Specific and Societal Shortcomings

912 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: American dream impacts on america

Specific and Societal Shortcomings

Shortcomings, whether it is of a person, society, situation, or nation, are often revealed through literature and media. In Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, the specific shortcomings of American life are explored, with an emphasis on social, economic, and personal issues. Willy Loman could be seen as a possible embodiment of all of these flaws, but an argument could be equally made that he is an innocent victim, due to the inherent problems in all societies, but especially in American life.

Willy’s social skills are less than impressive. His frequent public outbursts are embarrassing to those around him and also inappropriate for someone of his age. In public, his sons feel the need to act as if “he’s just a guy” (Miller 115). His outbursts, first at his former employer’s office, and then later at a restaurant, continue to get worse and worse, causing awkward feelings between him, his friends and family, and the general public. Societally acceptable behavior is definitely not one of the eldest Loman’s strong suits. As time progresses, America has strayed further and further from this aforementioned acceptable behavior. Those from before Loman’s time would have described even his most normal actions as, especially “in the business world…, crazy”, and because of all his added “crazy” actions, he feels that those in the business world “don’t seem to take to [him]” (61; 36). He fears that his sons will be “a worm like Bernard,” and his obsession with these impressions that they would make on people ends up backfiring and practically ruining the rest of Biff’s life (40). However, it could be argued that Willy is simply a product of his environment. Everything that befalls him j...

... middle of paper ...

... downfall as well.

Many personal issues in American society are also explored through Miller’s telling of Willy Loman’s life, or rather, his road to death. These factors interact and join together, causing greater and greater troubles; his unsound economic and social statuses are both a factor and a product of his unstable family life. In a country plagued with debt and a fifty percent divorce rate, it’s obvious that the “American dream” isn’t necessarily a reality. An obsession with the “American dream” and an obsession with trying to achieve it will almost always lead to the exposure of the reality of American life—all that glitters isn’t gold. Even a seemingly perfect, nuclear family can have the biggest of issues. In some cases these issues are completely hidden, in others they are completely obvious, and yet other situations may be somewhere in between.

Show More
Related

  • Willy's Misconception of Himself in “Death of a Salesman”

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    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).”

    Read More

  • Dreams and Failures in Arthur Miller´s Death of a Salesman and Thornton Wilder´s Our Town

    2330 Words  | 5 Pages

    After seeing both his father and brother find success, Willy attempts to prove himself to his family by chasing after his own version of the American dream. Willy grows up in the “wild prosperity of the 1920’s” when rags-to-riches tales inspire everybody, making them believe that “achieving material success [is] God’s intention for humankind (Abbotson, Criticism by Bloom). Willy’s father, a “very great” and “wildhearted man,” made a living traveling and selling flutes, making “more in a week than a man like [Willy] could make in a lifetime” (Miller 34). Even though Willy barely knew his dad, he built him u...

    Read More

  • The Crime Of Vanity in Arthur Miller´s Death of a Salesman

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    There has been much discussion of Arthur Miller’s play Death Of A Salesman, in subsequent years since its release, arguing different perspectives of many aspects of the play. In B.S. Field Jr.’s article “Hamartia in Death of Salesman”, he puts forth his views detailing why he feels Willy Loman is adequately and justly punished for his many crimes against his family. By highlighting literary evidence, Field is able to detail a strong argument against Willy as an amoral human. Although Willy is justly punished for his crimes, Field fails to go into the depth of Willy’s crimes. The extent of Willy Loman’s corruption makes his crimes far more severe, for he has left his family in shambles and to continue to be his future conduits. Willy Loman’s addiction to his own delusions have made him curse his sons to the same amoral mind frame that he had put on himself, and continues to use against his wife, while still feeling convinced he is a well liked person that deserves to be treated better than he treats others.

    Read More

  • The Narcissistic Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many dilemmas throughout the recent decades are repercussions of an individual's foibles. Arthur Miller represents this problem in society within the actions of Willy Loman in his modern play Death of a Salesman. In this controversial play, Willy is a despicable hero who imposes his false value system upon his family and himself because of his own rueful nature, which is akin to an everyman. This personality was described by Arthur Miller himself who "Believe[s] that the common man is as apt a subject for a tragedy in its highest sense as kings were" (Tragedy 1).

    Read More

  • The Internal and External Conflicts of Willy Loman

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Self Destruction Of Willy Loman - Death Of A Salesman

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman’s life seems to be slowly deteriorating. It is clear that Willy’s predicament is of his own doing, and that his own foolish pride and ignorance lead to his downfall. Willy’s self-destruction involved the uniting of several aspects of his life and his lack of grasping reality in each, consisting of, his relationship with his wife, his relationship and manner in which he brought up his children, Biff and Happy, and lastly his inability to productively earn a living and in doing so, failure to achieve his “American Dream”.

