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Arthur miller criticism of death of salesman
Willy as a tragic hero in the death of a salesman
Willy as a tragic hero in the death of a salesman
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The tragic life of Willy Loman as told by the author, Arthur Miller, in his short story “The Death of a Salesman” illustrates a misguided outlook in the world and how it has affected the actions of those around him. Willy Loman’s narcissistic views on how to achieve success, such as athletics, looks, and “having humor, but not too much to look like a fool”; but ignoring education provides an insight on how he became a failure in the business world. Willy’s views and action did not only hurt those around him it also affected himself. In this short story, Willy Loman’s uncommon views affected those around him, most notably his son, Biff, who he prevents him from getting an education. Biff taking his advice did not make an effort in school, thus flunking his math class. Seeking a solution to his failure he decided to seek out his father, who was on a business trip, surprisingly caught his father having an affair. …show more content…
In addition Biff was incapable of being himself due to Willy’s dream of him becoming a successful salesman. Biff agreed to follow his father’s dream wanting to have a strong relationship with Willy. Along the way he realized that’s not who he is and spoke to his father about the situation telling him that they are both “a dime of a dozen”, Willy refused to accept the truth. This added to Biffs’ misery since his father would not let him follow his own ambitions. Willy’s actions not only hurt Biff it also anguished his other son, Happy. Happy would do anything to please his father for example one of Willy’s memories has Happy in the background repeating he lost weight and if he could see the weight loss. In Willy’s funeral his
“BIFF [crying, broken]: Will you let me go for Christ’s sake? Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens?” By saying this Biff tries to address his family on the giant rift between Willy’s dreams for him and reality. He tries to explain that all he wants is for Willy to let go of those dreams and high standards he has set for him so he can create his own reality rather than fulfill his father's dream. Willy's dreams for Biff were very unrealistic for the reality of his situation,which caused him to fill unsuccessful and push himself away from his father. The reason Willy wanted his children to do so well and had such big dreams for them was because he wasn't able to achieve the dream and had a fear he had failed and so he wanted to force his dream to be fulfilled by his children. Therefore, due to Willy’s wildly unrealistic amount of pride, causing him to make poor decisions, betray his family by having a mistress and finally his unrealistic dreams for his sons, he paved his way towards his failure and his deep fear of isolation and
Willy Loman, is a failure within the capitalist model, as he has struggled all of his life to earn a living as a salesman. “I get the feeling that I won’t sell anything again, that I won’t make a living for you, or a business for the boys” (38) he tells his wife Linda. In spite of his professional disappointments, he clings to his belief that likeability and attractiveness are the cornerstones of achievement. He preaches that a man’s natural gifts are more valuable than his efforts or integrity. “Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, who creates persona interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want“(33). He dramatically overstates his appeal to his sons, and pretends to be a great man. This delusion creates the roost of dishonesty in which his sons are raised. Biff and Happy feed on falsehoods that deform their senses of identity, their perceptions of reality, and concepts of morality. Willy’s lies ensure that distortions become their truth, dishonesty their trade, and unhappiness their harvest. This web of deceit is the Loman legacy, and its destructive dividends are paid throughout the boys’ lives.
Biff never kept a steady job during his young adult life, and did not possess a healthy relationship with anyone that was in his life. As the play progresses the reader sees how much Biff becomes more self- aware. An online source states, “Unlike the other members of his family, Biff grows to recognize that he and his family members consistently deceive themselves, and he fights to escape the vicious cycles of lies.” When Biff returns home it becomes a struggle to keep a healthy relationship with his parents. Once Willy and Biff decide together that Biff will go and ask Bill Oliver for a loan is when the differences between the two characters are truly seen. Biff accepts reality for the first time in his life, and realizes how ridiculous it is to ask Bill Oliver for a loan, when he barely knows the man and worked for him about ten years ago. When Biff meets up with Willy after the ‘meeting’ Biff is talking to his Father and says, “Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am!” This quote reveals that Biff recently has just experienced an epiphany, and realizes that what he was doing was making no sense. Biff is escaping the self- deception he was caught in with the rest of his
Willy Loman, the main character in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, is idealistic, stubborn and has a false sense of importance. He exhibits skewed perceptions of society that have a negative impact on him and his family. Willy believes that his philosophy of life is one that will guarantee himself and his family a life of wealth and success. Willy cannot achieve this success because his perceptions and methods to obtain it are wrong.
