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A raisin in the sun the character analysis
Two contrasting characters in a raisin in the sun
Two contrasting characters in a raisin in the sun
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Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun are both classic dramas from the mid-20th century. Because of the time in which both plays take place, they both heavily feature themes reminiscent of the American Dream. The Loman family and the Younger family are similar in many ways, especially when you look at the individual members and their roles in their respective stories.
Willy and Walter Lee specifically have a lot in common. Aside from both having names that start with “W,” they also serve as the father figure in their families. Interestingly enough, both characters do not have a father themselves. Willy’s father left when he was only a few years old, and Walter’s father died presumably before the
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events of the play. Although Walter’s father was around during his childhood, it’s possible that since he was a very busy and hard-working man, Walter did not see him much. This lack of a father figure creates a drive to compensate, which leads into the biggest comparison of the characters: their ambition. The ambitions of Willy and Walter Lee to acquire material success is an integral driving force in each play.
Walter Lee is at a point in his life where he feels like he needs to accomplish something great, but since he’s kind of delusional he ends up simply wasting the family’s money on a risky investment. Since Willy is older, this ambition manifests more in his vision for his children’s future. He feels like he has done great things in his life, but now only wishes that his kids will follow in his footsteps and allow him to retire. If anything, Walter is sort of the equivalent of a younger Willy, not quite middle-aged yet. This idea can be seen in how Walter talks to his son Travis, asking him what he wants to be when he grows up. When Travis responds the simple answer of “a bus driver,” Walter says, “What? Man, that ain't nothing to want to be! … 'Cause, man—it ain't big enough—you know what I mean” (Hansberry 546). Ironically, Travis is probably just trying to follow in the footsteps of his father, a chauffeur. This sounds exactly like a conversation that Willy would have with a young Biff Loman. Another thing to note is that both men are quick to anger when things do not quite go to …show more content…
plan. Another obvious comparison can be seen in how each character treats his wife.
They are both very rude to their wives, to say the least, and even border on abusive. Willy cheats on Linda, and Walter takes out his drunken anger on Ruth time and time again. Linda and Ruth just put up with this because there isn’t much else they could do. They both still express that they love their husbands despite the abuse, and constantly try to help and support them through the trying times. The wives both wish that their husbands would settle down and be content with the jobs they already have. This is very clear in A Raisin in the Sun, but in Death of a Salesman it is a little subtler. It can be seen when Linda says to Willy, “Enough to be happy right here, right now. Why must everybody conquer the world? You’re well liked, and the boys love you, and someday — why, old man Wagner told him just the other day that if he keeps it up he’ll be a member of the firm, didn’t he…” (Miller
61). One of the reasons Walter and Ruth bicker is because of Walter’s dissatisfaction with his current occupation. He cannot stand working for “the man,” feeling like a servant. Similarly, Willy refuses to accept a job from his lifelong acquaintance Charley simply because he views him as a rival and doesn’t want to work under him. This point shows that both characters believe themselves to be better than they are. Part of why they are so ambitious stems from this delusion that they are someone special and thus will accomplish great things. Willy’s son Biff even calls his father out on this in a climactic scene, exclaiming, “Pop! I’m a dime a dozen, and so are you!” (Miller 98). Willy’s response only confirms the inference of his huge ego: “I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman, and you are Biff Loman!” (Miller 98). He says this as if it is a big deal, but Biff and the reader both realize that Willy is just a crazy old man that will never come to terms with the circumstances of his own life. The fact that these two plays written 10 years apart by two very different authors cover a lot of the same thematic ground sheds light on the American zeitgeist of the time. The romantic ideal of the American Dream was slowly dwindling away, revealing the imperfections and shortcomings of capitalism. While perhaps entertainment first and foremost, these works and their complex characters are compelling relics of social and political commentary that is just as, if not more, relevant today than ever before.
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Thornton Wilder’s Our Town both explore the fulfillment of life. Emily and Willy Loman fail to take advantage of their lives because they have the wrong priorities and do not take the time appreciate what they already have. Willy focuses solely on achieving his dreams of success as a salesman and helping Biff become a great man, resulting in him ignoring his family, declining status in society, and reality, leading to his demise. He never realizes what he has lost by chasing after inconceivable dreams; however, Wilder’s Emily reflects on her life after she dies and begins to understand that her lack of appreciation for the little moments took away from the fullness of her life. Even though Wilder and Miller tell two unique stories, they use similar methods to show their thoughts on living and essentially convey the same message about how dreams can ruin people and how not appreciating the little things takes away from the quality of life.
