Honesty the Concept of Honesty

Honesty

The concept of honesty is displayed in Death of a Salesman in Willy Loman's inability to be honest about himself. This causes significant discord in the family, which is the basis of the tragedy. The Willy Loman character is dishonest with himself in a couple of ways. The first is that he refuses to accept that he is fading in terms of his mental capabilities. This causes him pressure at work, since he is unable to produce at a level he considers acceptable, given his myopic pursuit of the American dream.

The second way in which Willy Loman is dishonest is with respect to his own nature and that of his sons. He criticizes Biff for working on a farm, yet that is the type of work for which Biff is best suited, and where he is happiest. Biff tries to teach Happy about the joys of such work, and in the play it is further illustrated that Willy himself would have been happier if he pursued such work.

Honesty is typically represented as an ethical dilemma in terms of being honest with other people, yet in this case the dilemma is more with respect to being honest with oneself. If Willy had been more honest with himself about himself and the keys to happiness, there would have been significantly less discord in the house and Willy would ultimately not have been so depressed as to kill himself. While the dilemma in this situation is less obvious, the effects of internal dishonesty are illustrated clearly as being equally destructive as dishonesty to others directly. Thus, while there is no obvious dilemma faced, at some point a decision is made subconsciously by the Willy Loman character to be dishonest with himself, the result of which is depression and discord.