The play“Death of a Salesman” has a truthful title as that is what exactly happened in the end but there is more to it than the title. It has a lot more than just the death of a salesman. Written by Arthur Miller, he wrote this play and other plays as a result of seeing himself and his family struggle during the Great Depression. He also saw how other people struggled for success during the Great Depression and the aftermath of WWII. The play“Death of a Salesman” has a lot to offer from its different interesting characters, the themes it has, symbolism There a few themes in “Death of a Salesman”. Themes of being betrayed, being abandoned, and false hopes. The theme of betrayal is present throughout the whole story. Biff feels betrayed when …show more content…
This then leads Biff to give up on Willy’s ambitions for him. Willy then feels betrayed as Biff walks out on him. Throughout most of the book Willy feels betrayed by Biff until Hap introduces the idea of starting a business with Biff. This is where Willy felt the most proud of his son, that is until Biff reveals Bill didn’t even recognize him and he couldn’t even talk to him. There is also the theme of being abandoned. Willy is abandoned left and right in the story. When Willy was young, his father left him and Ben for Alaska, leaving Willy with nothing. Later Ben leaves to find their father, thus leaving Willy alone with his false ideas of success and insecurities. And later on Biff abandons Willy after finding out the lies Willy told him. Willy probably feared abandonment after seeing his father leave and his brother leave, which might explain why he was so devastated when Biff left “You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away - a man is not a piece of fruit.” Finally, another theme this play has are false hopes. The theme of false hopes is present in this story as it shows Willy’s …show more content…
The characters in the play have many traits that make them rounded and interesting. Willy is one of the most interesting characters in the story. In the play he is stubborn, prideful, insecure, arrogant, and delusional. Willy is a really stubborn as supported events throughout the story. Events like when he pushes Biff to lead a life of business and not the one Biff wants to pursue “How can he find himself on a farm? Is that life?”. Willy shows off his pride a lot in this play although it may be a way to hide his insecurities. He boasts of how well like he is throughout the many parts he visited as a salesman and how he is a successful salesman, which is not the truth. Willy is also insecure as he doubts himself and if he is a success or not “Ben, nothing’s working out. I don’t know what to do.” He asks more successful people in the story for advice in how they made their success. Willy tries to hide his insecurities with arrogance. When people question Willy’s choice he responds with arrogance such as the time when Bernard wanted Biff to study math with him because he was failing Willy responded by yelling at Bernard. Willy is also undoubtedly delusional. His delusions led him to the conclusion that he is a successful salesman and his sons are going to become a big success through being well liked. He believes people achieve success not through luck, ambition, hard work, or
At one point in the play, Willy says, “Biff is a lazy bum”(16). Moments later in the same conversation with Linda, Willy adds, “There’s one thing about Biff, he’s not lazy”(16). Even when confronted by his boys, Willy is unable to deal with the truth, that his sons won’t amount to very much at all. He ignores reality very well, and instead of pointing out that Biff hasn’t established himself yet, Willy tells Biff, “You’re well liked, Biff….And I’m telling you, Biff, and babe you want…”(26). The boys are clearly aware of their status and the status of their father, and Happy is found putting Willy’s personality in a nutshell, “Well, let’s face it: he’s [Willy] no hot-shot selling man. Except that sometimes, you have to admit he’s a sweet personality”(66). Obviously, Willie’s failure to bring up his children effectively, and his delusional thinking including denial of reality helps fortify his depleting condition and confusion.
Toward the end of the story, Willy realizes that his life is falling apart: Biff does not have a stable job or family, is making only commissions for his job, his refrigerator and car are in despair, and he talks to himself. Willy just cannot figure out what has gone wrong, especially with Biff who to him seemed so promising because of his good looks and his charm with others. When Biff comes home again, Willy gets real nervous and starts talking to himself (Act I. Scene I). He is stressed out that Biff has done nothing with his life so he starts seeing visions of the past. When Willy talks out loud while seeing visions, he is trying to discover where he went wrong as a person and father. To find where he went wrong he begins to ask anyone in visions or in person. One character that he frequently asks for advice throughout the drama is his older brother Biff (Gross, 319-321).
The relationship between Willy and Biff is complicated. Actually, Biff is everything for Willy. He doesn’t do well as a salesman anymore, so this situation makes him depressed but at least there is Biff. So Willy believes that Biff will reach the success and his dreams will become true. That makes him want Biff to take some responsibility, in other words this is a big pressure on Biff. “How can he find himself on a farm? Is that a life? A farmhand? In the beginning, when he was young, I thought, well, a young man, it’s good for him to tramp around, take a lot of different jobs. But it’s more than ten years now and he has yet to make thirty-five dollars a week!” says Willy and then Linda says “He is finding himself Willy.” Then Willy answers again “Not finding yourself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace!” This shows how Willy mad at him because he thinks they couldn’t reach their dreams because of Biff. Willy says “Sure. Certain men just don’t get started till later in life. Like Thomas Edison, I think. Or B.F. Goodrich. One of them was deaf. I’ll put my money
The play, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, takes issue with those in America who place too much stress upon material gain, at the expense of other, more admirable human values. Miller uses flashbacks to provide exposition, to foreshadow the upcoming tragedy, and most importantly to reveal character traits. An analysis of the main character, Willy Loman, illustrates the underlying theme that the concern over material success breaks down the bonds between men that form the basis of a smooth-functioning society.