Found within the storyline, Willy implements features of a tragic hero as he shows the reversal of events in his life due to his own actions. Willy, through the downfall with his son, Biff, shows that his actions have caused a bridge between him and his son in which his son chooses to grow apart from his family. As seen at the beginning of the play, Willy represents a tragic hero as he is distressed and troubled as he comes home from another failed sales trip. Although Willy represents a tragic hero in many cases, there are also others found within Death of a Salesman that help implement the role of a profound hero. Willy’s wife, Linda, implements the heroine as she presents herself with many wise and understanding words for Willy has he faces his hardships. Throughout the story, it is seen that Linda represents herself as a put together woman for her husband but is often found distraught by her husband’s actions in which readers and audiences can empathize with
Walter trying to convince Mama to agree to invest in the liquor store is an example of him trusting Willy. Walter shows his despair when he felt the betrayal when he shouted, “Willy!...Willy… don’t do it… Please don’t do it…” (128). Because Willy Harris has taken off with Walter’s money, Walter basically cripples and falls to his knees sobbing and clearly discomfited. Mama stands in disbelief and she too starts crying. She asks God for strength showing that even though this has happened, she has not lost her faith in her religion and that at the moment she is frail. Another character who is affected is Walter’s other business partner named Bobo. He shares Walter’s sadness because Willy has also stolen his money. Bobo, like Walter, has staked his whole life on this deal. Another theme that can be extracted from the sequence of events is to always do things the right way, taking shortcuts can lead to serious consequences. Willy stole Walter’s money after he tried to take the easy way to obtain a liquor
Willy gets it from all sides; primarily his conflict is with Biff but also Charley, Howard, and Bernard. He is an average man who truly believes he is better than those around him, and that his sons, especially Biff, are better still, but people, he has very little respect for, are all more successful than he is. Biff starts out like Willy, perhaps, but comes to the realization that being an average man is okay. Willy never comes to that conclusion; in fact he decides he is more valuable dead than alive. Walter Lee probably has the best grasp on reality and the highest hill to climb of all the dreamers in these stories.
Disrespectfulness is the cause of personal tension in this play. There are many occurrences where a character is being disrespectful, which triggers emotional and physical conflicts. Throughout the movie, Willy is extremely disrespectful to his wife Linda. He loses his patience every time she talks during a conversation that he is having. When he talks to Biff at the table about his new job opportunities, Linda adds some remarks like, “I’ll make breakfast,” (1853) and Willy loses his control. He turns to her quickly and tells her to shut up. Sometimes he even puts his finger angrily to her face, screaming at her to shut her mouth, even though she is just adding relative comments.
A Dream Deferred in A Raisin in the Sun and Death of a Salesman Most everyone in America would like to achieve financial success. Sometimes living in a capitalistic society entices many to become too materialistic. Greed is the characteristic that many Americans attain. This is all in pursuit of the American dream. For most Americans, this high status is very difficult to achieve.
“The American dream is, in part, responsible for a great deal of crime and violence because people feel that the country owes them not only a living but a good living.” Said David Abrahansen. This is true and appropriate in the case of Willy Loman, and his son Biff Loman. Both are eager to obtain their American dream, even though both have completely different views of what that dream should be. The play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller shows the typical lives of typical Americans in the 1940’s. Miller’s choice of a salesman to be the main character in this play was not a coincidence, since it represents the typical middle-class working American, some of which have no technical skills what so ever. Miller’s play gives us insides on the daily lives of many Americans, this through the eyes of Willy and Biff Loman, he also shows what kind of personalities, what dreams they have, and their different points of view of what the American dream means.
