Willy Loman

Willy Loman is the protagonist of Arthur Miller's 1949 play *Death of a Salesman*, a traveling salesman whose faith in the American Dream leads to his destruction.

The name has become shorthand for a certain type of tragic figure—the ordinary man crushed by false promises of success through hard work and likability.

To call someone a Willy Loman suggests they're clinging to delusions about their own importance or prospects: He's turning into a Willy Loman, still convinced the big break is coming.