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Is Willy Responsible For The American Dream

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In the play “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, the audience witnesses the tragic final days of Willy Loman, a struggling salesman who has failed to achieve the American Dream. The advice he has given and the example he has set for his two sons Happy and Biff has damaged their relationship with their father and hindered their ability to make something out of their life. The focus of this essay will be to argue the idea that Willy is responsible for the shortcomings of his sons due to his unrealistic expectations, poor parenting, his inability to acknowledge his sons’ flaws, and his absence of address for his adultery. Firstly, Willy’s expectations for his sons are unrealistic and contribute to their shortcomings. Willy is obsessed with …show more content…

Throughout the duration of the play, Willy has flashbacks of his life often concerning his own problems and have little or nothing to do with his sons' lives. He fails to show emotional vulnerability or give guidance to his sons when they need it most. When compared to the guidance his neighbor Charley gives to his son Bernard, Willy’s advice is unremarkable and does not translate to success like he thinks it does. “While Willy teaches Biff and Happy that all they need to be successful is to be well liked, Charley makes sure that Bernard understands that he has a better chance to get ahead through thoughtfulness for others and hard work” (Abbotson). Willy negates the fact that lovable losers do exist and being well liked means nothing if you do not put in the work to obtain a skill. It is because of this oversight that neither of Willy’s sons bring any value to their household or society. Willy’s lack of parenting skills is also evident when Biff confesses to stealing a pen from Bill Oliver. Rather than providing emotional support and guidance to Biff, Willy’s response is anger and disappointment. “Biff now insists that Willy face the truth—that Biff was only a shipping clerk and that Oliver owes him nothing—but Willy refuses to listen, with his need to believe in his son and the future forcing Biff to manufacture a happier version of his meeting and its outcome”

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