Willy Loman, An Idiot with A Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman
A common idea presented in literature is the issue of
the freedom of the individual in opposition to the
controlling pressures of society. Willy Loman, the main
character in Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller,
epitomizes this type of person; one who looks to his peers
and co-salesman as lesser individuals. Not only was he
competitive and overbearing, but Willy Loman sought after an
ideal that he could never become: the greatest salesman
ever. Determined to make money, Willy became uncontrollable
and somewhat insane. Through his dialogue and actions,
Willy Loman portrays a character of insecurity, persistence,
and unknown identity.
From the very beginning of his life, Willy Loman
experienced problems with his popularity and personality.
His last name is a pun on a "low man." He is at the bottom
of the business world as an unsuccessful salesman. In
addition, his theories on life and society prove to be very
degrading, not to mention influential to his mind set every
day. Willy believes that being well-liked and having a
personal attractiveness, together, can bring success, money,
and many friends. Ironically, Willy does not have many
friends and many people do not like him. With a beauty
unlike others, Willy thinks that doors will open and
problems will all disappear.
As a salesman, Willy developed many hindrances that
caused his mind to deteriorate. His life as a salesman was
built on a dream that he witnessed as a child. At an early
age, Willy heard of a salesman, Dave Singleman, who could
make his living out of a hotel room. Singleman was very
successful and when he died, people from all over the
country came to his funeral. It was this ideal that Willy
Loman sought after. All he ever wanted was fame,
popularity, and a few friends. Unfortunately, when Willy
died, not a single person went to his funeral. His life,
one that was spent trying to become another person, namely
Dave Singleman, was a waste as no-one even wanted to see him
buried.
In reflection of his career with the Wagner Company,
many other problems arose that forced economic difficulties
on him and his family. He was determined to live by ideals
that placed him above everyone else. It was with these lies
and illusions that Willy's life began to lose its' air of
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).
In the book Death of A Salesman, author Arthur Miller shows how cruel life can be through the life of Willy Loman, the main character. His feelings of guilt, failure, and sadness result in his demise.
A certain day was set by assent go us both/To meet at that landmark, if I might last,/And
As time grows, a spouse becomes a soul mate, best friend, and lover all in one. No one will ever show their dedication and love for you like your significant other and that’s what Arthur Miller addresses in the play Death of a Salesman. Linda Loman is the wife of Willy Loman, a man that treats her wrong but she still stands by his side. Linda is a vital character because she never has a low personality, she chooses her husband over her children she’s strong when her husband passes away and she the voice of the playwright.
The transformation of affirmative action over the years is generally considered a negative and socially unfair one. Although the original intention of such programs with regard to minority management was one of an undeniably just nature, my research has clearly indicated that over the years, various legal trends have drastically altered the socio-political implications of affirmative action often creating unfair situations for white males who are not part o...
think it’s because we no longer had to worry about freedom, we filled the gap of
Affirmative action is necessary when a qualified student loses their deserved place at a university because they are black. When a woman more qualified than a man is denied a job because of her gender, affirmative action is necessary. Affirmative action is necessary to run a stable society. Affirmative action is defined in the dictionary as a policy or program for correcting the effects of discrimination in the employment or education of members of certain groups such as women and blacks.
In Arthur Miller’s essay about “Tragedy and the Common Man,” he argues that the common man is as appropriate a subject for tragedy as the very highly placed kings and noble men. Mankind keeps tragedy above all forms because they are given the same mental abilities as the nobles. In “Death of a Salesman”, Willy Loman is a common man and a middle class worker, enough saving to provide food for his family. So if the tragic hero can be a common man, does Willy fit in that category? Even though he is a common man he fails to live up to the standards of being a tragic hero because he never accepts nor admits to his own errors. He, therefore, loses his dignity. One of his biggest errors is his failure of be a good father.
Affirmative Action has been an issue of contention since its inception during the Civil Rights struggles of mid 20th century America. Discrimination could no longer be tolerated and the Unites States government had an obligation to encourage equality at all levels of the social infrastructure. The main type of discrimination being addressed by Affirmative Action programs was racial discrimination. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines racism as: ‘a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.’ The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination of any kind, laid the foundation for the introduction of Affirmative Action programs. In 1965, Lyndon Johnson signed an executive order requiring government contractors to diversify its staff by hiring more members of the minorities. President Nixon implemented a system in which the government could monitor the progress being made by businesses in hiring minorities. Eventually, high level educational institutions would also see the need for Affirmative Action and the benefits of a diverse student body. Affirmative Action was designed to overcome the issue of discrimination in education and the workplace by giving less fortunate members of the minority an opportunity to level the playing field and achieve success similar to that of their counterparts in the majority. Affirmative Action programs, which encourage the inclusion of minorities in education and at all levels in the workplace, are vital in the effort to eradicate discrimination and provide equal opportunity.
The relationship between photography and cinema is that cinema is photography in motion. In the early 1800’s, Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre was given credit for the daguerreotype which is the process where an image is attached on a metal plate. Towards the mid 1800’s, Eadweard Muybridge created the zoopraxiscope which was the first motion projector that projected movies from images on a rotating glass. Cinema came in to play right after the first World War. Directors and producers were in competition with foreign film directors through the use of lighting, sets, etc. By the end of the great war, American directors were equal with foreign directors and this is when films began to have a storyline, rather than just images. As listed above, Louis
Affirmative action “means programs taking the race or sex of employees, job candidates, [or students] into account as part of an effort to correct imbalances in employment [or education] that exist as a result of past discrimination, either in the company, [or university] itself or in the larger society” (Shaw and Barry 560). In the United States of America affirmative action programs has had a long history of aiding minorities in being hired, accepted, and/or promoted to positions they would have not found themselves in before affirmative action. Due to its previous successes many favor affirmative action and argue that without affirmative action our society would not be able to give compensatory justice for the mistreatment of minorities
What is a man, but, pieces of limbs made into a body and a mind, full of thoughts, beliefs, and dreams - dreams that urges one to try and convinces one to live. What if the dream, the reason to live, leads one to a futile life? In the Death of a Salesman, by playwright Arthur Miller, Willy the main character slowly dies as his dreams demise. In this play, one can discern how people surrounding Willy influenced his dreams and how his dreams influenced himself and his sons’ lives. This is best exemplified by the influence he received from his father, a famous salesman and his wife, who all aided in constructing his life to the wrong dreams and principles, and consequently destructing his sons’ future.
Willy Loman’s character in Death of a Salesman portrays him as a tragic hero. Willy Loman continued to want his recognition and his reputation but never forgets about his family. These characteristics describe him as a tragic hero in Death of a Salesman.
Euthanasia is the intentional killing of a person in order to relieve pain and suffering. The debate over the legalization of euthanasia is one of the most contentious and controversial issues in the world today. While some countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the American states of Oregon and Washington have legalized euthanasia, the majority of countries still oppose euthanasia due to the various issues, both ethical and practical, it creates.
The articles used in this paper were found on the McKee library databases like EBSCO, JSTOR and Digital Commons Network. These articles were all peer reviewed and searched under keywords such as life satisfaction, centenarian, etc.