How Does Willy Loman Use Order And Disorder In Death Of A Salesman

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).

“We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house.” This quote is said by Biff Loman himself. Willy Loman is the father of Biff and Happy Loman, and the husband of Linda. The Loman’s are an average working class American family. In the play, The Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, the Loman’s go through very difficult circumstances throughout the play. These circumstances are not exactly obvious but they are shown throughout the play. The Loman’s are a very dysfunctional family, they are not able to be honest with one another, and also it is very difficult for them to get along. Lastly, Biff and Happy’s father Willy Loman has his mind set on the American dream also

    In Arthur Miller's play, Death of a Salesman, a major theme and source of conflict is the Loman family's lack of morality.  This is particularly evident in the father, Willy Loman.  Willy has created a world of questionable morality for himself and his family.  In this world, he and his sons are men of greatness that "have what it takes" to make it in the competitive world of business.  In reality, Willy’s son Biff is a drifter and a thief, his son Hap is continually seducing women with lies, while Willy does not treat his wife with respect and lies to everyone.

In the play “Death of a Salesman”, by Arthur Miller, the primary theme can be seen as a conflict between man and society. In which the ambition to achieve the “American Dream” controls the life of Willy Loman and the influences he has. When success is not reached, sends Willy’s mind on a mental ride.

Happy Loman is the younger Loman brother and lacks any sense of will or poetic want of freedom like his older brother, Biff. Happy has always stayed close to home due to his Oedipal Complex. Happy idolized his father growing up which led him to seek similar career opportunities and indulge in Delusions of Grandeur. Happy often lies to not only make himself feel more important, but to impress other people,

        Willy is also a very stubborn man.  He is like a little child who wants to do something his way even though he knows that another option would be the wiser choice.  Charley practically sets a potential job into Willy’s lap and Willy refuses it.  Willy was just fired and needs a job.  He then refuses one.  Willy is too stubborn to let go of his old job (which he no longer has) and take a new one.  He still believes that he is at the top of his profession.  When Willy does not get his way he acts just as a child would.  He has tantrums such as when he basically challenged Charley to a fight after Charley told him to grow up, “if you say that to me again I’ll rap you one” (Miller 97)!    Biff is also stubborn like his father.  He never gives up being a child.  He steals and lies. Biff cannot handle being ignored, so he steals a pen. “I don’t know what came over me, Hap...I took his fountain pen” (Miller 104).  Willy’s childlike stubbornness hampers him throughout his life.

But whenever something bad is happening willys way of dealingwith the sition is to panic then have another flashback as if whenever a situation that happens and herealizes he's failed as a farther and as a sails man it repeats again. Willy wasn't the best father figure and doesn't discipline biff for stealing and teaches wrong to berough with the girls. The biggest teaching that willy pushed in to his sons is to be “well-liked” is mostimportant thing in being a man because “one can be liked but well liked” (--). Since Willy filled Biff“full of hot

Willy Loman is an old salesman (63 years old) who is no longer able to earn a living. He receives only a small commission as he ages, and he slowly loses his mind and attempts to kill himself by inhaling gas from the water heater or from crashing his Studebaker. Dave Singleman is his role model, he wants to become well liked and rich. He spends most of his time dreaming instead of doing anything to improve his life. He is obsessed with the post-war interpretation of the American Dream. In the end, he kills himself by crashing his car, hoping to get the life insurance money for his family.

The play begins with Willy as the antagonist, fighting with his wife Linda and a generally mean person. He insults his sons and scolds Linda for buying the wrong cheese. Willy shows his biggest personality flaws early on in the story; contradicting his own thoughts, being verbally abusive, and showing his over developed sense of pride. Willy loses

He starts to have delusions. One of Willy’s major delusions in the play is his illusion of Ben. It is explained in the play that Ben is Willy’s wealthy older brother but died recently. So for most of the play, Willy has been talking to himself. He sees Ben as a symbol of success that he wishes that his family had mirrored.

This is what Willy has been trying to emulate his entire life. Willy's need to feel well-liked is so strong that he often makes up lies about his popularity and success. At times, Willy even believes these lies himself. At one point in the play, Willy tells his family of how well-liked he is in all of his towns and how vital he is to New England. Later, however, he tells Linda that no one remembers him and that the people laugh at him behind his back. As this demonstrates, Willy's need to feel well-liked also causes him to become intensely paranoid. When his son, Biff, for example, is trying to explain why he cannot become successful, Willy believes that Biff is just trying to spite him. Unfortunately, Willy never realizes that his values are flawed. As Biff points out at the end of the play, "he had the wrong dreams."

Willy typically recollects on past events or key points in his past to distract himself from current events. This is first seen in the opening scene of the play, “So I went on again – and five minutes later I’m dreamin’ again,” (14). From this the reader can comprehend Willy’s difficulty with focusing on something. There are many other point throughout the play in which Willy experiences an event that relates with his nonfulfillment that sends him recollecting into the past, such as when Biff steals the pen and Willy starts remembering the time he flunked math, “No, no! You had to go and flunk math!”

The boys are clearly not at all fully functioning adults because of their upbringing throughout their life. Another major issue in the play with the father/son relationship between Willy and his sons is the amount of love shown towards them. The continuous support from growing up had molded the Lomans into men who always fled back home whenever a problem approached. Biff says to Willy, ‘I never got anywhere because you blew me so full of hot air I could not stand taking orders from anybody!’ (1275). The Loman brothers were babied so much all through their

  Willy Loman, the title character of the play, Death of Salesman, exhibits all the characteristics of a modern tragic hero. This essay will support this thesis by drawing on examples from Medea by Euripedes, Poetics by Aristotle, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, while comments by Moss, Gordon, and Nourse reinforce the thesis.