More handpicked essays just for you.
Death of salesman's character
Character analysis of death of a salesman
Death of a salesman characters and relationships
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Unit 3 Lesson 9 Short Answers 1.) In 15-20 sentences, identify the overarching theme in Miller’s play and why you feel this is the most important of all the themes present in “Death of a Salesman.” The overarching theme in Miller’s play is living the American dream. Willy believes he is the best salesman. That he is well known all over New England. Which would mean he was living the American dream. Willy tells the boys, “I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. ‘Willy Loman is here!’ That’s all they have to know, and I go right through” (Miller, 2121). Even though he does not make a lot of money and people do not show up at his funeral. Linda asked, “Why didn’t anyone come? But where are all the people he knew?” (Miller, 2174). …show more content…
He does not have the respect from his boss Howard to be able to work there in New York and has to stay a roadman. Willy was an average salesman. Instead of acknowledging this he retreats to the past; where he can be perceived as a success. Linda is in denial. She believes Willy is living the dream and is the best salesman. She believes his lies even though he is now delusional. Happy believes he should be on top of his work ladder and does not know why he is. He too is in denial about his own abilities and living the American dream. 2.) Which details seem especially important to the play’s theme? Another theme in “Death of a Salesman” is the need for success.
Willy feels that it is important to find evidence to prove that he is successful to others. One example is when Biff tells his Dad, “I’m takin’ one play for Pop. You watch me, Pop, and when I take off my helmet, that means I’m breakin’ out. Then you watch me crash through the line!” Then Willy tells Biff, “Oh, wait’ll tell this in Boston!” (Miller, 2120). Like he has to prove to the people in Boston how much of a successful father he is. Willy wants his sons to also be successful and better than anyone else. Willy tells his sons, “That’s just what I mean. Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him” (Miller, 2121). The ironic thing about this is Bernard ended up as a very successful lawyer. Happy and Biff struggle between what they truly need and what Willy has told them they …show more content…
need. 3.) What words, phrases, or objects provide clues about the theme of Miller’s play? There are multiple clues that indicate the theme in “Death of a Salesman.” The title itself is one clue. It indicates the dying breed of a Salesman. That they are not as well known or able to sell door to door anymore like Willy used to do. It also foreshadows Willy’s death. The phrases “well liked” and “personally attractive” are also clues. Willy lives by these phrases. They indications the theme of living the American dream. According to Willy, they will help you get what you deserve and material comforts offered by American life. Abandonment is another theme in the play. There was one despair after another for Willy. Starting with his father leaving him and Ben when they were young. Leaving them without any money or any sort of legacy. Then Ben leaves for Alaska; again Willy is left behind. Willy develops a fear of being abandoned; which makes him want his family to conform to the American dream. During one of Willy episodes he tells Ben, “Can’t you stay a few days? You’re just what I need, Ben, because I-I have a fine position here, but I-well, Dad left when I was such a baby and I never had a chance to talk to him and I still fell-kind of temporary about myself” (Miller, 2130). The diamonds are a symbol about Ben’s luck in getting wealthy and Willy’s failure to get wealthy, but trying to live the American dream. The rubber hose is another symbol. It is in the play to show that Willy want to kill himself. It is ironic because Willy is unable to afford gas. Which is a basic need that he is unable to provide. Which shows he is not living the American dream. 4.) What is the play’s attitude toward its theme? How do you know this? The major theme of “Death of a Salesman” is living the American dream.
They play’s attitude seems against it. There are numerous signs of failure throughout the play. Failure goes against this theme. Willy was trying to live the dream, but he died not being well know or rich. Bernard, according to Willy and his sons, was not a “well liked” person; but had the most success out of all of them. Charley tells Willy, “How do you like this kid? Gonna argue a case I front of the Supreme Court” (Miller, 2152). Ben’s luck of finding the diamonds by complete accident; and Willy’s hardworking unsuccessfully life. Willy’s failure to impress his boss, Howard, enough to change his position. Howard did not appreciate Willy enough to allow him to stop being a roadman. Willy wanted to start selling in the store; instead he got
fired.
The play, “Death of a Salesman” written by Arthur Miller, presents Willy Loman, as a salesman, who fails to earn a living and slowly loses his mind. Willy continuously seeks the past to find out where he went wrong. During his years in life, Willy wanted his two sons, Biff and Happy to become someone they’re not; Willy wanted them to become a salesman like him. However, because of his obsession in the American Dream of easy success and wealth, he created a life full of lies for himself and his sons. In the end because of “his misconception of himself as someone capable of greatness” leads to his downfall and the end of his life (Death of a Salesman).”
"Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller Analysis of Major Characters." . Staten Island Technical High, 5 May 2010. Web. 7 May 2014. .
Murray, Edward. “The Thematic Structure in Death of a Salesman.” Readings on Arthur Miller: Death of a Salesman. San Diego: Greenhaven Press Inc., 1999.
At the beginning of the play it is evident that he cannot determine the realities of life, and so he repeatedly contradicts himself to establish that his conclusion is correct and opinion accepted. These numerous contradictions demonstrate that Willy is perturbed of the possibility that negative judgements may come from others. Willy strongly believes that “personality always wins” and tells his sons that they should “be liked and (they) will never want”. In one of Willy’s flashbacks he recalls the time when his sons and him were outside cleaning their Chevy. Willy informs Biff and Happy the success of his business trips and how everyone residing in Boston adores him. He mentions that due to the admiration of people he does not even have to wait in lines. He ultimately teaches his sons that being liked by others is the way to fulfilling one’s life and removing your worries. These ideals, that one does not need to work for success, demonstrate Willy’s deluded belief of achieving a prosperous life from the admiration and acceptance of others. This ultimately proves to be a false ideology during his funeral, when an insufficient amount of people arrive. Willy constantly attempts to obtain other’s acceptance through his false tales that depict him as a strong, successful man. In the past, he attempts to lie to his wife, Linda, about the amount of wealth he has attained during his
Bigsby, C. W. E. “Death of a Salesman.” Arthur Miller: A Critical Study. New York: Cambridge UP, 2005. 100-123.
