Preview

Death of a Salesman: Willy Loman

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
680 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Death of a Salesman: Willy Loman
Willy Loman: Failure of a Man
In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is an example of a failure as a good father. He did not discipline his sons well by not punishing them. He did not set a good example to his sons by not admitting his faults. He did not make his family his number one priority. Instead, it was his work, coming before his family, his friends, and even himself. Not only is Willy Loman not a good father and husband, but he was a failure by not becoming successful, not achieving the American Dream.
Willy is not a good father for many reasons. He made his occupation his number one priority. For years, he traveled for his work many times that he never had the opportunity to truly get to know his own sons. As a result he did not love them as a father should, his love for his son, Biff, was based on his achievements as an athlete. And when Biff was not able to go to University of Virginina, Willy was so devastated that he no longer loved Biff how he once did before. He was disgusted that Biff had become a bum, Biff had different jobs working at farms. Willy wants Biff to be the successful man that he never was and feels that Biff will not achieve success in the occupation he has taken. Furthermore, Willy was unable to admit his faults. His pride was so great that he even lied to his own family, borrowing money weekly from his neighbor, Charley, and then saying it was his salary. He tried to justify his affair with a strange woman when caught by Biff. He did not admit that he had made mistakes because he did not want to sacrifice his pride. Solely, Willy failed to be a good father. Instead, as a father, he was a pathetic and selfish failure.
Willy was not a good example of a role model. He was never successful, even in his prime, yet he lived in a daydream of the "good old days", refusing to accept reality. He was not respected, even by his sons, and most frequently was disregarded by those around him. Even at his funeral, the only people

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    In the first scene, Willy returns home attired in a business suit overburdened by suitcases he is carrying. It is immediately obvious that he is no rich man, but an overtired, elderly man who ought to be retired, as he himself proclaims he is ‘tired to the death’. This is true of Willy however he sees no alternative to life as a travelling salesman, telling his wife that he’s ‘vital in New England’; this is a fable of Willy’s whilst the reality is his employer’s don’t see him as ‘vital’ in any such way. The vulnerable aspect of Willy is therefore demonstrated through his dedication to his unsuccessful job and yet to some it could be considered heroic of the man to be so persistent.…

    • 1403 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful 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
  • Better Essays

    For one, a failure to one can be seen as a success to another. It can be through a job, your family, or through financial success. In the book Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, the author brings up the topic of failure multiple times. Many of these failures are demonstrated through the struggles of the main character, Willy. Though the audience never actually can look into the main character’s mind, one can clearly see the internal battle that is happening inside Willy Loman’s head. He often is seen dwelling on the more upsetting aspects of his life, never particularly taking notice to all the good he has…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Deaths of a Salesman, Willy Loman is a salesmen who is trying to achieve the American Dream just like everyone else in the world. In his head he believes to be this well liked and huge successful salesmen. In reality he is more of a self-conscious man who tries to live his fantasy he has in his head while being deceitful to not only himself but his own family as well. Throughout Death of a Salesman, Willy has several slogans that he attempts to live his life by.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people go through life without a purpose or doing a job they hate. In Arthur Miller’s, Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman thinks this isn’t the case for him. He is working the best job in the world, being a salesman, like his hero Dave Singleman. Dave Singleman still sells from his bed and Willy admirably thinks this is because he loves it. The real reason is because Dave never made enough to retire. However, Willy doesn’t know he is gravely mistaken and has failed to realize who he really is. This has caused him to instill these mistaken qualities in his sons, Biff and Happy. Willy’s lack of a father figure plays into his flaws such as obsession with money and hubris. He has had some virtues as well like putting his family first and working…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Willy had a few problems of his own. First he let himself get caught with his mistress by his son, which devastated him. He also acted like his sons were perfect, which they weren't. He should have made sure his son passed math so he could have graduated, but he put that into the hands of their next-door…

