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Character of Willy Loman in Death of Salesman
Role of family in death of a salesman
Characterization of willy loman in death of a salesman
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The Lomans are a classic American family with simple roles that are each carefully assigned to their respective characters. Willy is portrayed as the classic primary breadwinner. A salesman, he struggles as an aging man in a rapidly-changing modern world. Biff is the estranged oldest sibling whose enigmatic past is discovered throughout the play. His return puts constant stress on everyone in the Loman household, as his intentions are never quite made clear. Happy is the neglected younger sibling struggling to live up to the ideals that his father failed to embody. He basks in the attention of his father. Linda Loman, however, is another story. On the surface, she appears to be a devoted wife who struggles to keep her family together despite the dysfunction. Linda’s fatal flaw, which contributes directly to Willy’s, is that her efforts indirectly cause, as well as perpetuate, the dysfunction that she is attempting to bring to a conclusion. In reality, Linda is a passive enabler who allows Willy to persist in self-destructive behavior by providing excuses or contrariwise taking no action, thus making it possible to avoid the consequences of such behavior. She appears to sincerely have Willy’s best interest at heart, which puts more stress on her as his mental state deteriorates throughout the play. Though her sons plead without her throughout the book, Willy’s outbursts cause her a state of distress which leads to her putting more stress on the family as a whole: Happy for his inability to face the reality of their situation, and Biff for his inability to hold a job and settle down. But it is Willy who is impacted by her actions the most. He sees how much his wife struggles to hold their dysfunctional family together, ...
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... from achieving true happiness in his life. Willy takes his life because he is unhappy because he does not have the material wealth he would like.
Works Cited
Citations:
Miller, Arthur. Death of a salesman. Reprint. New York: Viking Press, 1949. Print.
Simon, Scott. "'Salesman' Willy Loman: A Towering Little Man." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 7 May 2014. .
Danquing, Zheng. "Who Is to Blame for Willy Loman’s Death?." Canadian Social Science 3: 4. Print.
"Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller Analysis of Major Characters." . Staten Island Technical High, 5 May 2010. Web. 7 May 2014. .
Willy Loman is an aging salesman who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. When he was younger,
Willy Loman is not the only victim of his tragic flaw. The rest of the Loman family is also affected by Willy's problem. Willy's wife, Linda, is the only one who supports and understands Willy's tragic flaw completely. Linda supports every far-fetched claim her husband makes. She is even described as having “infinite patience” whenever she is conversing with Willy (Miller 99). Willy's two sons, Biff and Happy, are also affected by his flaw. Happy, when in the company of two ladies, claims that Willy is not even his father, and “just a guy” (Miller 91). Later in the play, Biff decides that he does not want to be in his father's life anymore. Biff's problems are simply too much for Willy to handle with his current state of being, even though Willy needs Biff in his life. After both internal and external conflict, Biff reveals to Willy that Willy had been lied to for a number of years, and that the life he lives is essentially a lie (Miller 104).
Willy Loman is a family man, who with his misleading representation seemed to have the perfect life. When looked at closer, faults are visible in his American dream because of many different reasons, but one being infidelity. Linda Loman, his loving wife was always there for him. She emotionally supported Willy when money was low and always offered an ear. Although it seems he tried his best to be a good father, he was not always a faithful husband. On his many business trips to Bo...
Willy Loman’s character is capable of making errors. He believes he is a very successful salesman and well liked. He also thinks that the company likes what he is doing. He once said, “I’m the New England man. I am vital in New England” (Miller pg. 32) Because of his false belief about his success Howard fired him. After he got fired charley offered him a job, but he refuses to accept, because he is too proud and jealous to work for Charley. His actions were wrong because at no time was a successful salesman. He is not a powerful character. Willy lives in his fantasies where he is the man. Who goes out to another place and comes out rich, he is love by everyone and admired by his family. In real life, he is lazy and does not live up to his own ideals. “As Aristotle explains, a tragic hero must be one of noble character and must fall from power and happiness.”(Www.ccd.rightchoice.org/lit115/poetics.html) but Willy neither has a noble characteristic nor does he fall from power because he does not have a position of power.
Murray, Edward. “The Thematic Structure in Death of a Salesman.” Readings on Arthur Miller: Death of a Salesman. San Diego: Greenhaven Press Inc., 1999.
Eisinger, Chester E. "Critical Readings: Focus on Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman: The Wrong Dreams." Critical Insights: Death of a Salesman (2010): 93-105.
In the end, he kills himself by crashing his car, hoping to get the life insurance money for his family. He is fervently determined to succeed in his contemporary competitive society. In a conversation with his children about Bernard, he enumerates a few features he presumes are important if one wants to have success. Willy tells his children that Bernard might get the best grades in school, but they will certainly have more success than he will as they are “[.] built like Adonis’s” (Miller 34). Willy assumes that it is necessary to be attractive to become successful.
Miller, Arthur. “Death of a Salesman.” The Norton Introduction to Literature 10. New York: W. W.
Willy knows he has failed in life and he knows there is not much left
Willy Loman equates success as a human being with success in the business world. When Willy was a young man, he heard of a salesman who could "pick up his phone and call the buyers, and without ever leaving his room, at the age of eighty-four, make his living." 8. This salesman is Willy's inspiration; someday to be so respected and so well known that he can still provide for his family, even at an old age. Of course, Willy is no good at being a salesman because his heart isn't in it.
"Death of a Salesman By Arthur Miller ." Goodreads . N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .
Linda Loman is the enabler of the Loman family, and also uses self- deception to escape her life mentally. Linda never spoke up to Willy, and did nothing but feed his unrealistic dreams. Linda lived a life of “what ifs” with Willy. They both did the bare minimum in every aspect of their life, which is why
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Seventh Edition. X.J. Kennedy, and Dana Gioia. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 1999. 1636-1707.
Moreover, the psychological view of Willy Loman is shown as a person who works as a traveling salesman and decides to commit suicide because the “American Dream” overwhelms him. As Charley says in the story: “the only thing you got in this world is what you can sell”. He is a normal person “who embodies traditional American values of success.”(Hansberry) In fact, Willy Loman wants to a great extent believe that he is one of the finest salesmen, a winner in life and a great father. For Mr. Loman, the accomplish...
Willy Loman is a firm believer in the "American Dream:" the notion that any man can rise from humble beginnings to greatness. His particular slant on this ideal is that a man succeeds by selling his charisma, that to be well liked is the most important asset a man can have. He made a living at this for 30 years, but as he enters the reclining years of his life, people have stopped smiling back and he can no longer sell the firm's goods to support himself. His ambition was one of greatness, to work hard and to be a member of the firm; and if he could not succeed in this respect, that he should at least be well-liked and be able to sell until the day of his death: When his friends would flock from all over the country to pay their respects.