Willy Loman

Our group consists of one person in their late teens, another in their 30s, and one in their 40s. In spite of the general gap, we found that we consistently had similar conceptions in regards to Author Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”. His play is about one man’s distorted perception of “The American Dream”. As a group, we decided that to better comprehend Miller’s play, it is imperative to understand Willie’s psyche and background. In Choosing “Death of a (Narcissistic) Salesman:” An Integrative Model of Fragile Self Esteem written by Jessica L. Tracy and Richard W. Robins, we are able to take a closer look into why Willie Loman may have been who he was. Willie Loman was a complicated man who seemed to have suffered from some level of fragile

Centola, is about the story of Willy Loman’s values of family and success. On Willy’s quest for success he becomes neurotic. When he becomes stressed or agitated he begins to merge his delusions with reality. Unfortunately, all of these things have had a negative effect on his son Biff. According to Centola “…Miller’s play tells the story of a man who, on the verge of death, wants desperately to justify his life.” This particular quote is evident when Biff tells his father that he is a “…dime a dozen and so are you” (Miller 1327). Willy gets upset, because in his mind, he is successful and the only reason Biff is not is because of spite. Centola also writes “Willy’s quirky speech rhythms, his spontaneous utterance of success-formula platitudes and his incessant contradictions… reveal his complex and troubled state of mind.” There are many occasions in the play where Willy states that if you are well liked you will be a success. At the end of the play, you can see that this is not true. Earlier in the play it was stated that Bernard wasn’t well liked, but it was in fact he that went on and became a true success. Whereas, neither of Willy’s sons have done anything in their lives. Biff was a thief and Happy became a pathological

It during these conversations you can tell that Willy idolizes his brother in each of the scenes Ben offers advice but it is never taken. Centola writes “There can be no doubt that in Willy’s mind Ben’s image stands for “success incarnate”.” Ben seems to represent missed opportunities for Willy. Could he have been successful if he would have taken Ben’s advice or lived by a different set of values or ethics? “The characters’ contrasting views, in essence, externalize warring factions within Willy’s fractured psyche” (Centola 4). When you look at each of the characters, each of them represents a part of Willy’s personality. Linda takes the part of his conscience, while Charley is the voice of reason, and Ben represents his ambition toward success and personal fulfillment. These compete for dominance and no one has complete control and as a result has fractured Willy’s mind. At the end of the play there are several times when you can see that his sons are more like him that he realizes. For years, both sons have tried to become successful, but have consistently come up short. “Their dilemma not only mirrors Willy’s identity crisis but also indict him for his ineptitude as a father. Moreover, seeing his failure reflected in the lives of his sons further intensifies Willy’s guilt and hastens his decline. (Centola