How Does Willy Loman Show Guilt

A mind in an sea of guilt

The year is 1949 it had only been four years since the end of world war two. The United States was in a economically prosperous state with the new creation of an American dream, the middle class was the strongest it had ever been. Willy Loman a troubled 63 year old who finds himself struggling in the later part of his life economically and with his mental state. The failure within Willy Loman in the book about his son, wife, and in general his lack of living out a successful life under the American dream, is all contributed into the guilt within him. In 1949 unemployment was a thing of the past the depression of 1929 seemed so long ago due to all of the programs FDR had made during the 30’s and mid 40’s. One program

His son, Biff Loman was the trophy of Willy’s life, he was in his eyes the embodiment of success he was the combination of Willy’s achievements in life up to the emitt’s field game. But after Biff catches his father having an affair he stopped trying. Biff refused to go to summer school so he never passed high school which was a domino effect for his impending failures in his life. During the first pages of the book Willy says “...How can he find himself on a farm? Is that a life?” He is not frustrated with his son, but with himself instead the guilt that he was his son's idol and to see that be destroyed by the infidelity in his marriage. Willy knew he was the tip of the iceberg for his son. In life he wanted his son to be more successful than he is to make a name for himself, yet when he hears he is just a ranch hand with no college education it creates a sense of guilt so strong that Willy tries to forget about it in its entirety of why his son Biff is mad at him. In the beginning of an article written by Kevin D. Williamson about Death of a Salesman he says, “ If Loman's troubles are of purely emotional……. then we must wonder why it is that his anguish is so greatly amplified” Willy’s emotions are so greatly amplified because of his knowing why his son is a failure. It is the guilt of himself destroying his reputation to his son and by creating a sense of untrustworthiness and lack

In Willy’s prime as a salesman he had enough to be paying his bills and then some left over, even said to have made 234 dollars in one week which was a record. He was at that time proud to be with that business even at one point being considered for a corporate job. But in later years he is hardly bringing in money. In an article by Alice Griffin she says “When he (willy) othered had offered him a job in which he becconfesses to Linda that he actually has earned a much lower commission than he boasted of, he blames it on his shortcomings. He does this because of how guilty he is on not being able to sell like he used to. Yet he won't let himself serve as a beggar when he accuses his neighbor of making fun of him by offering him a better paying job. Willy has this guilt because his brother had offered him a job in which made him rich later on in the