Death Of A Salesman And Troy Maxon

The parents in Death of a Salesman, Fences, and CODA all struggle with how they enforce the expectations they set for their children. Each parent holds high expectations for their children, but their contrasting ideas about wanting to be well liked by their children set their parenting styles apart. The desire, or lack thereof, to be well liked by one’s children heavily influences the methods in which parental expectations are encouraged or enforced. One way in which expectations are enforced is verbally, where expectations are clearly set but without any action to ensure they are followed. The tone in which these are set is predetermined by the value parents place on being popular with their children. Willy Loman and Troy Maxon both use verbal

Willys expresses his expectations verbally, but that’s all he does. Willy is held back from further action by the worry that his children will dislike him if he pushes them too hard. This concept is reaffirmed during one of Willy’s flashbacks, when Willy first emphasizes how important being well liked by others is to a career. This is reinforced when Linda uses the idea of their children’s idolization to boost Willie’s mood “and the boys, Willy”. Few men are idolized by their children the way they are” (Wilson 37). This quote demonstrates just how crucial Willy’s children liking him is to Willy’s life. Willy’s reliance on his children’s adoration to fuel his own confidence is the reason why he will never take further action to ensure his expectations are met. While Troy also utilizes verbal enforcement, his disregard for his children’s adoration distances his tone from Willy’s and opens up opportunities for a more combative approach later on. Troy serves as a sort of character foil to Willy, despite both using similar