Death of a Salesman

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Death of a Salesman

In the play Death of a Salesman, appearance vs. reality is one of the major themes

throughout the story. Biff says it himself, “I’m tired of living in a dream.” Willy

represents appearance. His perspective on life was clouded by his need for the

“American Dream”. Biff represents reality. Biff saw things for what they truly

were and didn’t lie to himself or others. This shows that Willy and Biff are opposite

characters who each represent the theme of appearance vs. reality in the play.

Willy was an old man with a wife and two sons. He worked as a salesman

and his job was very important to him. Willy never got to live his dream. His life

passed him by and he was left without anything to show for. Now in his last days

he is dwelling on the fact that he has lived his life without achieving the goal he

wanted to achieve. He was ignorant to think that a person could be successful in

life based on being well liked. Willy was a bad father because he raised his children

without any morals or values. Willy didn’t realize the reality of his situation.

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