Willy Loman

943 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critical analysis of willy loman

Death of a Salesman is an acclaimed play written by Arthur Miller in 1949. It tells the story of Willy Loman, a business man and his family. Willy Loman’s health has been deteriorating for some time and his wife, Linda is very worried about him. Willy and Linda’s two sons Biff and Happy don’t have a good relationship with Willy. They all want to live “the great American dream”, but Willy fails to do so. Willy, the protagonist of this story ultimately fails due to his failure to accept capitalism and his insecurities. Willy Loman has been a businessman all of his life. In the first scene of the play his wife Linda states: “But you’re sixty years old. They can’t expect you to keep traveling every week” (964). Willy and his family lives in …show more content…

He lacks a murderous ego; he does not possess the killer instinct. or with a stranger, boy,” he says. Willy is a powerful expression of the grotesque impotence and inferior status of American kindness. American competitiveness is killing him—“The competition is maddening!” he cries. It turns his most human impulses into nascent acts of homicide or suicide. His natural and legitimate desire that his sons succeed becomes his cheap encouragement to them to cheat and steal. His surrender to loneliness destroys his son’s spirit. Willy lacks the essential ingredient for success in an untrammeled capitalism; he does not possess the killer instinct” …show more content…

His neighbor, Charley is a business man much like Loman. But Charley is much more successful because he is confident in his abilities. “Willy recognizes Charley is probably his only friend, yet he resents him because Charley’s success reminds him of the failure at the business, such as when Charley, while standing near his secretary in his own office, takes out cash from his wallet to lend money to his neighbor; Willy cannot afford a secretary or even his insurance premiums” (Sterling, 85-86). Being around Charley often makes Loman angry, because he sees everything he could be, but he is not. Charley offers Loman a job and Loman gets defensive and asks him why he is offering for me a job and Charley tells Loman not to get insulted. Charley also has a son named Bernard, who is an successful lawyer. Willy is jealous of Bernard, because he wishes his boys could be as successful as he is. Willy confides in Bernard that he thinks that nothing good happened to Biff after age seventeen and he could have been very successful but he wasn’t. Biff has never been one to apply himself to school, although a smart boy. Loman was fired from a job in his young days which really messed him

Show More
Related

  • The Crime Of Vanity in Arthur Miller´s Death of a Salesman

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    There has been much discussion of Arthur Miller’s play Death Of A Salesman, in subsequent years since its release, arguing different perspectives of many aspects of the play. In B.S. Field Jr.’s article “Hamartia in Death of Salesman”, he puts forth his views detailing why he feels Willy Loman is adequately and justly punished for his many crimes against his family. By highlighting literary evidence, Field is able to detail a strong argument against Willy as an amoral human. Although Willy is justly punished for his crimes, Field fails to go into the depth of Willy’s crimes. The extent of Willy Loman’s corruption makes his crimes far more severe, for he has left his family in shambles and to continue to be his future conduits. Willy Loman’s addiction to his own delusions have made him curse his sons to the same amoral mind frame that he had put on himself, and continues to use against his wife, while still feeling convinced he is a well liked person that deserves to be treated better than he treats others.

    Read More

  • Willy's Tragic Flaw and the Effect it Has Upon his Sons in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller concerns itself with the fall of a simple man perpetually in a steadfast state regarding his own failure in a success-driven society. The protagonist of the play, Willy Loman, will follow a tragic trajectory that will eventually lead to his suicide. Arthur Miller's tragic play is an accurate portrayal of the typical American myth that sustains an extreme craving for success and a belief in the illusion of the American dream, a dream attainable only by a handful of people. Having chosen a career in sales Willy Loman constantly aspires to become 'great'. Nevertheless, Willy is a poor aging salesman that considers himself to be a failure when comparing himself to his successful father and brother, but he is incapable of consciously admitting it. Consequently, Willy will measure his level of success with the level of success attained by his offspring, particularly his eldest son Biff. Their difficult relationship contribute to the play's main plot. Willy unfolds his deluded perception and recollection of the events as the audience gradually witnesses the tragic downfall of a man shadowed by a mental illness that has already began to take it's toll on his mind and personality.

    Read More

  • Narcissism In Death Of A Salesman

    1198 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Failure of the American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Willy Loman's Descent Into Insanity

    2098 Words  | 5 Pages

    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. ...

