Death Of A Salesman Rhetorical Analysis

Author Miller's Death of a Salesman is plain and simply a call for everyday American's to wake up and take a glimpse at the reality that could befall them, with the wrong ideals. It is not difficult to decipher the type of character Willy Loman is, nor is the play analytically or rhetorically written, for that very reason. Aside from the plain text Miller further goes on to evoke a call to action to his audience through his saturation of symbolism. Everyday items, such as gardening seeds, stockings, sneakers and a rubber hose that would normally mean nothing, become symbols that further the development of Willy Loman's character, and provide us with knowledge of his past, his present, and his impending downfall in the near future.

The passage Everyman introduces both allegorical characters Goods and Good Deeds. The passage focuses on the good and evil deeds of every man, which is reflected on the life of the character, Everyman. In the play, the account book is represented as the list of good and bad deeds. In connection with the account book, Goods represents possessions and riches, as stated in play, “Nay, not so, I am too brittle, I may not endure:”, meaning valuable objects are not as strong as the good in oneself(line 425). Goods represent the appearance of someone on the outside and not their character in general, connecting with one's sins in the account book. On the other hand, Good Deeds represents the good in someone, for example the character Good Deeds state's,

This lack of awareness on Willy’s part that he was focusing on the wrong dream--the desire to make money--caused Willy intense displeasure in his work later in life. This misguided path to personal happiness not only interfered with Willy’s life decisions, but it drastically affected Biff and Happy’s perception of success because Willy did not stand up for what he truly believed. This is most easily seen when Biff comes home with a football and Willy--though he is fully aware that Biff stole the sports equipment--fails to warn Biff about the dire consequences of such actions and brushes the issue off. Time and time again, Willy ignores Biff’s record of thievery until he is informed that the police are after Biff for theft. “Shut up! He’s not stealing anything!” (51) Willy denies not only any wrongdoing on Biff and Happy’s part but as well as on his part as a parent, just as he did when Biff stole the football. “Loaded with it. Loaded! What is he stealing? He’s giving it back, isn’t he? Why is he stealing? What did I tell him? I never in my life told him anything but decent things.” (41) This animosity towards theft is countered by Willy’s earlier comment when he faced a scenario where Biff stole a ball from school and Willy somewhat willingly went along with the idea. “Willy, examining the new ball: Where’d you get a new ball? Biff: The coach told me to practice my passing. Willy: That so? And

Willy is unable to accept reality. In his eyes he is living a horrible life with a dead-end job that is going nowhere. He perceives himself as a failure as a father because he cannot provide for his family and therefore he sees himself as a loser. Throughout the play, you can easily sense Willy’s unstable relationship with his family especially his eldest son, Biff. This constant tension with Biff is noticeable within the first act of the play and it is not until later on in a flashback, the audience learns that Willy once cheated on his wife and Biff found out about it. This family conflict, and Willy’s personal concepts on what makes a man successful, adds to his strive to be great and make up for his past. It is not his intentions that are weak, but the way he approaches

The play surrounds the Loman family, specifically the relationship between Willy Loman, the husband to Linda Loman, father to Happy and Biff Loman. The relationship between Willy and Biff Loman are intensely similar to the relationship between Troy and Cory Maxson in the play Fences. Biff has this amazing offer to go play college football and Willy is there the whole way boosting him up. Until Biff fails a class and goes to see Willy working a sales job and finds him cheating on his mother, Linda. When willy offers to help with the school situation, Biff just says “never mind” (Miller 438). This moment was the beginning of all the dreams Biff had, all the respect and love for Willy, all died. Years later, Biff pops back into town causing constant fire between the two. Biff tries for Willy’s sake and tries to go for a sales position but realizes as he was leaving the office building he thought “I saw the things that I love in this world. The work and the food and time to sit and smoke. And I looked at the pen and said to myself, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be” (Miller 446)? Biff feels like Willy screwed him over in life, telling Willy “I never got anywhere because you blew me full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody” (446)! Biff begs Willy to let him go and to “take that phony dream and burn it before something happens” (447). These dreams and

Willy gives them mixed signals on what the dream is about. “Ben, becomes the measure of success and manhood for his sons to live up to” (Ribkoff). Ben is what success looks like so in Willy’s mind Ben is a true incarnation of the American Dream. Ben isn’t though, he is just a very selfish and greedy person who go very lucky. This causes the boys to have completely different attitudes towards Willy. When Biff is in high school, Willy tells him not to worry about working hard in school, even though he is failing math, and is at risk of losing three scholarships. Because as long as he is well-liked he will be fine. “What’re you talking about? With scholarships to three universities they’re gonna flunk him?” (Miller 744). Willy doesn’t teach his boys about the importance of education and how it could help them achieve “the dream”. Biff further realizes how wrong his father is about his beliefs when he finds Willy cheating on Linda with one of his clients. Biff calls Willy a “phony little fake” (Miller 795) when he realizes that his father’s idea of success is all wrong. So he ends up resenting Willy for feeding him his false ideas all throughout his childhood. Happy is a completely different case. Willy and Linda never play much attention to Happy. They focus on Biff, so Happy tries to get their attention and gain their approval at all costs. All throughout the play he says things like “I’m losing weight, you

At the end of the play, Biff tells Willy that he is going to pursue his dreams of working outdoors. Willy delusionally deceives himself that his son is lying, believing that Biff will eventually become extremely successful in the business industry. Willy states, “Can you imagine the magnificence with twenty thousand dollars in his pocket?” (Miller 108). The antagonist, obsessed with his son’s success, commits suicide in an attempt to obtain life insurance money that will help his son open a successful business.

