Preview

Death Of A Salesman Research Paper

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1009 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Death Of A Salesman Research Paper
Rachel Jurina WLISA Senior 8-15-12 period 2 Campagna
Death of a Salesman Essay Play writer, Arthur Miller, in his play "Death of a Salesman" tells about the life of a salesman named Willy Loman, whose life is filled with betrayal. Miller's purpose is to portray a man's life in which his sons, the pride and joys of his life, betray him at his darkest hour. Miller depicts the treachery and inner evil of the two boys and their father. He emphasizes the effects that inner family betrayal can have on not only the ones committing the betrayal, but also other people who must
…show more content…
The text opens to a man named Willy coming home depressed. Willy would best be described as the main character of the story. He has lived an average life as a salesman with two kids and a loving wife. What is learned about Willy from the get go is that he has a passion for success. He has pushed his boys to be their very best their whole life, especially his eldest son, Biff Loman. He treasures those times when life was full of hope and happiness. He treasures it so much that he often flashes back to moments in the past when he is struggling or is caught in a moment of chaos. His flashes back and forth to past and present are what create the conflict inside of Willy. That conflict and chaos is always caused by betrayal. Both Happy and Biff betrayed Willy's confidence. Biff especially betrayed his father when he refused to make anything of himself. He flat out told his father that he was a worthless human being and that all his father's hopes and dreams were wasted on a loser. This broke Willy's heart completely. Happy also betrayed his father

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    In this literary analysis piece I will be breaking down the popular play by Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman. Death of a Salesman, is a very riveting story that follows Willy Loman, a retiree-aged working class business man living in New York. Who deals with troublesome denial, and uses the events of the past to deal with his problems of the present, this begins to create more problems for Willy as he becomes unable to separate past events with current events. Along with intense financial strain as an ageing business man in a new era of business. Willy feels pressured to be very financially successful and well liked person by himself, and the people around him like his brother, Ben, and his neighbor, Charley, who has a very successful son who is a lawyer. Willy, along with many people in the real world, suffers…

    • 1599 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Willy Loman’s obsession with the American Dream and its ideals has strongly affected the people Biff and Happy have become. Due to Willy’s teachings and influences, both his sons lead a different life from what they expected. Willy believed that his sons’ attributes would lead them to a successful lifestyle with no conflicts. Yet, being well-liked and attractive lead both sons to live a lie, nowhere near success. Biff becomes an underachiever who can’t hold a job, and feels dissatisfied with the fact that his life has been based on a lie. Happy lives in his brother’s shadow, becoming his father’s younger self, lying and manipulating reality to his favor.…

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this particular story, the protagonist - Willy Loman - is on the surface elevated no higher than a psychotic liar who often manipulates even those he loves the most. However, when looked upon through a harsher lens, the only thing that truly becomes obvious is that Willy himself is the archetype of a tragic hero. Lying to his family in friends, while in part cowardly, also questions the way in which a family could be defined as successful. Willy’s affair with another woman, while gross and unforgivable, allow others in the story to demonstrate the perseverance of love. In fact, it is throughout the entirety of Death of a Salesman that Arthur Miller uses his characters to question society, and then demonstrate their unwillingness to fall to adversity. Willy Loman, while indeed a pathetic man, falls through no weakness of his own…

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman suffers a death of an average man. This story comprises of a whole family of unsuccessful men who use backdoors to accomplish a triumph. As the main focus of the play,Willy’s personality traits are gained through involvement with other characters.…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Willy Loman, the main character in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, has a powerful father role in the lives of his two sons, Biff and Happy.Willy, a man in his mid sixties, has not only strived to become a successful salesman, but also acts the successful father role, something that was lacked in his own childhood. Willy’s own actions and mistakes in his everyday lifestyle, influence Biff to believe that he has become a failure at the age of thirty-four. Happy, the younger of the two siblings has found that he has a growing obsession with women, similar to his father’s own affair. The diminishing level of confidence the boys have towards their father has created a terrible fate for the two sons. Willy Loman being unable to realize his mistakes and correct them as well as not changing his morals has set up his sons’ for failure.…

    • 1404 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Success is one thing most humans strive for. That the purpose or end goal of life is to be successful in of any kind of task. The true feeling accomplishment is a joyful, never ending happiness. Knowing everything you have worked for payed off in the end is just about the most pleasant emotion. Success is achieving one’s true desire in the soul and mind.…

