Abstract: Arthur Miller is one of the most famous contemporary American writers. His representative work Death of a Salesman has made him one of the most highly regarded American playwrights. This story is about a traveling salesman’s tragedy. Willy Loman, the protagonist, always works hard but can not get what he wants. Finally he chooses to end up his life by an intended car accident. This paper aims to analyze the causes of Willy’s tragedy from external and internal factors. Through the analysis of social factors, the influences of his son and his wife on him, as well as the flaws in his character, the paper concludes that the hypocritical society, the inharmonious interpersonal relationship and his distorted values contribute to his tragedy.

Key words: Death of a salesman; Willy Loman; tragedy; causes

摘要：阿瑟·米勒是当代美国最著名的作家之一。他的代表作《推销员之死》让他成为美国最受尊敬的作家之一。故事的主人公威利·洛曼是一名推销员，他很努力的工作但却总得不到他想要的，最终他选择了死亡。本文旨在从内部因素和外部因素来分析造成威利悲剧命运的原因。通过分析社会因素，大儿子和妻子对他的影响以及其自身的性格缺陷等，论文认为虚伪的社会，不和谐的人际关系以及其自身扭曲的价值观是导致他悲剧命运的主要原因。

关键词：《推销员之死》；威利·洛曼；悲剧命运；原因