Willy's Mentality In Death Of A Salesman

Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman centers around “the tragedy of a common man,” Willy Loman, who tries to achieve the American Dream while trapped in his delusions (Tragedy of a Common Man). Throughout the play, the image that Willy has constructed for himself—one of being a well-liked, successful salesman—shatters. This painful realization results in Willy believing “you end up worth more dead than alive” (76). Miller’s quote, stating “To me, the tragedy of Willy Loman is that he gave his life, or sold it, in order to justify the waste of it,” implies that Willy commits suicide to compensate for his failure to achieve the American Dream, in terms of his responsibilities as a salesman and father. Willy’s mentality that the American

When Willy sees Bernard, a successful lawyer fighting a case in the Supreme court, in Charley’s office, Willy’s excessive pride shatter. Solidarily, he asks, “Bernard, was it my fault? Y’see? It keeps going around in my mind, maybe I did something to him. I got nothing to give him” (71-72). Until this interaction, Willy blames Biff’s failure on his lack of motivation to succeed; however, after Howard fires Willy, he considers the possibility that he is reprehensible. As a fruitless salesman, Willy cannot cope with his own shortcomings but finds potential in his son Biff; however, Willy attempts to control his son’s life and instill his false perception of success in him. The difference in desire between father and son leads to conflict because Willy is obstinate and unwilling to yield to his son’s ideas; therefore, in a heated confrontation, Biff shouts, “Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am!” (105). Because of Biff’s anagnorisis of “what a ridiculous lie [his] life has been,” Willy, too, realizes his fault. Biff has spent his life trying to live up to Willy’s impossible vision, implying that Willy’s illusions about

While Charley tries to convince Willy to accept his job offer, Willy reveals his philosophy that “you end up worth more dead than alive” (76). Willy laments the worthlessness of all his years of work, since he never earned “enough” for his family (65). Even though he has tried to be a great salesman, it just isn’t “enough” for Willy, even though Linda believes that they have “enough to be happy right here, right now” (65). Because Willy fails to see that they have “enough,” Willy concludes that committing suicide is the only solution, since he has failed as a salesman. Even though Willy Loman is a “common man,” he is a tragic hero. Similar to Oedipus, Sophocles’ ideal of a tragic hero, Willy goes through life never realizing the truth of himself, according to Biff who says “[Willy] never knew who he was” (111). Because the audience resonates with the problems, hopes, fears and dreams of the tragic hero rather than their societal status, Arthur Miller “believe[s] that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were” (Tragedy of a Common