Is Willy Good or Bad?

No one can argue against the fact that Willy, from the play "Death of a Salesman," is a deeply flawed man. After all, he is blinded by delusions of his family's potential to attain success. He doesn't see his own weaknesses and puts all of the pressure to succeed on his son, Biff. Does that mean that he is a bad person? Not really. However, does that mean he is a good person? You can't say that either. 

Willy is one of the best characters I've seen because it's so hard to fit him into any moral category. He has good intentions, as he actually cares for his family and wants them to be in the best possible situation. However, his way of pursuing this goal is questionable at best. His core principles stem from a key line from his dead brother Ben, "Never fight fair with a stranger boy. You'll never get out of the jungle that way." Thus he basically instills bad habits into his two sons, letting Bill get away with his thieving habits and neglecting Happy, who tries to impress his father by getting ahead in life but by sleeping with his superior's significant others. Willy has even cheated with another woman, a secretary to his client, to secure a deal. 

Do his good intentions make up for his actions? It's a tough question to answer. Good intentions can still lead to harm at the end of the day, especially when executed in a fashion similar to Willy. Although Willy is not the embodiment of evil, he still makes many bad decisions that put him more to the bad side than the good, despite his best intentions.