Character Analysis Of Willy Loman

In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, the author conveys the reader about how a person lives his life when he or she cannot live the “American Dream.” Willy Loman, the main character in the play is a confused and tragic character. He is a man who is struggling to hold onto what morality he has left in a changing society that no longer values the ideals he grew up to believe in. Even though the society he lives in can be blamed for much of his misfortune, he must also be the blame for his bad judgment, disloyalty and his foolish pride.

Arthur Miller shows the downfall of the American dream through the eyes of Willy Loman. Willy Loman is an all American family man and businessman that would do anything for his family. In the end of the play Willy Loman committed suicide to save his family from going under. Arthur Miler describe Loman’s tragic story as “a man who did believe that he alone was not meeting the qualifications laid down for mankind by those clean-shaven frontiersmen who inhabit the peaks of broadcasting and advertising offices (Isherwood, 2012) “. The thing I find so innovating about this play is that even though some of the events mentioned are controversial the author never down played the events that

His fixation on being “well-liked” and having a “personal attractiveness” was thought to be enough to get a businessman far enough in the working world to achieve a modern American life. Willy, who has been persuaded that, “America is full of beautiful towns and fine, upstanding people. And they know me, boys, they know me up and down New England. The finest people. And when I bring you fellas up, there’ll be open sesame for all of us, ‘cause one thing boys: I have friends. I can park my car in any street in New England, and the cops protect it like their own” (1223). Willy’s misunderstanding of the American Dream revolves around his obsession to pursue this false lifestyle, With Dave Singleman’s influence, he cannot comprehend what is attainable and what is a false reality.

The success attained by Willy?s role models, his father, Dave Singleman, and Ben, is what he envisions to be the American Dream. He only visualizes the end product, being successful, and not the process they may have gone through to achieve that success. Willy?s father sold flutes and made that his living. In an encounter with his thoughts of the past, Willy listens to Ben, his brother, who refers to their father by saying, "Great Inventor, Father. With one gadget he made more in a week than a man like you could make in a lifetime" (49). Willy assumes that by being a salesman, like his father was, he is automatically guaranteed success, and that it wasn?t something that he would have to work for. Material success, such as money, luxury, and wealth, and popularity are his goals and his definition of success. On the other hand, self-fulfillment and happiness through hard work is not. By only focusing on the outer appearance of the American Dream, Willy ignores the

America’s social system and class divisions create barriers to those who want to obtain the American Dream because diligence is needed, and unequal opportunity, and there’s disillusionment Individuals of the lower class need to work harder, on account of the poor conditions and battles that they need to persevere. In Death of a Salesman, the main character Willy Loman has confidence in the American Dream of simple riches and upscale life which later drives him to his grave. At a certain point in the scene, Willy Loman was having a discussion whit his child, Biff Loman. And pointed out the fact that "[He is] not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash can like the rest of them! "

On the other hand, Willy had a wife and family that he took for granted and had nothing to his name. Every man has a different perception on how to attain the American dream and these two characters are prime examples of that. Willy Loman represents the hard working, lower class man. Willy believes that personality, and being well liked will bring him success. He tries to translate this onto his boys who would also be considered failures.

Arthur Miller’s play Death of A Salesman demonstrates the life of a man facing troubles within himself and society. A tragedy is the imitation of an action that arouses fear and pity. This play could be considered a tragedy because it depicts the downfall of a perfect family and outlines the deterioration of a man’s life. A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, is someone who exemplifies great importance or heroic qualities; however, Arthur Miller views the tragic hero as someone who struggles heroically with life. Using Arthur Miller’s definition, it can be determined that Willy Loman is a tragic hero. Even though Willy Loman does not fit the classical view of a tragic hero, he is in fact a modern day tragic hero because of his error in judgment, a reversal of fortune, and his excessive pride.

