In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman’s life is displayed. This masterpiece details the life of a terrible salesman in the early 20th century. The main character lives a life of unreasonable dreams and misfortune. He is captured within visions of a false reality he never realizes. Wilson’s work Fences, tells of a hardworking man, Troy Maxson, who sales himself as an honest hard worker who provides for his family. The failure of both Willy Loman and Troy Maxson to achieve their version of the American dream destroy their families. Willy is devastated he can’t gain riches on the basis of being liked. Throughout the play, he tries to define his worth by the importance of being liked. He is obsessed with this so much that he can’t …show more content…
Linda, Willy’s dutiful wife, submissively admires her husband. She allows Willy to be himself instead of challenging his beliefs. Happy Loman is completely fooled by Willy’s exaggerations. Of everyone, Willy conflicts with his eldest son. In high school, Biff had a promising career playing professional football but ruined his opportunity when he failed math and became lazy. Once Biff discovers who his father really was, things take a turn. During Biff’s telling of his failing grade, he finds out his father has been seeing another woman. The woman comes out of the room once she hears Biff’s voice. Initially, Biff wanted his father to convince his teacher to change the grade so he could pass the class. He insists the teacher “wouldn’t listen”(Arthur 1087) to Willy because he isn’t the honest man he claims to be. Even after his secret is exposed, Willy acts as if nothing has happened and justifies it with reasoning of the woman making him feel …show more content…
Rose and Troy settled together after Troy served time in prison. In the play, Troy tells many stories and tends to exaggerate along the way. But Rose is a strong-willed who doesn’t take much from others, and always manages to keep Troy in check. As any good wife, she supported Troy whenever she could. But the day Troy told her about the affair, Rose felt she failed as a woman. Troy claims “it ain’t bout being a better or nothing… a man couldn’t ask for no woman to be a better woman than you’ve been”(Wilson 915). Despite his words, Rose is disappointed in where things have gone with her husband. Likewise, the news affected Troy’s relationship with Cory. He feels as though his father doesn’t matter around the house anymore. Troy insists he has given his son the most anyone in the world will give him. “I ain’t sorry for nothing I done. It felt right in my heart”(Wilson 920). Troy knows he has broken his family but doesn’t show any
...e he ruined his marriage by cheating on her. Rose takes care of Troy’s newborn baby Raynell because she believes that Raynell needs a mother figure in her life and not a worthless man; she then kicks Troy out of the house. After Troy dies, Rose forgives him. Rose married Troy after he was released from prison. Troy knows that he is unsuccessful in accomplishing what he wanted for him and his family. Troy is a garbage man who feels that the white man kept him from doing a lot of things that he wanted to do in life. Troy does not have many goals in life. Troy is in own little world and does not like to be judged.
Biff loses respect for his father and soon realizes what lie he has been living. Willy is in denial about his involvement with Biff’s failure in life, and when he is confronted about it by Bernard asking, “What happened in Boston, Willy? (141), Willy quickly becomes defensive, saying, “What are you trying to do, blame it on me? Don’t talk to me that way!” (141). After finding out about Biff’s reaction of burning his favorite University of Virginia shoes that symbolize Biff’s hopes and dreams for the future, Willy realizes what impact the affair had on his son. Willy’s lack of acceptance of reality affects his relationship because he never owned up or admitted he had an affair. This weighs heavy on Willy because the hate from his son will always be there. Biff loses all respect for his father and sees not only a failed business man, but in general a failed man. Throughout it all, Willy’s wife still remains supportive of him and constantly reminds him of her love for him. Despite this, Willy still yearns to have what he does not and pursues “the other woman.” It is bright as day that Willy finds some sort of comfort and validation for his affair with a woman who makes him feel wanted, yet his wife does the same thing. This guilt is always carried around with Willy which is just another contributor to the death of Willy
Troy takes advantage of his brother, Gabriel’s disability money, and eventually ends up being responsible for getting him sent away. He also puts up a fight whenever his oldest son Lyons comes around, refusing to give him money even when Lyons says he will pay Troy back. However, a villain would not care about his family so much, even if the way he shows it is not ideal. Although his relationship with his family is in shambles by the end of the play, he does eventually build the fence for Rose, signifying that he wants to keep her close. If he was a complete villain, he would not have done this. He probably would not have even told Rose about Alberta. He understands what he did was bad, and the fact that he does can allow him to be identified as a tragic hero as well as an antihero. He is still horrible to Cory in the end, and Cory is completely justified for not wanting to attend his father’s funeral. He distinguishes himself from his father, though, being the better man and agreeing to go. The final scene of the play has the gates of Heaven opening for Troy, which means that he was not completely bad after
Troy was secretly having an extramarital affair with a woman named Alberta. Troy’s friends all knew the truth, but Troy continually denied any involvement with Alberta. Troy’s best friend, Bono, however, managed to convince Troy what he was wrong for continuing the affair. Troy then came clean to Rose, telling her he was going to be the father of a child Alberta was pregnant with. Rose became heartbroken. She told Troy, “I been standing with you! I been right here with you, Troy. I got a life too. I gave eighteen years of my life to stand in the same spot as you. Don’t you think I ever wanted other things? Don’t you think I had dreams and hopes?” (1606). Rose had given up her entire life to be with Troy. However, Troy never once apologized. Troy continually defended himself, and he went as far as to justify himself. Troy claimed Alberta was an escape for Troy. Troy stated, “It’s just… She gives me a different idea… a different understanding about myself. I can step out of this house and get away from the pressures and problems” (1605). Rose was hurt, however, and Troy never apologized nor stopped seeing Alberta. He continued to live in an illusion that he could keep both his family and his secret life separate. However, Alberta later died in childbirth. Her daughter, Raynell, was to be raised by Troy and Rose. Troy effectively destroyed his marriage because of his excessive pride. He refused to believe he was in the
