Paper Topic:

Death of a Salesman

Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman

by

Arthur Miller

2006

Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman

by Arthur Miller

In Arthur Miller 's Death of a Salesman , Willy Loman 's character represents the everyday man struggling to be a success in the world . In the context of the American setting , he is struggling all his life to achieve the American dream . He is not short of effort , ideals , and hopes of a better future for him and his family yet prosperity in his terms is elusive and

at the end fatal

As soon as the play opens it is evident that Willy 's world is not that colorful . He wears a dark gray business suit and carrying two sample cases looking tired . Obvious to the viewers that the man is burdened with something

Willy 's many burdens start with his attitude . He is world weary at sixty years old having worked all his life as a traveling salesman . He is a dreamer by nature , idealistic , philosophical , and outdated with his notions . He strives to be the ideal head of the family , as a provider to his wife Linda , a good father to his two grown up sons , Happy and Biff , and a success in his profession all in accordance to his definition of what success is

For Willy , success is connected to material possession and a high salary . This is unfolded as early as the flashback in Act I Scene 3 where he shares his secret plan to his two boys to own a business someday so he would not have to be away from home often . In the same past scene in Act I Scene 5 Willy bloats his sales to Linda , an initial refusal to live with reality that his commission might not be enough for the domestic bills . He was only forced to admit the truth when Linda confronted him about it . This triggered some early signs of contradiction in his personality . He begins to contradict his earlier statement of his Chevy being the greatest car ever built . He contradicts his declaration that people will like him in Hartford by pointing that people do not respond well to his funnyman and talkative disposition . For the longest of time he could not come to terms with the limitations he has been facing . In Act I Scene 6 he even confides his insecurity to Linda that he is afraid he would not be able to sell anything again

Willy 's definition of success as connected to money and possessions once again resurfaces when Biff plans to borrow money from Bill Oliver to open a sporting goods business in Act II Scene 1 . Willy is animated with the idea and feels confident that Biff will be a successful person . The loss of his job is particularly a heavy load to Willy as a family man . He works under Howard , the son of his old boss . Howard does not appreciate Willy 's efforts because Howard is the epitome of...

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