Although often unintentional, individuals can be responsible for the devastating turn of events. This is best exemplified 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 failed salesman obsessed with living the "American Dream." Similarly, The Stone Angel follows Hagar Shipley, a pessimistic ninety-year-old 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, 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 am vital in New England' (Miller 4). Willy, evidently disappointed, makes himself believe that he is powerful in the world of sales, while the others know that this is not true. For example, his wife Linda says: "Willie Loman never made much money (...) He's not the best character who ever existed." 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 shown when his neighbor, Charley, offers him a job. Too arrogant to recognize that he is a failed 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 the people around him, he ends up in debt from borrowing money. Similarly, Hagar in The Stone Angel believes that showing her emotions will make her seem weak. Her pride causes her to repress her true feelings, no matter how painful the circumstances. This is demonstrated when Hagar says, “The night my son died, I was turned to stone and did not cry at all.” Like the stone angel, Hagar remains impassive after her son's death, so she never gets closure. As a result, she still thinks about him in her old age, which contributes to her destruction because she inflicts sadness on herself. Hagar's pride also makes her extremely stubborn. Because her father believes Bram Shipley is "common as dirt" (Laurence 51), she decides to marry him out of spite, which makes her unhappy. Realizing later that Bram is an embarrassing drunk, Hagar is driven to leave him, forcing her to support herself and her son John independently. Evidently, Willy and Hagar are responsible for a negative impact on their own lives. They can't tell when they are being too stubborn, which ultimately leads to pain. Secondly, both characters choose to live in the past. For example, Willy constantly daydreams about his past and this contributes to his self-destruction. He begins to reflect on the times he spent with his son, Biff, when he says, “God…remember that Ebbets Field game? (...) When that team came out it was the tallest, remember?”. Willy remembers when he was proud of his athletic son, and as a result, his resentment towards Biff grows in the present because he fails to live up to his high expectations. Willy daydreams about escaping the reality of his current life, which makes himunhappy because he remembers when he was happy. Willy's flashbacks also worsen his mental well-being. For example, Biff says, “God Almighty, Mom, how long has he been doing this? (...) What the hell is happening to him?”. As Willy's past and present begin to intertwine, the others see him talking to himself, clearly demonstrating that Willy lacks emotional stability. In comparison, Hagar in The Stone Angel destroys her life because she spends an excessive amount of time thinking about her distressing and vivid past. For example, Hagar says, “How long have I been standing here with my head down, fidgeting with the silk covering me?” Now I am mortified, apologized (...)”. As Hagar is consumed in her daydreams, she loses awareness of her surroundings and is often disoriented when reconnecting to the present. Additionally, remembering the past distracts her from appreciating and supporting the only relationships she has. While her son Marvin and his wife Doris consider moving Hagar to a nursing home, Hagar says, "If it were John, he wouldn't hand his mother over to the poorhouse." Constantly thinking about her deceased child makes her unappreciative of those who are only trying to help her. Because Hagar has an uncooperative and bitter attitude, she is entirely responsible for the dysfunctional and stressful relationship she has with her family. Overall, because Willy and Hagar constantly think about the past, they destroy their emotional and mental well-being, thus proving that they are responsible for their own personal destruction. Finally, both characters make bad decisions throughout their lives. For example, as Willy enters a daydream, he remembers a time when his rich brother, Ben, encouraged him to work with him in Alaska to earn a living. Ben tells him, “There's a new continent at your fingertips, William. You could come out rich." Foolishly, Willy rejects his offer to become a salesman, ultimately leading to his failed career and debts. Furthermore, Willy is still sorry because he had the opportunity to be very successful. Another important decision made by Willy is to commit suicide. Although Willy has some deep-rooted problems, his suicide is primarily due to the fact that his insurance money can provide Biff with the money needed to achieve the “American Dream.” When Happy tells Biff to continue as a business partner at Willy's funeral, Biff refuses, saying, "I know who I am, boy." In the end, Willy's suicide is unnecessary, because Biff still avoids doing business after Willy sacrificed his life. Likewise, one of the most important decisions Hagar makes is to let her husband, Bram, escape her horrible marriage. Although this was an act of independence, she ultimately decides to isolate her son, John, from his father. This leads to Hagar's self-destruction, because when John decides to take care of Bram when he is ill, she feels betrayed and tries to dissuade him from leaving. For example, Hagar tells John, “He has never shown much interest in you before. If he wants you back now it's to get revenge on me." Hagar's pain is inflicted on herself because it was never her place 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 to stay in a cottage in Shadow Point. Isolated, she becomes very sick and weak. For example, Hagar says, “I hurt all over, but the worst thing is that I'm helpless. I get angry." Because her poor decision-making skills motivate her to run away from her family, she is ultimately responsible for her own pain. In the end, instead of living in a nice old people's home, Hagar spends her last years.