Willy was having an affair. After that incident, Biff was able to see Willy for what he really was as demonstrated, “You fake! You phony little fake! You fake (Miller, Portable 915).” Biff is the contradiction to Willy because they are both nothing. The difference between the two is that Biff understands that he has been lying to himself about his success as the rest of the family. When he came from Mr. Oliver’s he comes to the realization that he fabricated the reality of his time working for Mr. Oliver, “How the hell did I ever get the idea that I was a salesman for him! I even believed myself that I’d been a salesman for him!... I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been (Miller, Porable 906). Willy never could admit that he hadn’t done anything real with his life, hence; that is the growth that gives Biff hope for the future.
Arthur Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman”, primarily focuses on the flaws and failures of Willy Loman, Millers’ main character in this story. Willy’s distorted and backward views of the American Dream, paired with his inability to let go of the past lead him down a road of regret and in the end his biggest failure which was his wasted life.
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.
In the play Death of a Salesman, author Arthur Miller illustrates the insignificance of a respectable reputation in society and the confining nature of failure through protagonists Willy Loman and Charley. Willy’s self-consciousness and naivety influence him to strive for an excellent image in society to help him succeed. Following this method for success, Willy fails as a salesman because he neglects focusing on the purpose of his job, selling. Furthermore, Willy’s neighbor, Charley, thrives as a businessman because of his confidence and maturity. These valued characteristics help him to realize working hard leads to accomplishments. Charley’s achievements allow him to live contentedly, free from distress, while Willy suffers from trapping himself in a life of unhappiness. Willy’s focus on his reputation results in his failures and discontent, which juxtaposes Charley’s achievements from his hard work; therefore, Charley’s success ultimately illuminates the triviality of a well-formed reputation to succeed, and Willy’s displeasure demonstrates the confinement of failing.
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.
In the play, The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller,Willy Loman, an unsuccessful business man struggling to support his family is completely out of touch with reality throughout the plot line. Many characters throughout this play and their interactions with Willy have showed the audience his true colors and what he thinks is important in life. His constant lying and overwhelming ego certainly does not portray his life in factual terms, but rather in the false reality that he has convinced himself he lives in.
Willy Loman will bring his downfall upon himself as he entices his own disillusions and the bedrock of his values pertaining to success and how one can achieve it. His failure to recognize the fruitless outcome of his own idealism will seal his fated suicide and have a determining effect on the failures of his two sons that when adolescent, idolized their father as a guid...
Arthur Miller's, "Death of a Salesman," shows the development and structure that leads up to the suicide of a tragic hero, Willy Loman. The author describes how an American dreamer can lose his self-worth by many negative situations that occur throughout his life. The structure and complications are essential because it describes how a man can lose his way when depression takes over.
The play “Death of the Salesman” by Arthur Miller, introduced the dramatic story of Willy Loman, a salesman who has reached the end of the road. Willy Loman is a washed-up salesman who is facing hard times. In “Death of a Salesmen,” Willy Loman has been deluding himself over the years to the point he cannot understand what is wrong with him. This leads to the problems with is sons, wife, and career; it ultimately is what ends his life. I believed that the character of Willy 's delusion caused him to fall. While there were many contributing factors to Willy 's demise, his failure to cope with such circumstances and to become trapped in his own delusion is what tears Willy apart from himself and his family. Rather than facing the reality, Willy
Death of a Salesman is one of America’s most tragic plays, because it tells of disappointment, failure, and death. Ultimately, Willy wastes his adult years trying- unsuccessfully- to prove his worth. He has a misguided philosophy that he passes on to his two children, and can no longer distinguish between reality and illusion. The story of Willy Loman will remain popular because it serves as a warning to all: the question to be asked upon retiring from an occupation is not, “What does the person know?” but rather, “What has the person
Willy Loman’s tragic flow leads him to purse the idea that reputation in society has more relevancies in life than knowledge and education to survive in the business. His grand error of wanting recognition drove him crazy and insane and lead to his tragic death. 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 distend for him the beginning.