The Constant Fighting of Reality in Death of a Salesman

The Constant Fighting of Reality in Death of a Salesman

The real crisis in this tragedy lies in the constant fighting of reality. The number of lies that build up on the Loman family’s shoulders, shoots pain into the heart of the reader. You keep thinking, “Quit dodging the truth Willy…Don’t get your hopes up, it’ll never work…Why are you guys avoiding all Willy’s signs that he wants to commit suicide…Why am I getting my hopes up for a plan that I know will never work for them?” One delusional dream after the other, where does it stop? You keep wondering why Biff stands as the only Loman ready to face the truth.

The first sign of Willy Loman’s confusion with facts appears in his constant contradictions and hypocritical behavior. In the first few pages of the play, Willy discusses his feelings toward Chevrolet's. Right when you think Willy believes Chevy's rise high above other cars in quality, he decides Chevy's stink. His other comment about the Chevy involves opening the windshield. During the time period of this play, car windshields no longer opened. Finally, after much discussion, Willy realizes this dream/nightmare of a car lies in his past. In fact, he only owned a Chevy in the twenties, at the time being he drove a Studebaker.

Willy goes back and forth with his feelings toward Biff. At one point he comes out and says that Biff isn’t lazy. Before long, however, Biff and Willy dual about Biff’s unwillingness to get a good paying job. In arguments like these, Willy tends to call his son a bum.

As the world modernizes and improves it’s technology, Willy refuses to change with the times. Perhaps this effects his inability to obtain a steady career. Willy’s boss, Howard goes to show off his new tape record...

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...married.

Biff, however, wishes for honesty. His whole family spends their entire time lying to each other and themselves, but Biff wants a change. He wants this change because he witnessed his father’s biggest lie in his son’s eyes, an affair with a woman in Boston. With a situation as real as that, Biff could no longer dodge reality. Willy could struggle as much as he wanted to cover up his affair but Biff saw it and failed to escape his vision. From that moment on, Biff realized the lying, the hypocrisy, and the hiding that went on in his family.

With every lie and dream that Willy Loman created, Happy followed, Linda encouraged, and Biff argued. Each delusion pushed Willy a step closer to his suicide. The pain passed to the reader through this play generates from knowing where the problems lie and wishing you could knock some sense into the Loman family.