The American Dream, which can perhaps be seen as the principle at the heart of the work, is also the ambition which pushes Loman through his life of artifice and vain pursuit. In a flashback, Willy is shown to be a man of aspiration, who wishes to transform his diligence and respect for authorities into a life of comfort and reputation. Even wishing eventually to start his own business, Willy Loman is a startling figure insofar as his decline does not occur without a background of optimism and forward momentum. This is the crux of Miller's point though, that there is an illusory nature to the expectations of the American Dream. Working for somebody else's ideals and to line some other rich man's pockets his whole life, we find that Willy has been exploited by the false promises of this dream.
It is at the play's inception that Willy acknowledges, even if somewhat unconsciously, that he is at the end of a road which never led to its expected destination. Returning from an aborted trip, Willy tells his wife, "I'm tired to death. . . I couldn't make it Linda. I just couldn't make it." (13) as with much of what Willy has to say, this is a sentiment which is layered with meanings below the surface. We see a man defeated. Though most immediately, he has been vanquished by the overwhelming duty of the recent trip, but more poignantly, he seems to be bowled over by a sense of his own failure.
This is as the basis of the poor relationship...
Death of a Salesman: Tragedy in Prose Tragedy, can easily lure us into talking nonsense." Eric Bentley In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, we are introduced to Willy Loman, who believes wholeheartedly in what he considers the promise of the American Dream -- that a "well liked" and "personally attractive" man in business will unquestionably acquire the material comforts offered by modern American life. Willy's obsession with the superficial qualities of attractiveness
" Though critics such as Sheila Huftel characterize Willy Loman's "fall" as only a fall from "an imagined height," it is nevertheless still a fall, which makes Willy Loman, like Oedipus, a tragic figure. Willy has created very powerful ideas about what he wants his life to be and what he wants his sons lives to be. But these ideas are part of what make Willy who he is. He cannot
Death of a Salesman Culture and Gender in Death of a Salesman American culture is clearly changing. Yet, many within it are refusing to adapt, and are continuing to hold on to outdated middle class values that don't work within today's social context. This is Willy Loman. Arthur Miller presents a sad but realistic look at the destruction of the American Dream and middle class values within his work Death of a
Willy's "psychopathy," he explained, is a manifestation of his being "other-directed" -- or possessing a value system entirely determined by external norms…evidence that goes beyond normal human inconsistency into the realm of severe internal division" (3). The author's analysis illustrates that Willy's "psychopathy" is an inevitable and consistent result of his constant dreaming about success and wealth using the wrong approach. Knowing that he has failed himself and his
In conclusion, Death of a Salesman tells the tragic tale of Willy Loman's life. We do feel pity for this man as we watch him fail and we do understand that he makes tragic mistakes throughout his life that have brought him to this point. Many critics want to make allowances for the play because it represents the world in which we live. In doing so, they seem to forget
Death of a Salesman: Ethics in Business Arthur Miller's play titled Death of a Salesman is classic example of the transition experienced by those involved in the business world during the middle part of the 20th Century. Business ethics and the economy are interwoven and tied to the theme of achieving the American dream in the play. Willy, the main character in the play is caught in between two popular but
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