Although often unintentional, individuals can be responsible for their own devastating turn of events. This is best illustrated in Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, and The Stone Angel, by Margaret Laurence. Death of a Salesman follows the life of Willy Loman, a failing salesman obsessed with the "American Dream." Similarly, The Stone Angel follows Hagar Shipley, a pessimistic 90-year-old woman who constantly reflects on her difficult past. Both Hagar Shipley and Willy Loman possess undesirable qualities that ultimately lead to their self-destruction in life. Both characters have a toxic sense of pride, live in the past, and make bad decisions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay First of all, both characters have excessive pride. Willy Loman's pride distorts his self-image: he convinces himself that he is a popular and successful salesman. For example, Willy says, "I'm the New England man." I’m vital to New England” (Miller 4). Willy, visibly delusional, makes himself believe that he is powerful in the world of sales, while others know that is not true. For example, his wife Linda says: "Willie Loman never made a lot of money (...) He's not the nicest person who ever lived." Willy's false perception of himself ultimately destroys his reputation - the people around him are unable to take him seriously, because they know he is not as successful as he claims to be. Likewise, Willy's pride is demonstrated when his neighbor, Charley, offers him a job. Too arrogant to recognize that he is a failing salesman, Willy decides to keep his unpaid job and continues to borrow money from Charley to pay for his insurance. This also contributes to Willy's self-destruction; Unable to accept help from those around him, he finds himself in debt by borrowing money. Similarly, Hagar in The Stone Angel believes that showing her emotions will make herself appear weak. His pride leads him to repress his true feelings, even if the circumstances are painful. This is demonstrated when Hagar says, “The night my son died, I was turned to stone and I never cried at all.” Like the stone angel, Hagar remains impassive after the death of her son, so she never manages to turn the page. Therefore, she still thinks of him in her old age, which contributes to her destruction because she inflicts sadness on herself. Hagar's pride also makes her extremely stubborn. Since her father believes that Bram Shipley is “common as dirt” (Laurence 51), she decides to marry him out of spite, which makes her unhappy. Later realizing that Bram is an embarrassing drunk, Hagar is driven to leave him, forcing her to support herself and her son, John, independently. Clearly, Willy and Hagar are responsible for the negative impact on their own lives. They don't realize that they are too stubborn, which ultimately leads to their unhappiness. Second, both characters choose to live in the past. For example, Willy constantly dreams about his past, which contributes to his self-destruction. He begins to reflect on times spent with his son, Biff, when he says, "My God... do you remember that Ebbets Field game?" (...) When this team came out, he was the greatest, remember? Willy remembers the time when he was proud of his athletic son, and as a result, his resentment towards Biff builds up in the present because he does not meet his high expectations. Willy dreams of escaping the realities of his current life, which makes him unhappy because he remembers the time whenhe was happy. Willy's flashbacks also deteriorate his mental well-being. For example, Biff says, “God Almighty, Mom, how long has he been doing this? (...) What's wrong with him? ". As Willy's past and present begin to intertwine, others see him talking to himself, clearly proving that Willy lacks emotional stability. Comparatively, Hagar in The Stone Angel destroys her own life because she spends so much time thinking about her painful and vivid past. For example, Hagar says: “How long have I been standing there with my head down, playing with the silk cloth that covers me? Now I am mortified, sorry (...).” As Hagar is consumed in her daydreams, she loses awareness of her surroundings and is often disoriented when reconnecting to the present. Additionally, reminiscing about the past prevents her from appreciating and nurturing the only relationships she has. As her son, Marvin, and his wife, Doris, consider moving Hagar to a nursing home, Hagar says, "If it were John, he wouldn't send his mother to the hospice." Constantly thinking about her deceased son makes her unappreciative of those who are only trying to help her. As Hagar has an uncooperative and bitter attitude, she is entirely responsible for the dysfunctional and stressful relationship she has with her family. Overall, as Willy and Hagar constantly think about the past, they destroy their emotional and mental well-being, thus proving that they are responsible for their personal destruction. Finally, both characters make bad decisions throughout their lives. For example, as Willy enters a daydream, he remembers a time when his wealthy brother, Ben, encouraged him to work with him in Alaska to make a good living. Ben tells him: “There is a new continent on your doorstep, William. You could come out rich.” Foolishly, Willy declines his offer to become a salesman, which ultimately leads to his career failure and debts. Moreover, Willy always regrets because he had the opportunity to experience a lot of success. Another major decision Willy makes is deciding to commit suicide. Even though Willy has deep-rooted issues, his suicide is primarily motivated by the fact that his insurance money can provide Biff with the money needed to achieve the "American Dream." When Happy tells Biff to continue being a business partner at Willy's funeral, Biff refuses, saying, "I know who I am, kid." Ultimately, Willy's suicide is unnecessary, as Biff still avoids pursuing his business after Willy sacrifices his life. Likewise, a major decision Hagar makes is to leave her husband, Bram, to escape her horrible marriage. Although it is an act of independence, she ultimately decides to isolate her son, John, from his father. This leads to Hagar's self-destruction, as when John decides to care for Bram while he is ill, she feels betrayed and tries to dissuade him from leaving. For example, Hagar says to John, “He never showed much interest in you before. If he wants you to come back now, it’s to get revenge on me.” Hagar's pain is self-inflicted because it was never hers to assume that John didn't want a relationship with Bram as he grew up. Likewise, to avoid staying in a retirement home, Hagar decides to run away from her family and move into a cottage at Shadow Point. Isolated, she becomes very sick and weak. For example, Hagar says: “I hurt everywhere, but the worst part is that I am helpless. I become enraged.” Since her poor decision-making motivates her to run away from her family, she is ultimately responsible for her own pain. In the end, instead of living in a nice retirement home, Hagar.