Heroic Characters of Oedipus, Tom Wingfield, and Willy Loman - Essay Example

Three characters in three books, Oedipus in Oedipus Rex, Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, and Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman tell the stories of men that are trapped in their mortal heroism and misunderstand the world all around them. In each story, the hero misunderstands himself as much as his own family disdains him. In all three cases, the hero was unaware of the trap that life had set for him, his illusions of the material world, and the limits of his own mortality.
Tom Wingfield opens up The Glass Menagerie as the narrator and explains the "…larger than life photograph over the mantel" (5). He tells his audience that the man is his father and he had skipped town, deserted his family, and had no more to say than a simple 'goodbye' (5). Tom's failure to confront and understand his family legacy placed Tom in the perilous position of repeating his father's mistakes. Oedipus would also deny his legacy as well as his pre-ordained path into the future. He is warned by the Gods that he will slay his father, yet he refuses to believe their words and falsely thinks he can change his fate. His identity as the son of Laius is confirmed by an aged herder who witnessed the event and seen him taken to Corinth for adoption. Oedipus ignores the warnings of the oracles and lightly denies the possibility of slaying his father. Oedipus says, "And here am I who ne'er unsheathed a sword; Unless the longing for his absent son Killed him and so I slew him in a sense. But, as they stand, the oracles are dead—Dust, ashes, nothing, dead as Polybus". Oedipus failed to understand the trap that he had set to seal his own fate.
In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is trapped by the illusion that success is the providence of materialism. The Great Depression and the world of sales had made business success the only measure of his worth. His need to be recognized was so great that he was willing to create the self-illusion that he was a monumental success. Willy exaggerates and claims that he is well-liked. He lies to himself and his family when he insists that wherever he goes he is greeted with, "'Willy Loman is here!' That's all it takes, and I go right through" (21). Willy Loman was a mediocre salesman in a world where only the best were allowed to exist. Willy could understand what it took to be a great salesman and he could imagine he had those traits. Yet, Willy did not understand his shortcomings. Willy Loman's refusal to accept himself was his own undoing. Had he understood himself, he would not have allowed the world to pin him to the mat.
Willy Loman misunderstood his real material values and overestimated the value of wealth. Tom's arrogance places his ego in a superior position concerning the other characters. Tom's superiority complex and self-delusion can be heard when he says, "Yes, I have tricks in my pocket. I have tricks up my sleeve. [ . . . ] I give you the truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion" (4). Yet, in reality, he was a failure at a dead-end job and had not realized any success from the endeavors that he valued such as poetry, music, and literature. Tom only understands what he wants out of his current life. He does not understand that Laura is his main source of self-awareness. Oedipus is willing to believe anything that would alter the predictions of a dreadful future. He is living in total denial when he is warned by Teiresias that, "…for none of the mortals shall be stricken worse than thou". Instead of heeding his words, Oedipus reacts with anger and responds, "Must I endure this fellow's insolence? [. . .] Begone Avaunt! and never cross my threshold more". Oedipus was living in a fantasy world made up of his own disbelief. He could understand that he was heir to the throne, but did not have the self-realization to know how to be King.
All three characters were heroes in their own life. Willy was a hero to his family, Tom to Laura, and Oedipus to his kingdom. Still, they could not understand this position. Willy would cheat on his wife and cast his sons in his own deviant mold. Tom was doomed to abandon those that loved him and seek selfish adoration just like his father. Oedipus would kill his father and commit the greatest of taboos with his mother. None of these actions were taken by men who understood themselves. These were actions taken by disparate men caught in life's trappings. They longed for heroism now and looked for it in all the wrong places. They did not have the understanding or the patience to wait life out and be awarded the medal of heroism posthumously just like everyone else.