Losing the respect and company of people was one of the few things that caused him to feel some form of remorse for what he did to Rose. However, Troy did nothing to fix the problems he created, except to drink and pretend he was still respected. It becomes especially clear that nobody respects Troy when Cory blatantly says “I ain’t got to say excuse me to you. You don’t count around here no more” (II iv, 85). Although nobody else says it as obviously as Cory, most characters realize Troy’s failure. Even though he may have provided for his family in the physical sense, Troy neglected them a great deal emotionally. This once again proves that Troy is unsuitable to be a proper father for Cory and a respectable husband for
He shares his thoughts with Troy on the matter, "Some people build fences to keep people out and other people build fences to keep people in. Rose wants to hold on to you all. She loves you." She protects their child Cory by trying to keep him from having altercations with Troy. She tries to get Cory to clean his room and to do his chores before he goes to football practice. The ongoing argument between her and Troy is a symbol of the shattered marriage that they are living in and her attempt to protect what is left. [you might want to rephrase that. Do you mean she can 't protect her marriage but still tries to hold the family together? You could analyze her "solution" to the problem posed by Troy 's infidelity: she does not leave him and destroy the family; she simply declares him "womanless" for his infidelity and then accepts his daughter into the
...laws. A tragic flaw Troy has is when cheats with a woman behind Rose's back. Another flaw would be Troy becoming both a victim and a victimizer. He is victimized by many factors such as by his race, the way his father treated him, growing up in poverty, as well as the society that surrounds him; Troy shows why he is considered as victimizer as well when controls or try to take advantage of Cory, and Rose. Wilson portrays Troy as a man worthy of respect and admiration because his intentions are well-meaning. He has overcome many trials in his life and is a father that may not be perfect but nevertheless is still there for his boys. In Wilson’s personal life he never had a fatherly experience. As a result he is sending a message to the reader that it is better to have a father there that is less than perfect than having a “rolling stone” for a father.
but it's different with Troy. Troy has to keep bringing up how he provides for his kids and how they don’t appreciate it or realize how much he is doing for them. “It’s my job. It’s my responsibility! You understand that?
Willy's affair with The Woman is a crucial turning point in his relationship with Biff, his oldest son. When Biff catches Willy and his mistress, Willy first attempts to distract his son and then be rid of him. However, his attempted cover-up fails and forever shatters the idolatrous relationship between father and son.
Rose first marries Troy because she knew he would provide for her and the children they would have someday. Rose is determined to make her marriage work, even if it means giving up a little bit of herself in the process. She was certain she would be able to make Troy happy. The fact that Troy is older and confident is an important factor. Troy provides the stability that she needs.
In making this statement, Troy shows how everyone else’s opinion is irrelevant to him, the only thought that counts is his own. What he says, goes, and that is final. Although Troy is an authority figure and the head of his household he still needs to be reasonable and willing to hear others opinions. It is impossible to head a happy family without everyone getting to give some input. This would be like trying to run the United States without listening to the people, it doesn’t work.
Perhaps it is due to the abandonment by his father that Willy Loman experienced at a very young age, or the subsequent abandonment, a few years later of his older brother Ben, that underlies the reason Willy so desperately seeks to be loved and accepted. He continually makes reference to being “well liked” as being of the utmost importance. Physical appearance, worldly admiration, and the opinion of others are more important to Willy than the relationship he has with his own family. These and several other references throughout “Death of a Salesman” portray the troubled relationship between Willy and his two sons, Biff and Happy.
Willy, Linda, Biff and Happy are all characters that use self- deception as a way to mentally escape the terrible reality of their lives. As the play progresses, and ends Biff is truly the one and only character that becomes self- aware. At the end of the play Biff accepts the lies his family and him have been living in for years. Biff makes huge changes mentally at the end of the play, which cannot be said for the rest of the Loman family.
A major part of the reader's animosity towards Willy stems from his responsibility for the ruin of his sons. Willy's affair ends up being the reason that Biff ends up a high-school failure and a football has-been. This blunder both disheartens and destroys his eldest son. It becomes the reason Biff refuses to go to summer school; it becomes the reason that Biff leaves home. Yet, this is all a result of Willy's need to be likeable. He cheats on his doting wife simply because it makes him feel special, because it gives him proof that women other that Linda are interested in him, because it makes him feel well liked. A woman "picked [him]"; a woman laughs when he makes jokes about keeping pores open; a woman pays him some attention (38).
This provides the reader with evidence that the ideas that Willy presented to his sons would make history repeat itself in the next generation. Unlike his brother and father Biff Loman feels compelled to seek the truth about himself. He is Willy's pride and joy, being the first-born; Biff is the personification of all of Willy's dreams, he would be respected and "well liked". As a teenager, Biff worshipped his father. He was everything Willy wanted him to be -- star athlete, popular with the girls, "well liked" by everyone, he was "Like a young god.