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Death of a salesman short paper analysis
Death of a salesman short paper analysis
Death of a salesman short paper analysis
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n the play, Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman has a different relationship with his sons in the beginning of the play compared to that of the flashback scene. Early on in the beginning of the play, Willy Loman’s relationship with his sons can be characterized as distant and stressed. Furthermore, Biff Loman, the youngest of the two sons, says ”Everything I say there’s a twist of mockery on his face. I can’t get near him”. This quote emphasizes the idea that Willy Loman is constantly mocking his son Biff, resulting in a very distant and strained relationship. On the contrary, during the flashback scene, Willy Loman’s relationship with his sons can be considered loving and close. In more detail, when Willy Loman returns home, Biff says to his
The saying, like father like son, is typically praise, but In The Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, it is evident that it may have a negative effect on a man’s life. In the play, Happy Loman is similar to his father, Willy, in that he is stuck in his dream world, has a false sense of confidence, and is desperate for attention. This resemblance is portrayed in the play through different instances where Happy and Willy demonstrate these characteristics in nearly identical ways. Happy’s purpose in the play is to resemble a young version of his father, and to show how Willy’s “legacy” has been passed on.
have a nice talk with him. I’ll get him a job selling. He could be
Like countless characters in a play, Willy struggles to find who he is. Willy’s expectations for his sons and The Woman become too high for him to handle. Under the pressure to succeed in business, the appearance of things is always more important than the reality, including Willy’s death. The internal and external conflicts aid in developing the character Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.
Although the characters are not of noble birth nor possess a heroic nature nor experience a reversal of fortune, many of the elements in "Death of A Salesman" fulfill the criteria of a classic tragedy. The downfall and crisis points in the play are directly linked to the Loman family's combined harmartias, or personal flaws. The Loman's have unrealistic ideas regarding the meaning of success. To Willy, the foundation of success is not education or hard work, but rather "who you know and the smile on your face." Moreover, Willy ridicules the education Bernard has earned, declaring that his sons, Biff and Hap, will get further ahead in the business world because "the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked, and you will never want." Willy idolizes two men: his brother, Ben, who walked out of an African jungle a rich man, and an 84-year-old salesman who could "pick a phone in twenty or thirty cities and be remembered and loved, and finally honored by hundred of mourners at his funeral." To Linda, success is paying off a 25...
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.
Biff Loman, The oldest son sees Willy as the hero of his life, the man that has done all and has succeeded at life. Biff sees his father this way because Willy deceives his family from the truth and lets them believe that he is successful when in reality he is a failure and an unsuccessful salesman. Throughout Biff’s life he follows the path of his father thinking it was the path to a perfect life when really it was the path to defeat, and somewhere on that path he discovers the truth about his father which then caused his life to achieve unfulfillment as well. In Willy’s Life Willy cheats on his wife linda and betrays her, ruins Biff’s chances of graduating high school, and fills his family with lies, secrets, and betrayal. Willy Loman in The Death of a Salesman is responsible for his own sons
“I don 't say he 's a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He 's not the finest character that ever lived. But he 's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He 's not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person,” Linda states regarding Willy Loman. Linda is Willy’s wife. Willy is the main character. Linda and Willy have two sons, Harold and Biff. Harold goes by the name Happy or Hap. Death of a Salesman is a two act, with a requiem, play written by Arthur Miller. Arthur Miller writes this play to challenge the idea of the American Dream. Death of a Salesman introduces the term dysfunctional family. Dysfunctional means that something doesn’t work right or at all. Willy gave his entire life to earning money. This family is the traditional kind where the father works and the mother stays home. At home, though, Linda does everything. In 1951 Death of a Salesman was released in Columbia, Ireland, South Africa, and Dublin (Oliver). There are many
Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman follows protagonist Willy Loman in his search to better his and his family’s lives. Throughout Willy Loman’s career, his mind starts to wear down, causing predicaments between his wife, two sons and close friends. Willy’s descent into insanity is slowly but surely is taking its toll on him, his job and his family. They cannot understand why the man they have trusted for support all these years is suddenly losing his mind. Along with his slope into insanity, Willy’s actions become more aggressive and odd as the play goes on. Despite Willy and Biff’s “family feud”, his two sons Happy and Biff truly worry about their father’s transformation, Happy saying: “He just wants you to make good, that’s all. I wanted to talk to you about dad for a long time, Biff. Something’s – happening to him. He – talks to himself” (Miller 21). Willy, as a father, cares about his children but he wishes they would do better. He believes Biff should have been an athlete. According to Harrington, “Even figuratively, Willy is haunted, and particularly in Biff’s failure to achieve success as a sports figure” (108). This haunting is part of what led to Willy’s slow plunge into madness. As Willy’s career in sales fails, he also fails, even failing his family. Heyen adds: “He didn’t have anything of real value to give to his family, or if he did, he didn’t know what it was” (48). His debilitating flashbacks and delusional hallucinations with Uncle Ben cement his horrifying realizations that he has let down his family. Willy Loman blames the economy for his downfall in his career. In one of his more extreme outbursts he exclaims, “There’s more people! That’s what’s ruining this country! Population is getting out of control. ...