    • 630 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In most of his flashbacks, Willy describes them both as “liked, but not well liked”, inferring to his sons that they will not make it far due to the lack of popularity. Present day, Willy relies on Charley for his money every week. This samples Willy’s pride. During a game of cards, Willy is offered a job working for Charley. He is immediately offended, with a sense of jealousy for his success. Changing the subject, Willy gloats about putting up his own ceiling, which he claims every man should know how to do, even though he knows Charley does not. He tries to gain his lost pride back by finding a weakness of his friend. Like his father, Bernard’s success makes Willy’s dignity falter. When Bernard is asked for advice and the reasoning to why Biff never attended summer school, it shows how desperate he is for guidance. However, when he asks Bernard if it was him who caused this dismay, Willy is irritated at Bernard putting blame on him. He sees it as though his pride is deteriorating by the…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Death of a Sale man, by Authur Miller Willy Loman is 60-year-old man who seems to have a hot temper and is now starting to become very forgetful. At the beginning he starts to forget that he is actually driving and what is going on around him. He tells his wife Linda that “I’m goin’ sixty mile an hour and I don’t remember that last five minutes. I’m- I cant keep my mind to it”(13). Willy seems to becoming very distracted and forgetting what is exactly is going on around him. This forgetfulness also occurs once he demands Linda open up the windows in the house when they are already open. Willy also complains through out about his sons shortcomings and failures. He believes at 34 he hasn’t amounted to anything but a farm hand but maybe later…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In Death of A Salesman, we’re immediately introduced to Willy Loman, an old salesman who after twenty-odd years on the job admits being burned out. Returning home from his latest trip to Boston, Willy tells his wife Linda that he can’t make any more trips because he’s “tired to death” (Miller 13). Linda responds with, you’re sixty years old. They can’t expect you to keep traveling every week,” and we see that Willy is an overworked, underpaid, salesman struggling to provide for his family (Miller 14). However, it’s not long before we see what caused Willy to reach this state. Throughout the novel, Willy had a warped view of how to be successful in society. This is illustrated in a flashback where Willy talks about his sons’ friend Bernard; “Bernard can get the best marks in school, y'understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y'understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him…Be liked…

    • 1114 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better 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
  • Powerful Essays

    In the Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman suffers through his daily life, feeling that he is a failure, for having not met society’s unrealistic portrayal of a success. At one point in the play Willy’s friend Charley says to him “When the hell are you going to grow up?” He states this because Willy allows himself to lie to everyone in his life so much that he himself believes that they are the truth. He never wanted to admit to his failures in life. He did not want his family to know the truth that he is not really as popular or successful as he claimed he was. Continuously Willy highlighted his supposed importance, to his sons and instilled in them the idea that they should grow up to be just like him. Sadly part is Willy was never what he claimed he was. He continued to teach those values and ideals of life that he never actually had himself. Willy wanted Biff and Happy to grow up and become a more successful…

    • 915 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Willy Loman, in Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman, is the typical hard-working American chasing a dream. He was a man who was "way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine" (1947) Yet he was a man who 'didn't know who he was'(1947). His lack of self-knowledge and inability to accept who he is results in his insanity and ultimate demise.…

    • 774 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I do not see Willy as a tragic hero at all. I do not view him as pathetic either. He is a man who has visions of grandeur and who desperately wanted to be much more of a success than he was. He also longed to be truly liked and greatly respected. He envisioned himself as being more popular and liked than he was. He longed for the acceptance and love he never got from his occupation, so he created this false vision of himself. I felt sorry for Willy, actually. He struggled with so much and did not have the tools to deal with those struggles, so the only way out was to kill himself, which is never a good option.…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Biff started to try to bring his father to his senses, with no luck. Willy needed professional help and saw Biffs trying, as his being spiteful. Biff made it very clear when he had enough and was telling his father exactly what he had done to them both when he stated “There’ll be…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Willy Tragic Hero

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages

    To begin with, one of Willy’s biggest tragic flaws is his failure of being a good father. And does not hold a rightful position in his family. Willy is not a good father for many reasons. He always made his job his first priority. Willy’s travels…

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays