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Social issues in the death of a salesman
Death of a salesman character development
How death of a salesman reflects the american society
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Professor Dela Cusack English 61 6 December 2016 Failure Does deep gratification brings jubilation? If so, then why in the book of Death of Salesman, did Willy the character have a ruination? What was his collapse? Willy emphasized three attributes; pride, being unrealistic, and having a fixation of the past tone his downfall. Pride is shown to be shameful in the book, for Willy establish to solely to mean that. Willy told Charley “ I can't work for you, that’s all, don’t ask me why”(98). Accepting the offer to work would make it known that he is inferior, and conceal to Charley of getting fired. Since he lost his job as a salesman, he would rather ask Charley for loans of fifty dollars each week in order to pay his …show more content…
Next, another key factor to Willy’s downfall is the fixation he has about the past. In believing that every person he meets adores him, and his son Biff becoming someone in life; besides, still thinking he is a great salesman. Willy said, “ They don't need me in New York. I'm the New England man.I’m vital in New England” (14). In New England, it's necessary for Willy to be territory rather than in New York. Willy is just reminded of his past, for his self-deception to make it known that he is a critical proletariat on the business firm he works at. Even though he cannot acquire customers to buy the products he sells, yet his chief executive Howard Wagner does not pay his salary or commission unless he produces sales. Also, Willy Soleman is living life in delusion. He wanted Biff to achieve the goal of being that big-time football player he was set out to be. Even though, Biff ended up being a failure and it all started when he flunked math in high school, then stole from his bosses and couldn't keep a job, then ended up going to jail. Hence, Willy does not face the reality of his son’s failure, due to the fact that he likes living in his fantasy of Biff still having the opportunity of
“BIFF [crying, broken]: Will you let me go for Christ’s sake? Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens?” By saying this Biff tries to address his family on the giant rift between Willy’s dreams for him and reality. He tries to explain that all he wants is for Willy to let go of those dreams and high standards he has set for him so he can create his own reality rather than fulfill his father's dream. Willy's dreams for Biff were very unrealistic for the reality of his situation,which caused him to fill unsuccessful and push himself away from his father. The reason Willy wanted his children to do so well and had such big dreams for them was because he wasn't able to achieve the dream and had a fear he had failed and so he wanted to force his dream to be fulfilled by his children. Therefore, due to Willy’s wildly unrealistic amount of pride, causing him to make poor decisions, betray his family by having a mistress and finally his unrealistic dreams for his sons, he paved his way towards his failure and his deep fear of isolation and
At the beginning of the play it is evident that he cannot determine the realities of life, and so he repeatedly contradicts himself to establish that his conclusion is correct and opinion accepted. These numerous contradictions demonstrate that Willy is perturbed of the possibility that negative judgements may come from others. Willy strongly believes that “personality always wins” and tells his sons that they should “be liked and (they) will never want”. In one of Willy’s flashbacks he recalls the time when his sons and him were outside cleaning their Chevy. Willy informs Biff and Happy the success of his business trips and how everyone residing in Boston adores him. He mentions that due to the admiration of people he does not even have to wait in lines. He ultimately teaches his sons that being liked by others is the way to fulfilling one’s life and removing your worries. These ideals, that one does not need to work for success, demonstrate Willy’s deluded belief of achieving a prosperous life from the admiration and acceptance of others. This ultimately proves to be a false ideology during his funeral, when an insufficient amount of people arrive. Willy constantly attempts to obtain other’s acceptance through his false tales that depict him as a strong, successful man. In the past, he attempts to lie to his wife, Linda, about the amount of wealth he has attained during his
In a flashback Willy has, it is shown that Willy jokes about Charley’s son, Bernard, a “nerd” who helps Biff with his math so he doesn’t fail, by claiming that despite Bernard being smart, he will not get far in life because he is not as “liked: as Biff, who at the time was a football star. After Biff saw his father with is mistress, he began viewing his father more negatively, rejecting all of Willy’s future plans for him, calling him a “phony little fake”. Biff’s rejection of Willy’ future plans for him sends Willy into a downward spiral, making him more and more delusional. Ironically, Willy failed to sell his plans to his own son, when his main profession is selling products to people, as he is a
Biff loses respect for his father and soon realizes what lie he has been living. Willy is in denial about his involvement with Biff’s failure in life, and when he is confronted about it by Bernard asking, “What happened in Boston, Willy? (141), Willy quickly becomes defensive, saying, “What are you trying to do, blame it on me? Don’t talk to me that way!” (141). After finding out about Biff’s reaction of burning his favorite University of Virginia shoes that symbolize Biff’s hopes and dreams for the future, Willy realizes what impact the affair had on his son. Willy’s lack of acceptance of reality affects his relationship because he never owned up or admitted he had an affair. This weighs heavy on Willy because the hate from his son will always be there. Biff loses all respect for his father and sees not only a failed business man, but in general a failed man. Throughout it all, Willy’s wife still remains supportive of him and constantly reminds him of her love for him. Despite this, Willy still yearns to have what he does not and pursues “the other woman.” It is bright as day that Willy finds some sort of comfort and validation for his affair with a woman who makes him feel wanted, yet his wife does the same thing. This guilt is always carried around with Willy which is just another contributor to the death of Willy
This love for their families is what drives both characters to seek success in these plays. Willy loves his sons and wants the absolute best for them. He loves them so much that he doesn’t want to travel away from them for work. Willy says, “They don’t need me in New York. I’m the New England man, I’m vital in New England” (Miller 6).
The play, “Death of a Salesman” written by Arthur Miller, presents Willy Loman, as a salesman, who fails to earn a living and slowly loses his mind. Willy continuously seeks the past to find out where he went wrong. During his years in life, Willy wanted his two sons, Biff and Happy to become someone they’re not; Willy wanted them to become a salesman like him. However, because of his obsession in the American Dream of easy success and wealth, he created a life full of lies for himself and his sons. In the end because of “his misconception of himself as someone capable of greatness” leads to his downfall and the end of his life (Death of a Salesman).”
The portrayal of Willy Loman in In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman demonstrates the idea that conforming due to a fear of failure results in delusion. Throughout the play, Willy takes actions that demonstrate an ignorance of his failures and his delusions of grandeur, showing his focus on projecting a successful image as a salesman. This is found in his delusion regarding Biff and Happy when they were in high school. In it, he mentions the importance of forming an image and how being well-liked is crucial to success. Willy states, “There’ll be open sesame for all of us... ...
He is also to prideful to accept a job from his neighbor, Charley. He doesn’t want to take the job because Willy believes that it will make him less of a man and it will hurt his massive ego to accept the job. Willy’s pride ultimately cost him his life, because he would quite literally rather die than accept help from his friends and family.
Like countless characters in a play, Willy struggles to find who he is. Willy’s expectations for his sons and The Woman become too high for him to handle. Under the pressure to succeed in business, the appearance of things is always more important than the reality, including Willy’s death. The internal and external conflicts aid in developing the character Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.
Willy is very indenial by the end of the play. He’s so focused on other people and their lives that he completely forgot about his. Biff’s and his father’s relationship with each other was very rocky and Willy never seemed to understand why. Willy always criticized Biff and how his career is going to always thought of him as the “lazy” child. Willy wants the relationship between him and biff back, but instead the two constantly
Willy's wants his son Biff to be the successful man that he never was, but however feels that Biff will not achieve that success because he think his son Biff is lazy, then he contradict him self saying that hes not lazy. " Biff is a lazy bum ", "Biff loman is lost. in the greatest country in the world a young man with such personal attractiveness, gets lost. and such a
Biff wanted his dad to talk to his math teacher to convince him to give Biff four extra points. Biff believed Willy could do it, as Biff stats, “because if he (the teacher) saw the kind of man you are, and you just talked to him in your way, I’m sure he’d come through for me.” Biff looked up to his father so much, as if “Willy was as good as god.” He was Biff’s role model. However, once he found out about his father’s affair, all he can see is what a liar and a failure Willy is. Willy tries to lie his way out of the situations, saying “She’s a buyer. Buys for J.H. Simmons… she’s just a buyer.” Biff does not fall for it, calling him “fake” and “phony little fake.” Ultimately, this effects Biff’s desire to go to summer school and college were gone. Instead, Biff ran away from success, keeping the secret of his father, which became “the controlling factor of his life own life.” To Willy, this life event led ultimately led him to suicide. There were other factors that led to Willy’s suicide, such as “his failure as a salesman and the subsequent failures of his sons.” However, the affair was a more significant factor for two reasons: cheating on his loyal wife who has always been by his side and Biff knowledge of the
Willy still struggles to find out why his son, Biff, has not made anything of himself yet. Instead of a stable job, Biff has been a farmhand across the country earning only $35 a week (Act I. Scene I). Willy does not know where he has gone wrong with raising his kids, with his job, and overall with his life (Krutch, 308-309). To find the solutions to the problems driving him insane, Willy looks to his past. While he is day-dreaming he actually talks to himself and makes his family worried about his health and sanity. He daydreams and feels as if he is actually encountering the past once again in his journey. Willy is desperately trying to find out what has gone wrong in his life, why no one responds to him in the positive way that he used to, and why Biff does not have a stable job or a family. Through his trek to finding his mistakes in life, Willy finds r...
Willy is a salesman. Willy believes that success comes from being well liked and popular and has tried desperately to instill his notions to his two boys Happy and Biff, Willy's biggest aspirations in life. His wife Linda is extremely supportive and is Willy's only connection to reality. While raising his boys and trying to instill his "American Dream", he fails to teach them any sense of morality, leading them down to what he feels is the wrong path. At one point, he defended Biff for stealing just because he was an amazing football player.
Willy’s hubris makes him feel extremely proud of what he has, when in reality he has no satisfaction with anything in his life. Willy Loman’s sons did not reach his expectations, as a father, but he still continued to brag about Biff and Happy in front of Bernard. Willy Loman caused the reader to empathize with him because before his tragic death he did everything he could for his family. Empathy, Hubris, and Willy Loman’s tragic flow all lead him to his death that distends from the beginning. He is unable to face reality and realize that he’s not successful in life or at his job; he remains living in a world where he thinks he’s greater than everybody else because he’s a salesman.