Willy’s hubris makes him feel extremely proud of what he has, when in reality he has no satisfaction with anything in his life. Willy Loman’s sons did not reach his expectations, as a father, but he still continued to brag about Biff and Happy in front of Bernard. Willy Loman caused the reader to empathize with him because before his tragic death he did everything he could for his family. Empathy, Hubris, and Willy Loman’s tragic flow all lead him to his death that distends from the beginning. He is unable to face reality and realize that he’s not successful in life or at his job; he remains living in a world where he thinks he’s greater than everybody else because he’s a salesman.
Parent and child relationships are the main point of play in many literary works. Through their relationship, the reader can understand the conflicts of the play, since the characters play different roles in each other’s lives. These people are usually connected in physical and emotional ways. They can be brothers and sisters, mothers and daughters, or fathers and sons. In “Death of A Salesman,” by Arthur Miller, the interaction between Willy Loman and his sons, Biff and Happy, allows Miller to comment on the father-son relationship and conflicts that arise from them.
One theme that shows importance in one of Arthur Miller's work in Death of a Salesman is appearance versus reality. Willy Loman, who is a main character in Miller's novel, is delusional and unstable. Loman is going through a terrible reminisce of his life. Willy's imagined conversations with his dead brother Ben demonstrate his fragile grip on reality. Willy's mind is full of delusions about his own abilities and accomplishments and the abilities and accomplishments of his sons (Spampinato 67). Loman has two sons, Biff and Happy. Willy has alienated his oldest son, Biff (Walsh).
In literature and in life, people endure events which are the effects from the relationships between a parent and their child. In Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller it is evident how the relationship between Willy and his sons creates the downfall of the dysfunctional Loman family. Miller depicts the possessiveness that exists in humans through Willy Loman. In the 1949 era to preserve a healthy household it was important for the father-son relationship to be strong. If conflicts were to arise in their relationship the entire family would collapse and fail. Biff and Happy constantly idolize and praise their father, however, they realize that he is flawed and how as a father he failed to prepare them for the real world. Willy Loman is a man that is happy and proud in one moment and suddenly angry in another, which exhibits how the inconsistencies in his character make it difficult for anyone to have a strong relationship with him. In the play it is evident that the tension between the father and son relationship is the factor that causes the protagonist’s tragedy. The dispute between the father and
Throughout his life, Willy Loman thinks of himself as well-liked in the play "Death of a Salesman" by Arthur Miller. It is the most important attribute to him. Willy lived his life thinking he had thousands of friends all over the New England territory and that he would be recognized anywhere he would go. He boasts this to his sons and they think he is the greatest man on Earth. He raises his two sons, Biff and Happy, to be well-liked and Willy does not care about their grades. He believes they will be better prepared for the business world if they are well-liked, and does not think education matters as much as personality, appearance, and physical skill. Although he has set high standards for sons, his morals are being well-liked, he thinks he is the best salesman in his firm, and he claims to be extremely loyal to his family; despite this, he is none of these.
Every person has a different interpretation of his or hers own morals. In the play Death of a Salesman, father Willy Loman raises his two sons with idea that being well-liked is more important than being hard working. Throughout the lives of Willy’s sons Biff and Happy Loman, they struggled with finding their place in society, due to the fact that they thought of themselves , but in reality they are not successful in the least. It is difficult to identify morally ambiguous characters such as Willy, Biff, and Happy Loman as purely good or purely evil, because each character has the potential for both.
Flashbacks throughout the play help create a dream like setting that interrupts the callous reality of Willy Loman's life. Arthur Miller's use of Willy's flashbacks, the music, and the setting unify realism and expressionism to make "Death of a Salesman" a dreamlike play. The frequent flash backs are a "folding of time" that are connected to emotional experience rather than what is actually happening in the real world. By going back to past and reminiscing the happy and successful teenage years, Willy is able to elude the reality that his sons have not achieved anything in their adult life. Willy's flashbacks of Ben show his deepest yearning to be accepted, loved, and admired by his older brother, while in reality; he was neglected by all of the male figures in his childhood.