    Read More

  • Is Willy Loman a Tragic Hero in "Death of Salesman

    1294 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Self Deception In Willy Loman

    1601 Words  | 4 Pages

    The life of Mr. Loman is one of loneliness, and lies. An online source emphasizes about Willy, “Willy convinces himself that he is successful, well- liked, and that his sons are destined for greatness.” Willy’s mind is consumed with being popular, and having material wealth. The results of Willy’s internal problems resulted with his children that could not be stable in any aspect of their lives, his failing marriage, and him struggling throughout all of his adulthood. Edward states (an online source), “Willy spent his life pursuing the wrong dreams for him. The wrong dream slowly possessed his life.” And also states, “Willy appears to have been obsessed with his goal of being known as a great salesman rather than with actually being a great salesman.” Willy is constantly under attack with thoughts of his past, to the point he has such vivid flashbacks that he will openly be talking to him, but thinking is he talking to people of the past. An online source states, “Unable to cope with reality, he entirely abandons it through his vivid fantasies and ultimately through suicide.” Willy is aware of his mistakes, but spends his time looking forward to the ‘perfect’ future he has planned, but never changes his ways to achieve his goals. Mr. and Mrs. Loman realize how different and happy Willy is when he is working outside with his hands. Both characters recognize

    Read More

  • Death Of A Salesman American Dream Essay

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the play, Arthur Miller uses characters’ inner tension and also tension with each other in order to shed light on capitalism’s misleading promises and devastating consequences for believing its promises. For many of the characters, believing in an imperfect system leads to many undesirable consequences, like disillusionment and suicide. For those that don’t throw themselves willy-nilly into the promises of capitalism and the American Dream, there is the chance of living a successful and fulfilling life. In the play Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is a great example of someone trying desperately, yet unsuccessfully, to pursue the false hope of the American Dream, directly resulting from capitalism’s misleading nature.

    Read More

  • Willy from Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller: Abandoned and Flawed

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    The dramatic play Death of a Salesman, composed by Arthur Miller in 1949 portrays the hours leading up to Willy Loman’s death. Willy is a sixty-year-old salesman living in Brooklyn New York with his wife Linda and after thirty-five years working as a traveling salesman he feels defeated by his lack of success and difficult family life. As a salesman, Willy Loman focuses more on personality and being well liked by everyone than actual skills. When he returns early from a business trip it is apparent that he is extremely distressed and confides that he almost got into an accident. All thought the play we get to witness Willy’s brain unravel and his tragic character flaws that all seem to stem from being abandoned by his father and brother. This abandonment leaves Willy with an extreme need for approval and direction but he’s also riddled with fears and insecurities. This fear ruins his character, making him an emotionally desperate and needy man who feels that the only way you can ever be successful in life is if you’re “well liked”. Which is heartbreaking because it becomes apparent throughout that he is not really liked or successful at all but living out fantasy scenarios to soothe the pain. His brother was the man he admired the most but throughout the play Ben is revealed as being a mean, nasty man who believe that being rich is the only sign of success even thought he stumbled upon his wealth thought pure luck. We began to see his open wounds from being abandoned that leads to this obsession with needing to be liked by everyone, why he and Biffs’ relationship is so tense and irreversibly broken but also why he’s so disrespectful to Linda.

    Read More

  • Death of a Salesman: The Flaws and Failures of Willy Loman

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    Willy Loman is a 60 year old senile salesman who desperately wants to be a successful salesman; however, his ideas about the ways in which one goes about achieving this are very much misguided, just as his morals are. He believes that popularity and good looks are the key to achieving the American dream, rather than hard work and dedication. He not only lives his entire life by this code, but instills his delusional beliefs in his two sons Biff and Happy. As a result, his sons experience similar failures in their adult lives. Willy led a life of illusion, lies and regret which not only ruined his life, but gad a negative impact on the lives of family as well.

    Read More

  • Willy Loman

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Past Or The Future Life consists of a series of moments compiled together. The past can allow an individual to succeed in the future but may also become a hindrance if they dwell upon it. The actions of an individual are the building blocks of their life but cannot let their past define them. Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman suggests that to achieve success and prosperity an individual must reconcile and let go of the uncertainties of the past.

    Read More

  • Willy Loman

    452 Words  | 1 Pages

    The play “Death of a Salesman”, written by Arthur Miller in 1949, is mainly about a salesman named Willy Loman who tries to create an image of a business man and persuading himself and the people around him that he has achieved an American dream. However, the presence of female role is often unnoticed and somehow they have a submissive role in the play. Arthur illustrates different female characters in the play which have an impact on Willy, the main character’s evolution. Linda, wife of Willy Loman, is represented as the caring wife that has been supporting her husband and her sons all her life. She is a woman who has been taken for granted in the Loman family ,thus, making her seem like she is powerless woman.

    Read More

  • The Collapse of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller,

    2029 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...y he is so obsessed with trying to attain it. He is the product of his own illusions and of a society that believe that with hard work everything is possible. The reader can understand that Willy’s skewed perspective of the “American Dream” is due to his distortion of his life and the dream that he thinks he lives in everyday.

    Read More

  • The Character of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Death of a Salesman as Criticism of America's Moral and Social Standards Death Salesman essays

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    A controversy engulfs Arthur Millers play, Death of a Salesman. Was Willy a victim of modern American society, or did he simply lack the morals and ethics to achieve success and happiness? Willy Loman is a victim of the American capitalistic machine, as evidenced through his frequently ambivalent attitudes concerning the importance place on pride and being well liked, as well as the self delusion he displays in his affair and many other aspects of life.

    Read More

More about Willy Loman

Open Document