ipl-logo

Death Of A Salesman Research Paper

731 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Comment on the character of willy loman

Success. It is only a dream, and it will remain a dream. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is about Willy Loman, a salesman whose dream is to be successful. He lived all his older days in illusions because he could not be prosperous. He was unable to accept his failure as a father as well. His dream of success was never achieved, so his dream remained an illusion. Thus, dreams cannot become a reality by living in illusions, and having the wrong mindset. First, Willy Loman is the head of the family and lived in an illusion that he was well-liked, and his son, Biff is fated to be successful. Willy Loman contradicts himself by thinking that he was well-liked. Willy thought he was a successful salesman until he realized he was not liked by …show more content…

Willy prioritized popularity rather than virtues in becoming successful. For instance, when Biff stole a ball, Willy did not correct his action. Instead, he suggests he got away due to his well-liked personality by saying, “That’s because he likes you. If somebody else took that ball there’d be an uproar.”(Miller 19). He nailed his belief on the path to success to his son. So, Willy always praised him for any wrongdoings he got away with. Moreover, he would boast about Biff as someone who is a star. He expected that Biff would become successful since he was liked. However, he never taught him any morals, so Biff did not have a great attitude which blocked the path to his success. He was popular and had a bright future which was ruined as a consequence of his upbringing. For this reason, when Biff realized that Willy’s teaching was what prevented him from success, he confronted his father by saying, “And I never got anywhere because you blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody! That’s whose fault it is!”(Miller 98). As a young child, Billy always got away with any trouble such as stealing. However, as an adult, he could no longer do whatever he wanted. He could never achieve anything because he grew up with the idea that success comes from

Show More
Related
741 Words | 3 Pages

Biff could be argued to be one of the contributing factors to his father, Willy’s constant confused state of mind. This is shown early in the play when Willy calls Biff “a lazy bum” then shortly after states that Biff “is not lazy”, highlighting his mercurial behaviour.

Read More
1404 Words | 6 Pages

Instead, Tack chases the path that makes him more accepted and this prevents him from uncovering his hidden potential. Similarly, in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” Willy Loman desires this same approval and acceptance. Willy, having grown up without a father figure, is extremely doubtful of his parenting and admits that, “[he is] afraid [he is] not teaching [Biff and Happy] the right [values]” (Miller 52). Due to his own insecurity in his parenting ability, Willy turns to Ben for approval and asks him “how [he] should teach [Biff and Happy]” (Miller 52). By continually looking for Ben’s approval, Willy limits his abilities and fails to be an adequate parent for Happy and Biff.

Read More
1210 Words | 5 Pages

“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.

Read More
1183 Words | 5 Pages

Even though Willy Loman's son Biff failed to meet the standards Willy set for him, he attempted to set realistic boundaries for him as a child. He wants to raise him in such a manner that he could be a business owner, though he is unaware that Biff could not live up to his expectations. He possessed qualities he felt that Biff needed to meet his dream saying "We can't go back to the old days though, can we? And let's try not to blame everything on the war. I realize it's a business kid, and everybody's got to pull his own weight.

Read More
1015 Words | 5 Pages

We also learn that Willy is not that successful at being a salesman due to what he

Read More
1008 Words | 5 Pages

While Linda enabled him, Willy could not help himself too keep ruining the good opportunities he had and turning them into some factious reality. At Willy`s funeral Biff comes to the realization that his father had all the wrong dreams and visions of success. Willy`s only dream was the fake “American Dream” that people believe will happen overnight. Willy`s failed attempts and happiness bonded into one and played a part into him creating this false reality and persona that he was the best salesman and that he was well loved by everyone around him.

Read More
1061 Words | 5 Pages

Although he is popular, this is not enough for him to gain the success he thinks he deserves. By raising his children to be successful, Willy wants others to view him as a successful father since others see

Read More
1800 Words | 8 Pages

Biff wants to retake the class in the summer but when he catches his father having an affair his perception of his father, his biggest role model, is shattered causing him to give up on the things he used to want to do. Willy represses this memory entirely and tries to blame others for Biffs behavior instead of himself. Willy also fools himself into thinking he is well liked and successful. In small moments of clarity Willy admits that people have made fun of his physique and no one talks to him anymore when he goes

Read More
1009 Words | 5 Pages

Willy Loman was only liked, but he completely aspired and hoped to be well-liked within his community and workforce of salesmen. No one cared enough, outside of his family, to show Willy that he could have been well-liked. This definition of success did help lead Willy to death. Willy often felt that he lacked something in his life. He said: “WILLY: The man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead.

Read More
802 Words | 4 Pages

Imagine the feeling of disappointment Biff felt when he realized that the man who had been building him up and up all these years, the man whose words you use to judge your self worth, is nothing but a disloyal liar. Suddenly, he did not want to be anything like his father. He does not want to resemble his father in any light, including being a salesman. The decision to be a farm hand on the west coast rather than following his father’s dreams of him becoming a salesman only widens the rift and deepens the resentment between Biff and Willy. All of Biff’s negative traits, including his anger and kleptomania, can be traced back to Willy.

Read More
1794 Words | 8 Pages

However, pursuing this goal came with a price. Since he was highly motivated to becoming a successful salesman, he rarely stayed at home. Instead, he spent most of his time travelling around the country to conduct sales. He became a workaholic, forcing himself to make sacrifices in his family life in order to seek his own ambitions. Therefore, Willy’s perfectionistic ideals led to his demise.

Read More
984 Words | 4 Pages

The contrast between Biff and Bernard, the standard for success, is staggering. Where Bernard is the prosperous son Willy wishes he had, Biff is the kleptomaniac failure of a son he actually has. Up until the end of the play, Biff does his best to follow Willy’s belief that popularity is the key to success, and it gets Biff exactly nowhere. At age 34, Biff is without a steady job, living with his parents in his childhood bedroom, and had been to jail at least once for theft (131). The failures of Biff directly mirror the beliefs Willy had instilled in him, such as Biff forcing himself to ignore his enjoyment of farm work in favor of Willy’s standards for success.

Read More
877 Words | 4 Pages

Biff’s idea of his father suddenly changed when Biff discovered his dad cheating on his mom. His entire outlook of life changed, and suddenly he no longer cared about his future in football or college. Willy raised Biff to think that being popular would get him further than having good grades: “Bernard can get the best marks in school y’understand but in the business world, y’understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him. That’s why I thank almighty God you’re both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who created personal interest, is that man that gets ahead.”

Read More
854 Words | 4 Pages

One piece of evidence that highlights the destructive nature of Willy's illusions is his strained relationship with his sons, Biff and Happy. Willy places immense pressure on them to embody the ideals of success he has constructed, projecting his own unfulfilled dreams onto their lives. This creates a toxic dynamic, causing a profound sense of disillusionment and resentment within the family. Biff, in particular, is deeply affected by his father's false ideals, leading to a personal crisis and a loss of direction in his own life. Biff struggles to reconcile his father's expectations with his own desires, leading to a profound disillusionment that shatters their relationship.

Read More
978 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

More about Death Of A Salesman Research Paper

Open Document