Willy can’t understand how “In the greatest country in the world a young man with such personal attractiveness, gets lost.” (16). Almost as an afterthought he adds, “And such a hard worker. There’s one thing about Biff, he’s not lazy” (16). Willy’s confusion comes from his own mixed-up values, which are in contrast to the American work ethic. For example, Willy prefers Swiss over American cheese (16), a symbol that he really doesn’t understand or accept the qualities he needs to be successful in America. Willy can’t even stand the effects or price of success. He resents growth and competition, which he calls “maddening” (17), and keeps finding excuses for his and Biff’s failures. He can’t seem to move beyond 1928, which comes just before the Great Depression, itself a real symbol of the failure of the American Dream. And Biff carries on his father’s legacy: “He has succeeded less, and his dreams are stronger and less acceptable” (19) than his brother’s. But even Happy, who wants to “show some of those pompous, self-important executives . . . that Hap Loman can make the grade” (24), agrees with Biff that “the trouble is we weren’t brought up to grub for money” (24).

Willy was a vindictive father who tried to seem successful despite working in a dead-end job despite having the availability to work a different job under his friend, Charley. This source of conflict among the family generated conflict between father and son because of the ideas presented by Willy. He thought Biff needs a stationary job to be successful and earn money this job Willy thought of for Biff was meant to help him and the family pay off bills, own the house, etc. This ideal vision of Willy’s is in deep contrast to his current state of financial struggles. Because of Willy’s current state of being unsettled and lacking a stable career, he was attempting to coerce Biff to get a job as a salesman. This was contradictory to the desires of Biff and in addition to the family’s low-income household, caused trepidation and anger in their household. The meaning of the work emphasizes family issues and this duration of economic hindrances causes more pain and adversities. The significance of the failed American dream presented by Willy shows the detriment that follows and how this damage can cause impairment onto his

But despite his hopes, Biff never becomes successful and Bernard does. Even Willy compares them, asking Bernard why Biff never made it. Unfortunately Willy, even at the end of his life, so easily slips back into his hopes that Biff will be successful. These false hopes are also reoccurring. As the reader continues through the play, they discover more and more that Willy is fooling even himself with his memories.

Reality conflicts with Willy’s hopes. Throughout his life, Willy has held himself to such high standards that he refuses to accept denial and or failure. By the time the play opens, Willy is suffering from crippling self-pity. He is so focused on succeeding that he can’t maintain a constant fantasy. At one point Willy calls Biff (Willy’s son) a lazy bum and just days later proceeds to tell him that he’s anything but lazy. In another instance, he calls the family car a piece of trash one day and “It’s the finest car every Built.” Denying Biff’s laziness allows Willy to hold on to the notion that someday Biff will eventually exceed his fathers expectations. Willy is constantly changing his interpretation of reality based on his psychological needs at the moment. When Willy was much younger

Willy demands this narrow outlook of life success upon his sons. Not interested in the idea of starting a business like his father pressures him to, Biff fights for a simpler life, which ultimately causes Willy to hit rock bottom. Willy has a complete misconception of life, due to his incapability to come in touch with his intellectual side. Happy, who follows in his father’s footsteps unlike Biff, finds himself unhappy with his decisions.

Willy boastfully broadcasts to Happy and Biff, “Almighty God you’re both built like Adonises.” (1853). Willy also tells his sons that “the man, who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead” (1853). This breeds a sense of self-entitlement in both Happy and Biff; consequently, they do not assert much effort in becoming successful. Happy has committed himself to making a mere seventy dollars a week, and Biff is content with allowing his talents to fade by becoming a farmhand. Throughout the play there is a strained relationship between Willy and his sons. As children, the boys seemed so enamored by their father. However, as adults, the boys realize their father is not the great, well liked man he portrays. This realization seems to cause a bit of resentment, especially for Biff, as he is reminded by his mother that, “… he’s your father and you pay him that respect, or else you don’t come here” (1864). Equally, Happy, exhibits disregard for his father when he is asked if he is going to leave his father at the restaurant to which he replies, “No, that is not my father. He’s just a guy” (1893). It is this blatant rejection from his own sons that illustrate Willy’s failings as a

Willy has a series of delusions throughout the book, a memorable one being when he imagines his dead friend Ben and talks to him about his dreams of doing it big in business. This shows how delusional he is because not only is he talking about making it big when he’s already past his prime, but the very person he’s talking to died years ago and is not even listening to him. Furthermore, he lives his life telling lies to himself and those around him. For example, he lies to his wife about how much money he makes when everyone knows it’s not much. When Biff refuses to go to college, Willy tells people he has no idea why. This is a lie because he knows Biff didn’t go out of spite for his father’s affair. He believes Biff to be a top salesman, when he knows he was only a shipping clerk. As the play goes on, it seems life Willy’s life is going through a downward spiral. He loses his grip on time and reality, essentially coming face to face with the reality of his sad life. At this point, a lot of the questionable things that Willy does are just to escape. His mistress gives him a new world to explore and an ego boost that he desperately needs. Of course, his final escape is the ultimate one - suicide. At his funeral, his friend Charley says that part of being a salesman is having a dream, and another part is selling yourself. Willy essentially sold himself because one of the

Willy Loman caused the anxiety and suffering of numerous characters throughout the play with one of them being Biff Loman, Willy’s eldest son. For instance, “Willy: Biff Loman is… in no time,” (Miller 8). In the beginning of the play, Willy brings up the fact that Biff has been working on the farm making less than 35 dollars a week. Willy is struggling to discern why Biff has not become lucrative yet since he is attractive and a hard worker, which are both critical traits needed to succeed and achieve the American Dream according to Willy. Willy presumes that Biff is lost and doesn’t know how to succeed so he suggests the idea that Biff should become a salesman since Willy believes a salesman will cause anyone to become successful. Moreover,