The familiar sense of monotony rolls over her as the routine journey down the darkened street begins. The stretch of road seems as unexciting as the last 100 times she’s walked down it. Her mind is occupied with the thoughts of her shift she just finished and how she is going to pay for this months rent with the boss ripping her off like this. The bins rattling in the distance barely register as the neighbours dog getting into the food scraps again. The only light illuminating the otherwise dark street is coming from the moon, and reminds her that the council still hasn’t come good with their promise to fix the lights. Distant yelling brings her attention to the outside world again. It’s coming from Robert’s house. He told her just before about

Willy Loman was a man who gradually destroyed himself with false hopes and beliefs. Throughout his entire life Willy believed that he would die a rich and successful man. It was inevitable for him to come crumbling down after years of disillusions. We can look at Willy’s life by examining some of his character traits that brought him down.

Abstract This essay will target the subject of the American Dream in regards to narcissism in the play Death of a Salesman. The goal is to uncover that the leading advocate, Willy Loman, approach of success in regards to the American Dream is narcissistic. This paper will touch this finding by first acknowledging how Willy’s concept of wealth is demonstrated, in the play, next we question how his conception of it can be observed from a self-centered outlook.

As though to recreate the connection in life, literature often shows the relationship between past events and a character’s present actions and values. In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy is haunted by memories of his older brother, father, and salesman Dave Singleman. Willy’s character and values are constantly influenced by the memory of the three men, compounding upon his deliria throughout the play. Willy considers these men the epitome of success, thus explaining his dependency on all three. Miller’s view on society, men, and the success of the American Dream are portrayed through Willy’s interactions with the men. The American Dream is synonymous with the phrase “the world is your oyster,” but Miller uses Death of a Salesman to criticize the American Dream through Willy Loman and his interplay between the past and present.

Willy Loman is a man on a mission. His purpose in life is to achieve a false sense of the "American Dream," but is this what Willy Loman really wants? In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller analyzes the American Dream by portraying to us a few days in the life of a washed up salesman named Willy Loman. The American Dream is a definite goal of many people, meaning something different to everyone. Willy's version is different from most people though; his is based more on being well-liked and achieving monetary successes rather than achieving something that will make him happy. Willy never becomes part of the "American Dream" because he never follows his true dreams and

Willy Loman’s feelings of alienation and loneliness are direct psychological results of his interaction with society and the conditions that are found within it.  Although, he does not necessarily have the ability or allow himself to have the ability to define his feelings as such, they are still very much a part of his everyday existence.  This is evident in his constant bragging and attempted compensation.  He does not feel that he is truly a part of society.  Indeed, he is not.  Miller himself seems to be saying that this is not necessarily a bad thing; this society is not that wonderful.  Yet Willy still yearns to be like his brother, Ben, and the other men he sees making

Willy Loman is a father in the play death of a salesman written by Arthur Miller. Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero is, “A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, a s having magnitude, complete in itself; in appropriate and pleasurable language;... in a dramatic rather than narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish a catharsis of these emotions.” This play is a tragedy because not only is it relatable but it shows many characteristics of a tragic hero. A tragic hero is someone who has excessive pride, intelligence, and is wounded spiritually or emotionally by decisions that either they made or a decision that is out of their control. “I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were.” This is a quote from Arthur Miller's essay. Arthur Miller believes that common man makes the best tragic hero because the common man shares the same struggles with everyone else. Willy loman is a tragic hero because not only is he a common man, he possess the will to make the audience sympathize with him throughout his greatest triumphs and downfalls. Willy is a tragic hero because he has excessive pride, he also makes the audience sympathize with him, and he is wounded spiritually or physically.

Through Ben, Miller’s play suggests that one must be ruthless, sometimes even wild, in order to achieve success. This very dynamic approach towards the American Dream is what makes Willy Loman envious of his brother’s success and machismo. The contrast between a passive approach and dynamic ambition towards the realization of the American Dream is the cause of rift in a brother relationship between Willy and Ben.