Death Of A Salesman Why Does Willy Go To Alaska

In “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman, the main character is a man living in the beginning of modern American. The new America includes new appliances and cars being manufactured, which Willy constantly wants to supply, but then says “. . . Once in my life, I would like to own something outright before it’s broken! I’m always in a race with the junkyard! . . . They time those things. They time them so when you finally paid for them, they’re used up” (73), contradicting what his actions do. As Willy starts to lose his mind the only thing he focuses on is success and possessions, like Biff and his job interview. As the story continues he mentions how he regrets not going to Africa with Ben, who struck rich, but who really is Willy, and why does he really want to go to Africa?

Willy is offered a once in a lifetime trip to Alaska with Ben that he does not take because a better opportunity is in New York, more so than in Alaska. What Willy does not understand is that now he is putting his family in a brown box with a lid on it. Willy then realized “. . . If I had gone with him to Alaska that time, everything would’ve been totally different” (44). When Willy says everything would have been totally different he means he could have become rich and started a better life for him and his family. Instead, he tries to become a successful salesman to make up for the lost opportunity in Alaska but never gets close to accomplishing that dream. Willy is not a great father, a loyal husband, or a fantastically successful salesman like he wants everyone to