Both Miller and Lorraine created a theme of achieving goals, Willy Loman just wanted to earn the respect of the people around him while Walter Younger wanted to get rich quick and support his family. American politician Reubin Askew once said, “We must stop talking about the American dream and start listening to the dreams of Americans.” What this means is people like Willy Loman and Walter Younger like to talk about the American dream and how it is their right, but they won’t go anywhere unless they actually go out and follow their own dreams. “Yes, [he is] a fine man—just couldn’t never catch up with his dreams that’s all.” (30). Both Willy and Walter think they have it all figured out, but they are sadly mistaken. Willy believes that to succeed in life all you need to do is be well liked, but all it got him was a lack of respect from coworkers even younger than he. Walter was sure he had found the answer to his families problems by investing in a liquor store; as a result one of his co investors and alleged friend ran off with all the money Walter had invested. Both Walter and Willy have the idea that all of the pressure in on their shoulders and no one else understands what its like. “Man, I’m a volcano, a giant surrounded by ants. Ants can’t understand ...
In many literary works, family relationships are the key to the plot. Through a family’s interaction with one another, the reader is able decipher the conflicts of the story. Within a literary family, various characters play different roles in each other’s lives. These are usually people that are emotionally and physically connected in one way or another. They can be brother and sister, mother and daughter, or in this case, father and son. In the Arthur Miller’s novel, Death of A Salesman, the interaction between Willy Loman and his sons, Happy and Biff, allows Miller to comment on father-son relationships and the conflicts that arise from them.
Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is a story about the dark side of the "American Dream". Willy Loman's obsession with the dream directly causes his failure in life, which, in turn, leads to his eventual suicide. The pursuit of the dream also destroys the lives of Willy's family, as well. Through the Lomans, Arthur Miller attempts to create a typical American family of the time, and, in doing so, the reader can relate to the crises that the family is faced with and realize that everyone has problems.
The struggle for the pursuit of happiness and prosperity has always been an extremely relevant American culture and society—most strive to be at the top (e.g. in some sort of alpha position). “The Death of a Salesman” and “A Raisin in the Sun” are two stories that delve into this struggle. Both are about two classic American families, specifically two men, between the 1940’s and 1960’s that portray the common way of life along with many tribulations that come with it. “The Death of a Salesman” is about a middle-class American white family living in New York, while, “A Raisin in the Sun” is a lower middle-class African American family living in Chicago. These families might seem normal, but they actually have many problems and differences that differentiate them from other families and themselves within their own family. Though, both families share a few similarities’, which makes these two stories relevant subjects for a comparative essay.
...ather, not as a salesman? (Corrigon 105). Although he is not flawless, Willy ?accepts the responsibilities [his family?s] existence creates? unlike his brother Ben because he truly cares about them (Abbotson 44). Willy?s devotion to his family is sabotaged by his misconceived ideas on how love is conveyed, as he attempts to endow his sons with corrupt objectives.
Willy was never able to say he was a good father to his sons. He prioritized his job o...
Willy has worked hard his entire life and ought to be retiring by now, living a life of luxury and closing deals with contractors on the phoneespecially since increasing episodes of depersonalization and flashback are impairing his ability to drive. Instead, all of Willy's aspirations seem to have failed: he is fired from his jobwhich barely paid enough anywayby a man young enough to be his son and who, in fact, Willy himself named. Willy is now forced to rely on loans from his only real friend (and the word is used loosely at that), Charley, to make ends meet. None of Willy's old friends or previous customers remember him. Biff, his 34-year-old son, has been unable to 'find himself' as a result of his inability to settle down (caused by Willy drumming into him the need to 'make it big within two weeks'), and Happy, the younger son, lies shamelessly to make it look like he is a perfect Loman scion. In contrast, Charley (who, Willy tells his boys conspiratorially, is not well-liked), is now a successful businessman, and his son, Bernard, a former bespectacled bookworm, is now a brilliant lawyer. We are told how Willy had at least one affair while out on business trips, one particularly that was witnessed by Biff (which broke his faith in Willy). Finally, Willy is haunted by memories of his now-dead older brother,
Willy is a salesman. Willy believes that success comes from being well liked and popular and has tried desperately to instill his notions to his two boys Happy and Biff, Willy's biggest aspirations in life. His wife Linda is extremely supportive and is Willy's only connection to reality. While raising his boys and trying to instill his "American Dream", he fails to teach them any sense of morality, leading them down to what he feels is the wrong path. At one point, he defended Biff for stealing just because he was an amazing football player.