Essay on Death of a Salesman
Death of a
Salesman tackles several issues that are complementary to a society that s
adjusting after the Second World War. The protagonist of the play, William
Loman is a salesman, and has a wife and two children. Willy’s life revolves
around his wild perception of success both in his professional career and as
father. Without delving into the details, Willy appears to be a successful
salesman. The truth is more of the opposite because is disliked by his peers
and subjected to several customer rejections. The final draw was when Willy was
fired by his boss after failing to impress the latter about a business plan.
Inside his house, Willy acts as the authority and the best person to emulate.
He would constantly push his eldest son Biff to follow his footsteps and become
a businessman. Biff, meanwhile has no plans to be like his father and instead
focuses on living a simpler life. The successful career and family life of
Willy is more like a facade ad in reality he is a classic example of as failed
American dream.
Willy
experienced a bleak childhood and constantly being abandoned. Perhaps this was
Willy’s motivation to become a salesman, which requires a lot of travel. At an
early age, their father deserted them and this hit Willy really hard. After
that, his brother Ben also left him when the former decided to go to Africa.
Willy always sees his brother as a role model because Ben became successful and
rich. Willy would always quip that had he decided to go with Ben, then he too
would have been rich. There were other instances when Willy was abandoned by
the people he loved. Biff abandoned Willy’s suggestion of his son becoming a
businessman. After an argument had erupted in the restaurant, Biff and Happy
decided to leave their father behind. In the end, Happy decided to make amends
by crashing car and consequently causing his death. Willy leaving would change
everything that has failed in his life and career. He is tired of being left
hence he followed the trend.
One of the
many aspects described in the play was Willy’s state of mind. He always
mentioned about his brother Ben talking to him about Ben’s exploits in Africa.
These conversations have further fuelled Willy to do well in his work. After
acquiring all the expensive and modern appliances, Willy complained about not
having money anymore. This was ironic because in the first place, he should
have settled for cheaper ones that are as effective. When Willy received the
bad news from his about regarding his proposal, he became enraged and argued.
The result was a reality check and Willy was fired. Given Willy’s desire to
reach greater heights, it was mind-boggling for Willy to start as shouting
match with the one who could help him get there. During the restaurant scene
with Biff and Happy, Willy was more agitated after he realized that both and
his son have failed. Another argument ensued and his sons walked out. After
that incident, Willy was seen talking to himself.
As for the
other characters in the play, Willy’s wife Linda portrayed a typical supportive
housewife. Linda has an idea that Willy is becoming obsessed with something
that is impossible to achieve. She always talks to her sons about supporting
his father more although most of her opinions do not matter to both Biff and
Willy. Linda knew that Willy was thinking about ending his life and asked Biff
to do something about it. Willy’s eldest son Biff is a kid with the potential
of being a star athlete. This was shattered though after Biff failed in his
Math class and forced him to miss college. Biff felt betrayed after seeing his
father with another woman in Boston. That memory affected his decision making
and further eroded his trust on Willy. Happy is more similar to Willy in terms
of lifestyle and career choice. He is willing to cheat just to get what he
wants and is a womanizer. Another interesting character in the play is Charley
who is the opposite of Willy when it comes to success. Charley sympathizes with
Willy despite the latter reciprocating Charley poorly.
Reference
Miller, Arthur. Death
of A Salesman, New York, NY: Penguin Books
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