Dreams and Success in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman Essay

Willy’s biggest issue with his son is that he let him down by not being any more successful than him. He feels like Biff is failing on purpose just to make him look bad. Although, he has no decent job and is single; Biff has become disoriented about life. Earlier in the play Biff tells Happy, “I tell ya Hap, I don't know what the future is. I don't know - what I'm supposed to want” (Miller266). Biff once looked up to his father as a role model, but lost all faith in him once finding out that he was having an affair. Ever since he has rejected Willy’s commitment of being a husband and also a father. To add to his ruins are Willy’s ideas of how Biff should get ahead in life. Willy taught Biff that popularity was the right way to get to the top, rather than hard-work and dedication. Trying to live by his dad’s standards caused Biff to fail high school and become unable to put forth the effort to become

Whilst Linda is their mother, and her relationship with her sons is one based on love, she acts primarily to defend Willy’s image, at least inside the Loman household. Linda takes this to such wild extremes, “Biff, dear, if you don't have any feeling for him [Willy], then you can't have any feeling for me,” essentially rejecting her own son’s affections if he refuses to accept his father, going so far as to imply disowning “then make Charley your father.” Such blind devotion from Linda can also be seen when she makes more excuses for Willy against criticism from his sons, “the man is exhausted”, it is also made clear that Linda is aware that Willy isn’t perfect, “he’s not the finest character that ever lived” yet still she defends him to the end, by making excuses for Willy, Linda somewhat justifies his irrational behaviour. Linda calls Biff a “philandering bum” comparing he and Happy to the “ungrateful bastards” who rejected Willy, in her eyes, they are as much to blame as the company which turned its back on one of its oldest salesmen- rather than accept that Willy is a poor salesman she deludes herself into thinking it’s entirely the fault of the corporate world.

However, as the audience continues to watch the family conversations unravel, we realize that not everything is as perfect as it seems. Biff, the eldest son, has

Great writers develop great character. In “Death of a Salesman”, Arthur Miller takes the life of an elder man, Willy Loman, and reveals Willy’s past through his flashbacks to show a character downfall. Willy Loman strives to become a successful salesman and for people to like him very much, but as Willy gets older the business world changes and Willy’s once successful business life goes downhill. Through Willy, Miller portrays an unsuccessful American dream. With the downfall of Willy Loman, along with the characterization of Willy Loman, the symbols, and the irony in “Death of a Salesman”; Arthur Miller presents the American dream of Willy Loman, to become prosperous as a salesman through his kind heart, and also shows how not all American dreams turn out successful.

Willy's close friend Charlie on the other hand, despite his seemingly ordinary lifestyle, enjoys far better success compared to the Lomans. Charlie differs to his friend considerably: he is financially secure whereas Willy can barely afford to pay the next gas bill. Similarly, Charlie never indoctrinated his son, Bernard, with the same enthusiasm as Willy. Subsequently, Charlie stands for different beliefs to Willy and, ironically, ends up far more successful. He is a voice of reason for his friend but is only useful if Willy follows his advice. Instead, Willy's proud and stubborn nature ensures that he will never accept Charlie's many

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “It’s not about the destination, it’s the journey.” Often, this bit of transcendent knowledge is applied to movies, television, and literature. In the case of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” we see the journey of Willy Loman, as his self-created deception about life and his children are shattered by the harshness of reality. In this essay, we will explore the fall of Loman, and what meaning it brings to the novel.

Equally as damaging, the Loman family lacks the ability to make the necessary and suitable choices to pursue the American Dream. Although Willy is skillful with his hands and believes "a man who can't handle tools is disgusting," he chooses a lifetime career as a salesman, based on the fanciful image of his father who abandoned Willy as a child and on the image of an 84-year-old salesman who dies alone in a train car to Boston. Willy takes pride in the craftsmanship he put into their house, yet believes a salesman such as his father is "better than a carpenter." Furthermore, he questions the purpose of building because "some stranger'll come along, move in, and that's that." Ironically, Willy is a better carpenter than a salesman. He boasts on what an impact he makes on his clients, but in reality one of the reasons he has a sexual rendezvous with a secretary is to get through to the buyers. Willy makes another poor choice because of his hubris, or false pride, when he turns down Charley's job offer. Similarly, false pride and the inability to make appropriate choices lead to Hap and Biff choosing unsuitable occupations.

The “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, uses characters such as Willy Loman, Linda Loman, and Biff Loman to represent sacrifice, honor, and a sense of reality. Throughout the play, these concepts are developed through these characters and relationships, which have an impact on the outcome of the story. The interactions of these characters, promotes self-awareness and understanding of one’s limitations. The

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.

Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” takes place in New York City in the late 1940’s. This play chronicles the life of Willy Loman, who often reflects upon his life and the decisions he has made. Miller characterizes Willy as guilt-stricken by his decisions and driven for his children to achieve wealth and success through the use of symbolism, idioms, and similes.

One person that contributed to Willy’s demise was Biff, who failed his father by being unsuccessful. Out of two sons that Willy had, Biff was the favored

Throughout the play, Biff undergoes a process in which different phases appears: The first is young he is intelligent, bold, and aggressive, likes sports and idolizes his father. Sees in him a successful professional, a person who can speak. He has great admiration for his father but greater the fall when he discovers his father infidelity when he goes to Boston. The second is that which is seen in almost all the work, is that of a failed Biff. The above is the dreamer Biff, as Willy a dreamer, hopeful. But in this phase he is representing the failure of Willy. The third is the Biff redeemed because he realizes who he is and there is a change. This happens when going to see Mr. Oliver, and he realizes that he has always lived in some kind of a dream.

Ben Loman is Willy’s older brother. Ben left the family to search for his father in Alaska when Willy was

The beginning of Miller’s play presents Willy Loman, a failed salesman that is continually putting pressure on his children to get better jobs and make more money. Willy’s pursuit of the American Dream exploits Biff and Happy as a type of retirement plan in this materialistic mindset: “You’ll retire me for life on seventy goddamn dollars a week?” (Miller 28). In this way, Willy views Biff as being weaker than

Previous to his encounter with the woman, Willy is feeling low about himself during a conversation with Linda, “I’m fat. I’m very - foolish to look at…”(Miller 37). The flashbacks with the woman come at times when Willy is feeling unsatisfactory. She gives him the surge of self-confidence.