Willy Loman as a Father in Arthur Miller's A Death of a Salesman

Willy Loman as a Father in Arthur Miller's A Death of a Salesman

Modern society would condemn the parenting skills of Willy Loman, the

father in Arthur Miller’s A Death of a Salesman, who imposes his

dreams upon his two sons and preaches the value of popularity over

integrity.

As an unsuccessful salesman, Willy is unable to cope with his own

shortcomings and valiantly attempts to find something to be hopeful

for, and he finds this opportunity in his son Biff. Frail and well

past his prime, Willy feels that he is incapable of ever getting back

on his feet, and so he believes Biff has a better chance at success.

However, Willy steps over the boundary, and he develops into a father

attempting to control his own son’s life. In one instance, Biff comes

home to recollect, and Willy vows, “I’ll see him in the morning. I’ll

have a nice talk with him. I’ll get him a job selling. He could be

big in no time” (6). These expectations, though, are contrary to

Biff’s desires and dreams, since he aspires to work in the outdoors.

For Biff, the job of becoming a salesman entails one “to suffer fifty

weeks of the years for the sake of a two-week vacation, when all you

really desire is to be outdoors, with your shirt off” (11). Thus the

difference in desire between father and son leads to conflict,

especially because Willy is stubborn and unwilling to yield to his

son’s ingenuous ideas. Biff is first to realize that his own passions

are not synonymous to his dad’s, and in a heated confrontation prior

to Willy’s death, Biff shouts, “What am I trying to become what I

don’t want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a

contemptuous, be...

... middle of paper ...

...a

turns any conversation he has into a flaring altercation. By being

hotheaded, Willy does not show a model example for his sons; the

virtues of patience and understanding disappear when Willy shows his

anger vehemently. Thus any communication and emotional connections are

weak between Willy and his sons, suppressing any outgrowth of

compassion and understanding among them.

Although the mother in a family provides a nurturing and gentle force,

it is only the father who can set the standards and discipline for

future progeny. Corruption of this figure can lead a household to

shambles, something that Willy Loman accomplishes with his own

family. By impressing his own ambitions onto his sons and preaching a

skewed perspective of success, Willy would be condemned for his

atrocious fathering skills in today’s age.