Willy Loman was a troubled man who didn't have respect for his wife and degraded his children every chance he got when it came to their failures, especially with his son Biff. He only cared about achieving the American dream which he did not succeed because of all his problems that stood in his way. His constant obsession with achieving the American dream only made his family distance themselves from him more only due to the fact that he believed that achieving this would lead him to happiness and success. This also leads to the other major theme which is resilience. Willy came from a poor socioeconomic background and he is making all the efforts to pull himself out of his current situation through whatever he can do in hopes for something better that will make him feel like he's achieved his
“The man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead” (33). In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses foil characters to elucidate Willy’s flaws that ultimately prevent him and his family from succeeding. The contrast between Charley and Willy and Bernard and Biff serves to highlight how Willy’s obsession with achieving his version of the American Dream impacts both his life and his children’s. His poor values are passed on to his children producing even more failures. ¬¬¬¬Both Charley and Willy work as salesmen, however Charley represents what Willy desired to become – successful.
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.
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
“The facts and fictions of Willy’s history become tangled with his current situation because he is forced to confront the many failures, he has fobbed off previously through lying, both to his family and to himself. Willy is unable to reconcile his past and present”( Klimchak). Because of Willy’s idea of success and his pride leads to his breakdown. Throughout the story I felt that Willy is fighting his self which resulted in the suffering of others around him making him also the antagonist in the play. Willy would also be known as the round character because of his role in the play and a tragic hero because of his self-importance.
Linda is a very sweet person, she’ll do anything for her loved ones especially for Willy, Which is why, out of all the characters she has the control and patience for Willy because after all they are husband and wife. To clarify, in the beginning of the novel when Willy is feeling guilty, she “ You’ve got too much on the ball to worry about- just try to relax dear”(18). She sounds so soothing almost calming using “ Try to relax dear”. Linda has a way with words the can make anyones frown turn to a smile.
Death of a Salesman Free Response Essay Throughout the play Death of a Salesman, author Arthur Miller discusses the flaws of Willy Loman and the extent to which they bring about his own suffering and the suffering of others. As a tragic hero in the 1940’s, Willy exemplifies a typical man trying to achieve the very unrealistic American Dream. This dream not only solidified his fate but also threatened the success of every member in his household. Willy Loman first encounters the American Dream after his uncle Ben shares his successes and priorities with him, which in turn, become the basis of Willy’s dreams as well.
Willy categorizes Ben as perhaps one of the most, if not the most, successful man he knows, for this. Ben played a big role in leading Willy to his own demise. Willy Loman would have done anything to be as “successful” as his brother, but instead Willy stays in his shadow until his death. Willy often imagines Ben talking to him, and in the closing scene the imaginary Ben really did “lead him to his death.” “LINDA, to willy: Come dear!
In the beginning of Death of a Salesman starts off with Willy Loman arriving back home after traveling for his job. Willy is a Salesman that live in New York in the late 1940’s. He has two sons an a wife. Willy’s sons and wife are Biff, Happy and Linda. Willy begins to have problems concentrating while traveling for his work, and this leads to him talking to himself.
One of Arthur Miller's most famous pieces is "Death of a Salesman." In this play, readers watch a family of four fall apart because of a delusional and unrealistic father and two unsuccessful sons. Throughout the story, Willy struggles to afford food and household necessities. As readers read about Willy's struggles, they learn that he is suicidal and is disappointed in himself and his sons. Readers then discover that Willy cheated on his wife, and his son Biff who had a strong future ahead of him found out.
Death of a salesman is told mainly from protagonist Willy loman’s point of view.
In opposition, characters like Dave Singleman and Ben had realistic dreams that were authentic, and they achieved them. They achieved happiness. This shows that Americans can be happy if they work towards their own version of happiness. Willy Loman believed that in order to be happy, he needed
Miller depicts Willy as a tragic character in his willingness to preserve his dignity. Additionally, Willy’s dignity is tainted in the story because of his flawed philosophy of the American Dream. This along with unjust comparisons leads to Willy’s death. Based on how Willy Loman evaluates himself unjustly, he is a tragic hero because he must do anything to preserve his dignity, and his false impression of the American Dream, which leads to his downfall.
This shows how willy can not admit his failure to his family. The main character Willy doesn’t want to show how deeply down he had fallen and is starting to lose hope on his
From an outsider perspective, Willy Loman lives a normal life. He is a traveling salesman with two grown up sons, and a beautiful marriage. But is that really the life he has? No, it is not. One of the first disappointments Willy experiences is with his son.