Although, his narcissism exhibits the common issue with American capitalism-it leads to greediness, unhappiness, and anger. This yearning for success can also cause an obsession with appearance and the self, which is a main focus in Willy Loman’s life. He says that to get somewhere, it is good to be “built like (an) Adonis,” which he tells his sons. At one point in his life, he felt he never had to ask for anything, and that when he walked in a room, he got what he wanted because “‘Willy Loman is here!’” Eventually, Willy ages and lacks the flair that he once had, and is left with unimpressive salesman skills. Due to America’s obsession with appearance, old-age is a plague to American society. The superficiality causes those to enjoy charisma over passion. This leads to arrogance, a common American worker to be. Willy Loman is a mirror being held up to the faces of American worker-bees. He avoided risks, and continued living a monotonous, easy life. Miller is attempting to say, monotony is a dangerous habit America has. This play intends to steer readers into a direction of following their own path, rather than following the norm; the norm is nothing new, and fails to reach anything
Symbolism in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, is wrought with symbolism from the opening scene. Many symbols illustrate the themes of success and failure. They include the apartment buildings, the rubber hose, Willy’s brother Ben, the tape recorder, and the seeds for the garden. These symbols represent Willy’s attempts to be successful and his impending failure.
Bernard was a dorky nobody who worshipped Biff when they were growing up. But now Bernard is a successful lawyer with a family, in contrast to Biff (1011). Willy cannot understand how Bernard ended up where he while his son “. . . laid down and died . . .” (1011) (1013). In Willy’s memory of the past, the audience can see how Willy encouraged Biff to cheat on tests with Bernard’s help (980). However, Willy evades the truth that lies in his ill-considered encouragement ensuing Biff’s doomed fate. Willy instead fixates on the time Biff played football in Ebbets Field, but the only thing he remembers was the crowd cheering “Loman, Loman, Loman” (997). This demonstrates that it was not his son Willy was rooting for as much as the reflected glory that came with the celebrity of the moment. Again, this shows how Willy actually praised the gratification of success rather than the actual hard work that makes a successful
In the play, Willy apprises his boys that it is very important to be well liked and have a good reputation with people because that would create success for them. Evidently, that was not the case in their lives though. As they progressed out of high school, the boy’s lives became stagnant and failure followed them because they did not put work into being successful. They did not have a reliable financial income and they were not content with their lives. They were taught that
He has worked for decades traveling all over New England selling goods for a firm and seems to think that because he is well liked (which really isn't all that true), he is successful. He wishes that his sons too could be like him while they know that they will never be decent businessmen. This is a source of major conflict between the brothers, Biff and Hap, and Willy. Linda, Willy's wife, is very naive and thinks that her husband is just an innocent confused old man and faithfully loves him. She can not stand to see her sons argue against their father even though they often are right.
As a father, Willy only wants the best for his sons. He wants his sons to do better than what he has done with his life and achieve more success. Willy 's dreams for his sons are a source of tension and anxiety for Biff and Happy. Their desire to please their father clashes with what is deemed moral and the right way to act. Willy 's dreams for his sons are seen as added pressure for them to succeed within life. In order to fulfill their father 's wishes, they develop a mindset that they must do whatever it takes for them to succeed. Happy is trying to move up the ranks within the company he works for and in order to please Willy, he acts as if the only way to advance is by neglecting any sort of boundaries. When Happy is discussing his competitiveness
In brief, it is apparent that Willy’s own actions led to not only his own demise, but his children’s as well. The salesman tragically misinterpreted the American Dream for only the superficial qualities of beauty, likeability and prosperity. Perhaps if Willy had been more focused on the truth of a person’s character, rather than purely physical aspects, his family’s struggles and his own suicide could have been avoided. On the whole, Arthur Miller’s play is evidence that the search for any dream or goal is not as easy and the end result may seem. The only way to realize the objective without any despair is the opposite of Willy Loman’s methods: genuineness, perseverance and humility.
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is a tragic play about an aging and struggling salesman, Willy Loman, and his family’s misguided perception of success. In Willy’s mind, being well-liked is more important than anything else, and is the means to achieving success. He teaches this flawed idea to his sons, Biff and Happy, and is faithfully supported by his wife Linda. Linda sympathizes with Willy’s situation, knowing that his time as an important salesman has passed. Biff and Happy hold their father to impossibly high standards, and he tries his best to live up to them. This causes Willy to deny the painful reality that he has not achieved anything of real value. Willy’s obsession with a false dream results in his losing touch with reality and with himself.
Willy was fixed on his dream that he was going to be successful someday, and that he was very well liked and that it would pay off one day. The dramatic and somewhat depressing ending however, suggests differently. Killing himself to pay off the future success of his sons, only for no one to show up to his funeral shows how his whole life was some sort of illusion to what he had dreamed to be, dying at the hands of his tragic flaws. The purpose of Miller’s modern tragedy was so that the audience would be able to relate to, seeing Willy as a property of all men instead of someone of nobility such as a king or prince or God. In the post-war times when the play was written, it was easier to relate to someone average, or even below average, than someone as strong as a
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.