preview

What Is Willy Loman's Suicide

Decent Essays
Open Document

The play Death of a Salesman, by playwright Arthur Miller, portrays the arrival of a salesman by the name of Willy Loman (Miller, 1949). Willy Loman is getting older, and after another unsuccessful sale, he is starting to show his age (Miller, 1949). Willy begins to encounter the inability to remember events and setting apart past memories from present ones. Willy throughout the play talks out loud to himself, reliving some scenes from his past; memories of his two sons growing up and conversations with his wife about his job (Miller, 1949). Willy Loman is in constant constant conflict with his sons as they each have a different take on what it means to have lived a successful life. After getting fired, Willy now is at a loss and he begins to plummet into past memories. By the end of the play, Willy Loman commits suicide in hopes his life insurance can provide some relief for his family. The story analyzes the rapid loss of one man’s identity and his struggle to accept change in not only himself, but also the change the …show more content…

Everyone wants to stay young and beautiful. When individuals are approaching or have reached their “halfway” points in their life, they begin to question their life decisions and attempt to make amends for past mistakes. For example, Willy wanted in the end to make sure there was enough money left to take care of his wife and sons with whatever future needs they might have since he was the sole reason for their economic struggles to being with. People want to make the most of their lives, they want to ensure any pain or struggles they have gone through were worth it. And when it seems that our struggles were not worth the effort, just like Willy, people often partake in reminiscing in the past, and/or partake in some activity (alcoholism or drugs) to cope with our struggles and escape our

Get Access