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Essay Comparing Willy Loman And A Raisin In The Sun

1675 Words7 Pages

Death of a Salesman and A Raisin in the Sun Individuals change their way of attitude, thoughts, beliefs, or perception to fit in with the group they want to belong whose approval they desire or individual expect something in return such as needing that what was promised did not happen. In both Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, the authors display the unrealistic dreams of the tragic characters, Willy Loman and Walter Lee Young, to convey the idea that idealized goals only lead to tragic consequences through the human cost of conformity and unfilled expectation. In Death of Salesman, Willy Loman reflects on his incompetence to communicate effectively, comparing himself to Charley. Willy began …show more content…

He’s a man of few words, and they respect him” (Miller 37). Willy’s musing reveals his insecurities and frustration about his communication skills with others. He is self-aware that he talks too much and contrasts himself with his friend, Charley, who is taciturn. This quote reveals Willy’s desire to be seen as authoritative and respected like Charley, but his inability to control his babbling, which undermines his self-image as a successful salesman. The author utilizes this contrast to show Willy’s goal of business requires him to be serious, but he can not help that because he is chatty. Throughout the novel, Arthur Miller continues to show Willy Loman trying to impress groups of businessmen by being bright and funny. In the novel, Miller reflects on the discernable invincibility of an impressive and well-liked man and underscores the struggle for recognition in Willy Loman’s world. Willy reveals his thoughts when he talks to Charley after he got fired, “I’ve always tried to think otherwise, I guess. I always felt that if a man was impressive, and well liked, that nothing-” (Miller 97). This statement sums up a common belief in Willy’s society, where charisma and popularity are equally important with success and immunity from

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Comparing Willy Loman And A Raisin In The Sun

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Lorraine Hansberry and Arthur Miller are both remarkable authors who wrote similar plays. They both wrote about the same main idea which is the American dream. Hansberry wrote A Raisin in the Sun, which follows the life of a poor family and a son who wants to do anything he can to get out of poverty. Miller wrote Death of a Salesman, a play about a man’s journey to achieve the American dream. Both plays have main characters that are so driven by money alone.

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Similarities Between Death Of A Salesman And A Raisin In The Sun

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Charlotte wilson Mr. Jacobs American Literature Honors March 25th, 2023 The Demise of the Working Class Through the Idea of Reminiscence A common theme between the two plays, The Death of a Salesman and A Raisin in the Sun, written by playwrights Arthur Miller and Lorraine Hansberry utilizes the literary device of reminiscence, specifically to show how the characters are unsatisfied with the life they have, leading them to escape their emotions through the reminiscence of their imagination to exemplify the working class greed leading to an ultimate downfall within 1950s American society. Willy Loman, the protagonist of Death of a Salesman, faces many obstacles in his pursuit of success which ultimately leads him to become unhinged and reminiscent

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Essay Comparing Death Of A Salesman And A Raisin In The Sun

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This hurt him in many ways because it prevented him from seeing the truth about himself, which would end up isolating him from his family. In the play, Willy’s own son told him that he was nothing special, and he was just an average man; Willy angrily replied, “I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Lowman,” (Miller 105). This moment explains the problems with Willy’s obsession of appearing perfect, because he pushed away his family who is trying to tell him the truth over a lie he told himself years ago. Since he refuse to acknowledge the truth, Willy begins to reminisce his ‘glory’ days and as a result felt he had nothing left to give towards the end of his life.

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1009 Words | 5 Pages

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1040 Words | 5 Pages

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1021 Words | 5 Pages

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403 Words | 2 Pages

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