Death of a Salesman Essay

Throughout his life, Willy Loman thinks of himself as well-liked in the play "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller. It is the most important attribute to him. Willy lived his life thinking he had thousands of friends all over the New England territory and that he would be recognized anywhere he would go. He boasts this to his sons and they think he is the greatest man on Earth. He raises his two sons, Biff and Happy, to be well-liked and Willy does not care about their grades. He believes they will be better prepared for the business world if they are well-liked, and does not think education matters as much as personality, appearance, and physical skill. Although he has set high standards for sons, his morals are being well-liked, he

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 other characters have no real interaction with Willy that would allow for development. During Willy's first flashback, Bernard appears only to remind Biff of the Regents exam. Willy refers to Bernard as a "pest" and an "anemic," and Biff mimics his father by saying that Bernard is "liked, but not well liked."

We are first introduced to Willy Loman at age 60 as he returns home early from a sales trip. This is also where we get the initial glimpse of Willy’s dementia as he tells Linda, his wife, what happened during his trip. Willy’s two sons, Biff and Happy, are also present in another part of the house trying to ignore what is happening downstairs. The first backwards slide into memory that takes place not only reinforces that Willy is dealing with dementia, but also highlights the weak moral character he possesses. As the play continues, both the dementia and weak moral character are highlighted in Willy’s own experiences and memories along with being reflected in both sons in separate ways.

The Death of a Salesman is a play written by Arthur Miller, a playwriter who specializes in tragedy. Miller believes that a tragic king isn't tragic because we're not in those times anymore and should write stories based solely upon today's tragedies. Throughout this play, Willy is faced with today's daily challenges and suffers immensely due to it. This meets every aspect of Miller's ideas on tragedy. I may not totally agree with Miller's version of a tragic hero but for the most part, I believe that Willy fits the image of a tragic hero. Very well, given the tragedy Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman meets Miller's theory on tragedy mainly because he is an everyday person with everyday struggles. Yet, he is not tragic for most people because of his lack of morals.

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.

When Charley exclaims, “Fine, I’ll leave”, Willy declares, “You’re such a moron” (Miller 47), calling Charley a name because he didn’t like how Charley was playing cards. Then Linda says, “Oliver always thought the highest of him-”, Willy asserts, “Will you let me speak” (Miller 65), yelling at his wife Linda for no reason she just wants to help but Willy can’t see that at all.   After Biff claims, “I was hoping not to go out this way”, Willy assert, “May you rot in hell if you leave this house” (Miller 129),  unable comprehend that Biff wants him to own up to his mistakes and to tell Linda about the affair.

One could belive that every time somethig bad would happen to him he blamed everyone else but himself. Willy felt so much pressure to pay off the house dept. Making the house dept play a huge role in this play. He put so much pressure on himself and with him not doing so well at work he became so frustrated and angry. He broke his wedding vows with the woman he promised to spend the rest of his life

Still wishing to be successful for his kids, he begins to lie to them and himself that he is a world renowned salesman. In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Miller utilizes the hallucinations, flashbacks, misfortune, and suicide of Willy Loman in order to demonstrate the road one may go down as they deal with the uncontrolled downward spiral through depression and denial. Willy’s inability to handle the stress of his failure as a father and businessman leads him to his suicidal thoughts and tendencies. From the beginning of the play, “Willy’s apparent obsession with suicide” has been clear (Domina). The play opens as he explains to his wife, Linda, that while driving home, he “couldn’t drive anymore” (Miller 5).

Willy Loman is a troubled and misguided man - a salesman and a dreamer with an extreme preoccupation with his own definition of success. Willy feels that physical impact is greater than the elements of his self-defined success. However, it is apparent that Willy Loman is no successful man, even by the audience's standards. He is still a travelling salesman in his sixties with no stable location or occupation, but clings on to his dreams and ideals. He compares his sons with Bernard, using him as a gauge of success. Nonetheless, he stays in the belief that his sons are better than Bernard. Willy recollects the neighbourhood years ago, and reminisces working for Frank Wagner, although he was also in the same condition then as now. He feels that the older Wagner appreciated him more, yet it was himself who voted Howard in. Arthur Miller presents Willy as a man with great bravado but little energy left to support it. He is always tired and has dementia, contradicting himself in his conversations and showing some memory loss, living in his world of illusions and delusions. He argues with Biff, both men without knowing why. The two sons of Willy display the physical appearance of adulthood, but their talk and attitude displays immaturity. Billy finds that he is a failure because of his lack of `success', while Happy thinks he is unfulfilled because he lacks failure.

Throughout this play Miller portrays his main character, Willy Loman, as senile, unsuccessful and slightly insane. Willy’s deranged personality is in part because his father abandoned him at a young age. Willy also feels abandoned by his cherished brother Ben. Ben went off to become a big success and rich. Willy sees this and it helps lead him to feel inadequate as a man

I agree that most of the characters in the play are shadows of Willy’s psyche and character. There’s Ben who is his older brother that made it rich at 21 years old; and he looks up upon as a financial measure of status. Then there’s his son Biff who he puts on a pedestal at times and is trying to have him live up to all his dreams he had for himself.

The flashbacks of Willy’ life are significant to his downfall. Memories of failure and regrets can rule their life with negativity and that is what happened to Willy. Because of this, he loses his identity and goals in life. Willy is unable to accept change and is hurts him through out the story.

The Presentation of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Willy Loman is presented as both a tragic hero and an unconscious victim in "Death of a Salesman". "Death of a Salesman" is very much based upon the American Dream, and whether we are slaves or conquerors of this dream. This is an idea that the playwright Arthur Miller has very passionately pursued both through Willy's own eyes, and through his interaction with the different characters in the play. Firstly, the definitions of a hero and a victim very much influence the way that Willy is viewed by the audience.

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.