the Common ManIn Tragedy and the Common Man, Arthur Miller discusses the its definition and the criteria for tragedy as they apply to the common man. The criteria and standards proposed by Miller can be used to evaluate his timeless work, Death of A Salesman. The first important standard of tragedy established is: “…if the exaltation of tragic action were truly a property of noble people only character, it is inconceivable that the mass of humanity should love tragedy more than any other form.” All people, regardless of background, noble stature, rank, or perceived or actual social division, can empathize with the tragic hero. In the case of Willy Loman there is a certain familiarity. He's the proverbial man down the block; in fact we can say by watching the play that the common man empathizes with the common man. Willy Loman is real. Where some might observe, “I know someone like him,” perhaps they might even recognize themselves in him. Miller's subtle wordplay between “Loman” and “secular” is interesting in this regard. It is our familiarity with Willy Loman that is the endearing quality that brings us closer to him. Through identification with his struggles and pains we gain an appreciation of his situation. This identification is universal. The universality of identification is, among those who read or watch the work, a bonding force for people of all conditions. Miller's success here is generated by our own pathos for Willie Loman. Another point Miller makes is that "tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is willing to give his life... to secure one thing: his sense of personal dignity. Willie Loman is... .at the center of the card... something bigger than himself, his image or his success. He is motivated by his love for his son. Therefore, because his primary focus is beyond himself, He elevates him accordingly draws upon and is consequently clothed in grandeur tragedy. Considering the points discussed here in this article, which is by no means a comprehensive analysis of Miller's essay, several questions arise in my mind. Arthur Miller provided us with this essay as an answer or defense of Death of a Salesman? trying to justify his work by reshaping the definition of tragedy to justify and elevate this play. In any case, it is clear that Death of a Salesman fits the model set out by Miller in Tragedy and the Common Man Miller, Arthur. "Tragedy and the Common Man." Weales, Gerald, ed. Death of a Salesman: Text and Criticism. New York: Penguin Books 1996.