Character Analysis Death Of A Salesman

Death of a Salesman: Character Analysis
In the short story Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is trying to deal with a life of wanting
better and dealing with the reality that everything around him is crumbling. In this short story I will go
into the character analysis of Willy Loman, the struggles he deals with, and the way he reacts to it.
Willy Loman spent his life working sales to make a living, he thought he was a big shot
in sales and doing great. Although he was only deceiving himself. He started when his brother Ben
went to Africa and found diamonds. He always wanted to achieve the heights his brother did.
So why diamonds? The way that the author of All is not Gold, describes it is " they represent
what Willy at age 63

hopes to" pick up and touched in his hand (123)." I agree when he says that " the
projections which take the protagonist back to his past, to possibilities, roads taken and roads not
taken."
Willy, though out the entire short story is going back in time in his own mind.

Back to better
days and happier memories. He goes to these projections when things get stressful or to much for him.
The way this works is like the author of All is not Gold, describes it, " Willy Loman has three dreams
which are represented by three different characters in his mind: I) Ben and financial success at all cost
(or) P. Morgan " with his pockets on" :II Dave Singleman, the man who is "well liked", III) Bernard
(and possibly Charlie,...became rich)."
In this the author describes Willy's projections as things he wishes he has, but never got. So he
uses these images to portray directions that could have been taken differently.
Willy had a bad mind set from the beginning. He thought and taught his sons to be "well liked"
is to be successful. When Biff figures out for himself that his father is fooling him and himself he got hurt
and angry. He just wanted to make his father understand that it had all been a lie, that he cannot live up
to his expectations. "Well liked" does not equal success. Biff understands that they are not and will not
amount to what their father made him believe that he could be or even what is father thinks of

himself.
Biff tells Willy " Pop!

I'm a dime a dozen and so are you!"(99) Willy, is still in denial, he say to Biff "I
am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman and you are Biff Loman". (99)
Willy says this as if their names are greatly known and they are important big shots. When in
reality there not known at all. Not only is willy insecure about himself and being "well liked", he also
feels guilty. He is guilty because of what he did to Linda his wife, when he had an affair. You can
clearly tell this in the way he is always telling her to stop mending her stockings. He gave this other
woman a new pair when he cannot afford to buy some for his own wife. Then stockings are a symbol
of his infidelity. His guilt is proven when he tells Linda "'Cause I get so lonely - escpecailly when
business is bad and theirs nobody to talk to. I get the feeling that I'll never sell anything again, then I
won't make a living for you, or a business, a business for the boys." (38) In his own way he

is
confessing to Linda and trying to explain why he did it.
This affair is what I think led Biff on the road to failure. He looked up to Willy, thought he was
this up class, great guy and he had that idea of his father shattered before his own eyes. Biff tells his
father "I stole myself out of every good job since high school." (131) I agree with the author of Shame,
Guilt and Empathy. He says that "... Biff now realizes, his self stolen by his inherited, shame ridden
identity. He never had a chance to see himself outside of his fathers point of view." This is true, Willy
never made Biff take responsibility for stealing the ball in high school, he made it seem ok to do. Willy
gets defensive when he tells Biff " And whose fault is that".
Willy was not a very good role model to his children. He feels remorse for the way he handled
Biff in his youth. Which is why he always goes back to those moments when things could have been
different, if only he handled them better.
Willy Loman still believed all the way to the end that to be "well liked" was to be on top. Willy
believed he was "well liked" by many people. Biff made him feel unsure about this fact when he said, "
I am not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything other than a hard-
worker who landed in the ash can like all the rest of them!"
When all of the talk is over and Willy is alone I believe that he felt if he ended his life that Biff
would see just how "well liked" he was by people coming to his funeral. In reality Biff was right, to the
world Willy Loman was just another hard working joe, that no one missed.