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Miller constructs the identity of Willy Loman as one that largely comprises of him being “the Salesman”. The entire dialogue in the passage was dedicated to work, although they were placed in a homely setting, showing that it is hard to separate the private self with the public working self.…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The lives of the Loman’s from beginning to end seems troubling, the play is centered on trying to be successful or trying to be happy, and the sacrifice which must be made of one to achieve the other. The environment that these characters live in encourages them to pursue the American dream, which can be said to devalue happiness through the pursuit of material success. Death of A Salesman written by Arthur Miller has several themes that run through the play, one of the most obvious is the constant striving for success. Willy Loman put his family through endless torture because of his search for a successful life. Willy, Biff, and Happy are chasing the American dream instead of examining themselves to find what will make themselves happy.…

    • 785 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Willy Loman's Death

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Arthur Miller's play, Death of a Salesman tells a sad story of a man who was too proud to admit that he was a failure. Willy Loman created a world of illusion to help him to continue with the daily drudge of living. He spent his life trying desperately to convince himself, and others, that he was successful and "well liked" until the day he died. The Requiem is the last act of Miller's play where the sad truth of Willy Loman's existence is revealed to the audience and the Loman family. The requiem serves as a place where Miller paints a picture of Willy's death as an ironic end to his tragic life.…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Willy Loman, the protagonist in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, is no more the victimizer of his family than he is a victim himself. Miller explores the possibilities of cyclical mental abuse passed on through familial generations, resulting in failure and confusion of one's priorities and goals. Biff, Willy's eldest son, was the victim of too much love and attention. Happy, the youngest boy was victimized by having received no attention and very little love. Willy's wife, Linda, is a victim of her husband's overzealous promises and lack of execution. Although Willy inflicted such calamity upon his family, there were similar conditions produced in his childhood that were responsible for his clouded judgement, causing him to fall…

    • 2029 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Willy’s buying into the American Dream of material success does result in its share of arguments between the Loman family. After all, you can only push your family so much before they begin to crack under the pressure. Willy constantly pushes his sons in the business field, mistreats his wife, Linda, who has been nothing but supportive, and even arguing with Charley who is more than compassionate and loans Willy money every month. Biff, Happy, and Linda never argue with Willy directly because they are afraid that it will completely deteriorate any sanity he has left. They resort to arguing behind his back, but Linda is the only one that sticks up for Willy. Biff shouts at her, “Stop making excuses for him! He always, always wiped the floor…

    • 1520 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The characterisation of Willy is but one of Miller’s strengths in the play, for he cleverly uses time to show how Willy’s mind has been manipulated by the stress of his failings. Willy experiences flashbacks which his mind perhaps uses in order to protect him from the harsh truth of his present life. Willy’s two sons, Biff and Happy are fully grown, with Biff having turned sour towards his father and rejected the vision his father had for him. Still, Willy in his vulnerable state transports himself back to the time when Biff was a young, promising high school athlete who idolised his father and his ideals. Instead of encouraging academic achievement, Willy ensures his sons that if they are ‘liked’ they will ‘never want’. Sadly for both Willy and Biff, this was a delusion which saw Biff become the very…

    • 1403 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout the play "Death of A Salesman" by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman's misguided pride leads to his tragic failure and lack of accomplishment. Willy's pride and attitude cause him to brag constantly to his family and friends about his career. His pride also causes him to put a lot of pressure on his sons because he will not accept anything less than the best from his boys.…

    • 1195 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Willy Loman is the main character in Miller’s, Death of Salesman. Throughout the play, he struggles with his work ethic and well-being. In the story, Willy Loman is a sales man that is unable to accept him and society. In his older years gets fired from his job. His son is unable to receive a loan from the bank to start his own business. Willy affected by guilt kills himself, that way his son Biff is then able to collect his insurance money and become an entrepreneur. Willy does have flaws in his character that make him partially responsible for his own misfortune. Willy’s ultimate down fall is a result of social pressure, family and friend influences, and his psychological and emotional state of mind.…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play, Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses several stylistic devices to add another layer of complexity to his work. These devices include several themes such as the American Dream and abandonment, symbols such as the stockings, and a modified stream of consciousness point of view. These literary devices combine together to add a deeper meaning to the play and because all of the symbols and themes are not as conspicuous, they provide insight into the protagonist Willy’s mind. Willy is a traveling salesman who cannot seem to keep his mind solely in the past or the present and his thoughts seem to be extremely convoluted and all over the place. The fact that Miller included more discreet devices instead of declaring them almost outright adds to the mystery of the play.…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics