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Comparing Mama Johnson And Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

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Mama Johnson from Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” along with Willy Loman from Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman endure the true hardships of life. Both characters reside on the lowest level of the socioeconomic status chart. They are very poor individuals that only want the best for their families. As parental figures, Mama and Willy have to act as role models for their children. This requires sacrifices and compromises. On top of being role models, both Mama and Willy have to encourage their children to be all that they can be. Where Willy is an idol in the eyes of Biff and Happy, his sons, Mama sacrifices her finances to send Dee, her eldest daughter, to a great college. Through the strength of Linda, Willy’s wife, and Charley, Willy’s best …show more content…

He is actually very stubborn in his ability to acclimate to the changes around him. Willy even says himself, “I don’t want a change” (1.1.143)! This key statement is in the opening scene of the play. The playwright foreshadows through that one line the intensity of Willy’s character trait. Willy becomes very upset with anyone that tries to change his way of life. Even with the simple things, like the changing of cheeses, Willy refuses to change his normal way of life. His inability to adapt to the changing times ultimately leads to the death of a salesman. Willy Loman does not want to accept that times are changing. He desires a well-respected life, but the times now call for much more than a friendly smile. Willy sells merchandise based on his personality, not skills. Now, the workforce calls for skills over personality, and Willy cannot accept the changing workforce. “Willy, when’re you gonna realize that them things don’t mean anything? The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell” (2.2.763-6). Charley tries to explain to Willy, not successfully, that the only thing of importance in this world is the skills that one has. However, Willy says, “I’ve always tried to think otherwise…” (2.2.768). Willy announces the problem in his character, but he does not attempt to amend the flaws in his habitual way of behaving. This leads to his tragic

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In addition to being contradictory, Willy is also very insecure. In fact, when Willy confesses to Linda that business is not doing well, he expresses his insecurities by saying, “I’m fat. I’m very-foolish to look at, Linda.” Lastly, another trait that Willy possesses is suicidal.

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He wanted to be successful so badly, that when he doesn’t get it, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. When Willy was younger, he had great connections in the areas he would sell. The people respected him and he took great pride in the fact that his name held value with those people. However, as he aged, so did the people he used to sell to. When he isn’t able to make the amount of sales he used to, he doesn’t know

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Willy's refusal to change made it hard For him to get along with his peers. He wanted to stay with what he had, even if he didn't get anywhere in life. Willy tells Linda “I don't want a change!” (Act I). Linda tries to help him at first, but then she proceeds to make excuses for him his whole life.

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1015 Words | 5 Pages

We learn that Willy is a salesman, who is has only had minor success. Willy blames this on the fact that he is not well liked. In the beginning of the play Willy has had a car accident and his wife Linda wants him to ask his boss if he can work only in New York instead of having to travel. When we see Willy in a flashback he appears to be happy and affectionate with his sons, who seem to return the affection.

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1530 Words | 7 Pages

It all boils down to Willy fundamental flaw in his thinking that makes him the tragic hero that he is. He is always preoccupied with his fantasy and desires, so much that he denies and ignores anything that goes against his own beliefs. Willy thinks that the amount of a man’s success is how much wealth he has amass and that this wealth is obtained by being well liked. He is convinced that popularity is enough to lead to success and this would then lead him to his demise. When Willy makes the decision on committing suicide by intentionally getting into an auto accident this doesn’t show that the Willy has recognized his fatal flaw.

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Willy tries to make himself feel better by lying to himself. Although Willy’s death is unfortunate, if one closely examines his pride, bad temper, and his lies, one can see that these flaws will eventually bring him to his demise. Throughout the play, Willy demonstrates his sense of pride while talking to his family and friends. In this quote one can

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633 Words | 3 Pages

Willy realizes that no one is paying him any mind and that people always looked down on him. He has to work ten times harder than the average man, just to put food on the table. People do not respect Willy and do not acknowledge him. It explains how his dreams will not ever come true and how he was never going to be successful as he hoped to

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482 Words | 2 Pages

Whilst reading the last two pages of Act One in, “Death Of A Salesman”, one cognizes Willy’s deterioration in mental health. Willy is crestfallen, contemptuous, and mercurial, which leaves the reader with no sense of bewilderment when he/ she finds out that Willy is suicidal: “He’s dying, Biff… he’s been trying to kill himself” (42). Willy’s mental instability leaves everyone in his family on edge, especially Linda.

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This only hurts him more than helps him. Her sons felt abandoned by their mother by the way she only seemed to care about Willy. She defended Willy’s behavior, even when it was embarrassing or hurtful to their children. When they try to talk to her about Willy’s strange behavior, she gets angry with them and tells them what ungrateful and lazy men they are. After Biff and Willy have an argument and Biff tells Linda that he will return to visit her and not his father, Linda replies angrily to him.

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Willy then complains about the career state of their son, Biff, who, despite having a promising future in high school, never attended collage because he flunked math. Biff and his brother Happy were currently staying at their parent's place. That night, they talked about the

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Willy is married to Linda, and they have two grown sons, Biff and Happy. Willy often argues with Biff about how unsuccessful Biff’s life is. The brothers, Biff and Happy, discuss moving out west and buying a ranch, but their father disapproves. Willy tries to convince his boss to give

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Willy’s family (in Death of a Salesman) procure many problems. To begin with, Willy talks to himself and embaresses both of his sons constanly. Willy even had an affair with another women, this was looked down upon especially in the fifties. At the end of the story Willy and his son Biff get into a heated argument that gets physical. Both Willy and Biff were yelling and even pushing each other.

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As Mr Peterson wrote "A helpless victim is never a tragic hero. There's nothing to be learned by watching the deer approach its death; there's an enormous amount to be learned by watching Hamlet bring about his own destruction. " We learn a lot from watching how Willy interacts with his sons, his wife, and how he handles his job. We learn from his mistakes, and his lies. Making Willy a modern tragic hero.

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1537 Words | 7 Pages

Willy finds out his dream of being an popular, well respected salesman is impossible and takes his own life. Linda supports Willy despite the abuse and confusion he puts her through with his various attempts to take his own life, with his delirious ramblings and hallucinations, and with his constant deception. Happy still sees his father as a hero and Biff finally begins to grasp the truth of the “American Dream”. When Willy kills himself, all of the Loman family, including Willy, break free from the web of false dreams he spun and begin to understand Willy’s failings. They also realize their own flaws.

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They are compelled to go against their natural instinct of working in the open. Willy’s deteriorating mental condition does not leave much option before Biff, but to come back to New York and start a business by borrowing money from one of his previous employers, Bill Oliver. The prospect of Biff making a fresh start fills Willy yet again with optimism. He starts dreaming for better future and once again plans to “buy some seeds” while his way home that night (Miller 55). When Linda reminds him that nothing will grow in their backyard, since “not enough sun gets back there,” Willy expresses his long nurtured desire of getting a “little place out in the country” and raising “vegetables” and “a couple of chickens” (Miller 55-56).

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