In a paper consisting of five pages the concept of an antihero and its characteristics are discussed with examples provided from Krapp's Last Tape and Death of a Salesman. There are two bibliographic sources cited.
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un-heroic. However, the anti-hero, as many characters would be classified, seem to be more complex than a simple black or white label would attest. Instead, they seem to be a
hero in disguise, lacking some of the crucial characteristics that one affixes to the traditional hero. Samuel Becketts Krapps Last Tape and Aruthur Millers Death of a Salesman posses two
such examples of the anti-hero. Death of a Salesman is the story of Willy Loman, who over the span of a day comes face-to-face with the realization that the
American Dream has become a nightmare of his own making, that the goals he has been pursuing for a lifetime have been the wrong ones. This pursuit of the wrong
goals have adversely affected his sense of self, sense of worth, and sense of reality. This is in stark contrast to the typical hero who is traditionally larger than life,
possessing some great skill which in the end will see him through his ordeal. Willy doesnt have this special gift. In fact, he has never been larger than life at
any point in his existence, except in his own mind. It can be said that the hero is someone who lived by a certain moral code, or set of
rules that serve as a compass for the character when facing great and insurmountable odds. Willy had no moral code. He worshiped monetary success and popularity above all else. Therefore
he had no real compass when he was confronted with a situation he couldnt lie his way out of. It can be said that the hero/heroine has endured some sub-classifications.
First, according to the literature, there was the epic hero. These heroes, as shown by Homers Odyssey, are bigger than life, both in stature and in psychological make up, perhaps