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 his definition and criteria of 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 major norm of tragedy stated is: "...if the exaltation of tragic action were truly a property of high-bred people of character alone, it is inconceivable that the mass of humanity would cherish tragedy more than any other form. All people, regardless of their origins, nobility status, rank or pretended or real social division, can naturally sympathize with the tragic hero. In the case of Willy Loman, there is a certain familiarity. He’s the proverbial man on the block; in fact, we can say that looking at the play, the common man sympathizes with the common man. Willy Loman is real. While some will say, “I know someone like him,” perhaps they will even see themselves in him. Miller's subtle play on words between "Loman" and "profane" is interesting in this regard. It is our familiarity with Willy Loman that is the endearing quality that draws us closer to him. Through identification with his struggles and pains, we come to appreciate his plight. This identification is universal. The universality of identification constitutes, among those who read or watch the play, a binding force between people of all conditions. Miller's success on this score is born of our own pathos for Willie Loman. Another of Miller's points is that "tragic feeling is invoked in us when we are in the presence of a character willing to lay down his life...to secure one thing: his sense of personal dignity." Willie Loman is in the middle of paper... something bigger than himself, his image or his success. He is motivated by his love for his son. Therefore, since his primary focus is beyond himself, it consequently elevates him. He draws on the tragedy of grandeur and therefore dresses himself in it. Given the points made here in this article, which is by no means a complete analysis of Miller's essay, several questions come to mind. Did Arthur Miller provide us with this essay as a response or defense to Death of a Salesman? Is he trying to justify his work by reshaping the definition of tragedy to justify and elevate this play? Regardless, it is clear that Death of a Salesman fits the pattern Miller expounds in Tragedy and the Common Man.Miller, Arthur. “Tragedy and the Common Man.” Weales, Gerald, ed. Death of a salesman: text and review. New York: books about penguins 1996.