Willy Loman

Arthur Miller penned Death of a Salesman, which premiered on Broadway in February 1949, and ran for over 700 performances. This highly regarded play has won numerous awards including, but not limited to, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award for Best Play. Many of the characters in Miller’s play are based on people from his life. This play began as a short story when Arthur Miller was a teen. It was not until later when he ran into his uncle Manny Newman, who the story is based on. Miller claims that when he saw his uncle he knew the first two lines and that there would be a death. Throughout the course of Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman desperately tries to justify his life.
During Willy’s first flashback, he tries to believe that he was a good father and that his kids were going to be more successful than anyone else because of him. Willy desperately wants to persuade himself that he led a successful life. One way he does that is by reminiscing about when his son, Biff, was popular and full on promise. Willy exclaims:
That’s just what I mean. Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you are going to be five times

It is revealed in a conversation between Linda and Biff that shortly after Biff returned from Boston, with knowledge of his father’s affair, Biff was kicked out of the house. Willy found success in his children’s admiration of him. Now that Biff no longer admires him because he knows of his father’s repulsive decisions, Willy must get rid of this constant reminder of his failures. Willy desperately needs to create the illusion that he is leading a fruitful life. Also, Willy’s continually lies about the success of his sons in order to create the appearance of success within himself. Numerous times throughout the play he brags about how wonderfully prosperous his sons are, even though it is not the