Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." This quote by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard speaks to the idea that when the past is understood it can help to navigate the present; however it must move forward and be appreciated to get the most out of it. This quote by Søren Kierkegaard encapsulates the central idea of Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman." The film looks into the fading mind of an older man by the name of Willy Loman. While he experiences the present he is also getting brought back into his past living through his own failures and inadequacies. Since Willy cannot deal with his past he struggles with his future, this untimely leads to his downfall. Willy Loman's inability to deal with his past issues of masculinity as well as his dream for success leads this impulsive man to death. …show more content…
Throughout the film, Willy struggles with his own idea of being a man, which is directly tied to his profession as a salesman; the insecurity of his sense of masculinity is reflected in his relationship with his family, specifically with his two sons Biff and Happy. When Willy is invited to a dinner by his sons he is overjoyed but when he arrives he starts to talk to his son Biff about his meeting with a big boss. While this discussion gets heated Willy yells to Biff “You don’t want to be anything do ya.”(Death Of A Salesman 1:49:48) This act may be seen as displacement¹ however it can also be interpreted as Willy seeing how he has not fully fulfilled traditional male roles like providing his son with the inspiration to pursue and be successful in a job; since he himself has only barely gotten by while being a salesman. Willy also takes out his feelings of not being man enough on his wife, by not only using her as a