The story ‘Death of a Salesman’ written by Miller focuses on a man doing all he can to allow him and his family to live the American dream. Throughout the story it is shown how the Loman’s struggle with finding happiness and also with becoming successful. Throughout their entire lives many problems come their way resulting in a devastating death caused by foolishness and the drive to be successful. Ever since he and his wife, Linda, met she has been living a sad and miserable life, because she has been trying support his unachievable goals. Also by him being naïve put his children’s lives in jeopardy and also made them lose sight of who they really were. Miller uses the Loman family to show how feeling the need to appear a certain way to the public and trying to live a life that is not really yours can turn into an American nightmare.
And such a hard worker. There’s something about Biff- he’s not lazy.” This is just of the many examples that shows that Willy is not stable. Willy doesn’t change because at the end of the play when Biff tries to confront Willy about his suicide attempt, Willy doesn’t do anything about it.
As a salesman, Willy shows he perceives himself highly when talking to Linda about his job: “I’m the New England man. I’m vital in New England” (14). One can also see Willy’s inflated sense of self-worth when he talks to his children about his job: “They know me, boys, they know me up and down New England... I have friends. I can park my car in any street in New England, and the cops protect it like their own” (31). However, even though he is extremely confident about his value as a salesman to his family, the reality of Willy’s reputation at his job is almost completely opposite: “I’m fat. I’m very—foolish to look at... they do laugh at me” (37). Although he essentially brags to his family about his expertise in business, Willy acknowledges the reality that his career is much less successful than he expects it to be. In fact, the inner turmoil inside of Willy from his unrealistic expectation of himself of being a fantastic salesman leads Willy to become mentally unhealthy, and eventually results in Willy committing suicide when he believes that he doesn’t have any self-worth anymore. Willy’s previous inflated self-worth is demonstrated yet again at his funeral, when no one shows up even though Willy thought he had a lot of friends from his job: “Why didn’t anybody come...
His constant obsession to achieve the American Dream throughout the play shows the inappropriate attitudes he has to becoming successful. He becomes so focused on building this well-liked reputation that the weaknesses he finds within himself overpowers his ability for greatness. This tragedy is a lesson for all who are striving to be successful in life. It is important to strive for prosperity but it is also important to stay true to ones self and not get too caught up in your desires. Willy is a prisoner within his own mind who so desperately wants to be set free, but lacks the ability to acknowledge and see his own faults and attributed his failures to others rather than
Willy is an unsuccessful character whom has the false illusion that he is successful. Willy wishes to be successful and have a lifetime of happiness for himself and his family. He used to work for his friend who had passed away. However, his old boss’s son took over the company and hired Willy to travel for work with no pay.
Later in a flashback, Willy and Biff are on their way to Ebbets Field for a football game when Charley appears and beings a conversation with Willy. Merely joking around, Charley makes a few comments which Willy takes great offense too and beings insulting Charley and telling him to put his hands up as if to fight. Willy's arrogance shows it's face once again when Willy is talking to Biff about his meeting with Oliver. Completly ignoring what Biff is saying, Willy goes on about how good of a kid Biff is and how impressive he is. Though not directly insulting, Willy ignores what his son has to say and goes off on his own tangents, losing the respect of the reader. Willy then ends up in another flashback in the bathroom of the restauraunt where he met Happy and Biff for dinner. The most disgusting part of Willy is revealed here. Biff walks in on Willy and his woman friend whom hes had a secret relationship with. Willy attempts to cover it up and when that doesnt work he orders Biff around and shows how bad of a person he can be.
This marks the moral low point for Willy in the play because up to that point, Biff saw Willy as a caring, honest and loving father. However, his integrity is compromised and his ability to be honest with himself and with others is severely damaged. This is when Biff begins to look at is life in a new light, “Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be” (Miller 446). Biff has tried to live up to a false version of himself that his father created for him. He finally comes to terms with the fact that his father’s views of success for him were just
Failures in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Arthur Miller develops a number of significant and central themes throughout the play using techniques such as characterization, setting and language. The best explored theme in the play is the theme of failure and disappointments. ' Death of a Salesman' is a modern day play about a salesman, Willy Loman, his life and his failures in a success driven society and world. He is a victim of "The American Dream" destroyed by false promises and ideals. As the play unravels we realize that he more than just a financial failure but also socially, personally and morally.
All Willy really wants is to be a part of his son’s lives and, Miller shows this by the example of when in the play Biff comes home to recollect himself, Willy seems to think this as a failure because he would rather see his eldest son be likely more successful rather than his youngest, Happy. Hereafter, Willy tries to take matter into his own hands, ‘I’ll get him a job selling, he could be big in no time’, he says to Linda (1215). Partially due to Willy’s consistency in Biff’s life conflicts start to erupt more partially to do with the fact being that they had different ideas of what the ‘American Dream” really is. With Biff believing that the most inspiring job to a man is working outdoors, his father disregarded by saying that working on the road selling was the greatest job a man could possibly have (1276).
An individual’s ability to successfully recognize the reality from illusions is significantly influenced by their understanding of themselves. Many choose to use self-perception to prevent themselves from the realization of living through self-deception. However, in Arthur Miller’s modern play, Death of a Salesman, Miller explores the relationship between self-deception and reality through the character development of Biff Loman. Initially, Biff’s perception of himself is tremendously influenced by his father, Willy Loman, who unknowingly, lives a life full of illusions. As a result, these illusions prompt Willy to set unrealistic expectations for Biff. However, as the play progresses, Biff realizes the impracticality of these expectations
The play "Death of a Salesman" shows the final demise of Willy Loman, a sixty-