    Read More

  • Narcissism In Death Of A Salesman

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although, his narcissism exhibits the common issue with American capitalism-it leads to greediness, unhappiness, and anger. This yearning for success can also cause an obsession with appearance and the self, which is a main focus in Willy Loman’s life. He says that to get somewhere, it is good to be “built like (an) Adonis,” which he tells his sons. At one point in his life, he felt he never had to ask for anything, and that when he walked in a room, he got what he wanted because “‘Willy Loman is here!’” Eventually, Willy ages and lacks the flair that he once had, and is left with unimpressive salesman skills. Due to America’s obsession with appearance, old-age is a plague to American society. The superficiality causes those to enjoy charisma over passion. This leads to arrogance, a common American worker to be. Willy Loman is a mirror being held up to the faces of American worker-bees. He avoided risks, and continued living a monotonous, easy life. Miller is attempting to say, monotony is a dangerous habit America has. This play intends to steer readers into a direction of following their own path, rather than following the norm; the norm is nothing new, and fails to reach anything

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Willy's Death In Death Of A Salesman

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    The play “Death of the Salesman” by Arthur Miller, introduced the dramatic story of Willy Loman, a salesman who has reached the end of the road. Willy Loman is a washed-up salesman who is facing hard times. In “Death of a Salesmen,” Willy Loman has been deluding himself over the years to the point he cannot understand what is wrong with him. This leads to the problems with is sons, wife, and career; it ultimately is what ends his life. I believed that the character of Willy 's delusion caused him to fall. While there were many contributing factors to Willy 's demise, his failure to cope with such circumstances and to become trapped in his own delusion is what tears Willy apart from himself and his family. Rather than facing the reality, Willy

    Read More

  • Willy Loman's Depression in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    631 Words  | 2 Pages

    Arthur Miller's, "Death of a Salesman," shows the development and structure that leads up to the suicide of a tragic hero, Willy Loman. The author describes how an American dreamer can lose his self-worth by many negative situations that occur throughout his life. The structure and complications are essential because it describes how a man can lose his way when depression takes over.

    Read More

  • Failure of the American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    Miller uses the misapplication and failure of the "American Dream" to captivate the audience and make them feel sorrow for both Willy and Biff Loman.  It is heart breaking to see this sixty-year-old man finally come to the realization that he is really not who he thought he was.  In addition to that, the fact is pointed out by his own son, who turns out to be wiser than him.  Unlike Willy, Biff finds out who he is, and that the American Dream is not for everyone.

    Read More

  • Willy Lowman’s Tragic Misinterpretation of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    In brief, it is apparent that Willy’s own actions led to not only his own demise, but his children’s as well. The salesman tragically misinterpreted the American Dream for only the superficial qualities of beauty, likeability and prosperity. Perhaps if Willy had been more focused on the truth of a person’s character, rather than purely physical aspects, his family’s struggles and his own suicide could have been avoided. On the whole, Arthur Miller’s play is evidence that the search for any dream or goal is not as easy and the end result may seem. The only way to realize the objective without any despair is the opposite of Willy Loman’s methods: genuineness, perseverance and humility.

    Read More

  • Is Willy A Success Or A Failure Essay

    492 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Arthur Miller’s play, “Death of a Salesman,” Willy Loman is the protagonist. According to the story Willy Loman may be considered a failure. In this play Willy has show a lot of ignorance throughout the play. As part of his character he is grumpy and a very strict parent. Willy was so happy in his fantasy world.

    Read More

  • Death Of A Salesman Willy Character Analysis

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play, The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller,Willy Loman, an unsuccessful business man struggling to support his family is completely out of touch with reality throughout the plot line. Many characters throughout this play and their interactions with Willy have showed the audience his true colors and what he thinks is important in life. His constant lying and overwhelming ego certainly does not portray his life in factual terms, but rather in the false reality that he has convinced himself he lives in.

    Read More

  • American Values and Success in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    Willy Loman stands in, so to speak, for every American male who defined himself as a man, husband and father with respect to his success in the workplace and his capacity for grabbing a share of the material American dream. Willy Loman is a man who has deluded himself and has judged himself more harshly than his wife or his son. His tragedy is that he comes to an understanding of this delusion too late to make any changes in his life. Whether or not we as readers or as members of the audience agree with his judgment is irrelevant. It is Willy's own failure that is important in this play.

    Read More

  • Death of a Salesman: The Flaws and Failures of Willy Loman

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    Willy Loman is a 60 year old senile salesman who desperately wants to be a successful salesman; however, his ideas about the ways in which one goes about achieving this are very much misguided, just as his morals are. He believes that popularity and good looks are the key to achieving the American dream, rather than hard work and dedication. He not only lives his entire life by this code, but instills his delusional beliefs in his two sons Biff and Happy. As a result, his sons experience similar failures in their adult lives. Willy led a life of illusion, lies and regret which not only ruined his life, but gad a negative impact on the lives of family as well.

    Read More

More about Specific and Societal Shortcomings

Open Document