Cora Tucker and Willy Loman couldn’t be more different. They both are “heroes” in some respect, they both strive for “success,” but they’re different types of heroes and they work for different types of success.
In the way that many say middle schoolers are “plugged in” to the internet, Willy is “plugged in” to society, at least society as it used to be. He created himself to fit nicely into the little niche that society led him to believe he belonged in. He was the perfect sales man. He was “well-liked,” as he said, he was a smooth talker, and, at least in his mind, he was rather good as a salesman. I kind of visualize him as a number, specially picked, that is to be fed into a giant computer, and hopefully a wad of cash will pop out the other end. You see, for Willy Loman, success is having what society told him to have. Success is having moolah, having a nice house, a nice set of clothes, and, most of all, being well liked.
Now let’s look at Cora Tucker.
Cora Tucker is the exact opposite. Cora’s goal isn’t to be a number that gets plugged into the giant machine of society. She is trying to take that machine apart and re-build it to suite the needs of the have-nots. For her, success isn’t having, it’s being. Being noticed, being employed, being treated like everyone else. That’s the big difference between Willy and Cora. Willy is lying to the world to find something that is worthless. Cora is challenging the world’s lies to make something worthwhile. It may not be tangible, like the diamond Willy thinks he needs to make his mark on the world, but it is something that will influence each and every person in Halifax County. Success for Cora is making a difference. And by that definition, she’s succeeded beyond anything she could have dreamed of, and she doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon.
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