Death Of A Salesman By Willy Loman - 1683 Words

Before even beginning to read ‘Death of a Salesman’, we know what the play is going to be about from the given title. However, this play is much more than just a death of a salesman, it’s about the death of the promise of the American Dream. At heart, it’s about the protagonist’s desire for success, respect, and status — and failure to achieve it. The play opens with a huge chunk of precise stage directions, immersing the reader in a vivid description of the Loman house and its surrounding area. It does not begin with the very start of Willy Loman’s downfall, but rather towards the end of his life. In the middle of the night, our sixty year old protagonist, the salesman of the title, Willy Loman, enters his home exhausted, carrying two†¦show more content†¦Linda tells Willy that Biff just hasn’t found himself yet but Willy is in denial for he believes Biff is capable of being a great man. Biff and Happy are tall and well-built men, however despite their physical appearance they are both still in perpetual adolescence. When Biff tells Happy of the many different jobs he had, he demonstrates a lack of responsibility. Biff is also self-destructive as he ruins every job opportunity he might have. He knows he is a disappointment to his father and ponders if he should get married to gain stability. On the other hand, Happy is at a better position than his older brother Biff for he has a steady job, apartment, car and loads of women. However he holds an attitude of a teenager, being a womaniser and stating he shouldn’t need to take orders from his superiors in the workplace for he is physically superior. Biff and Happy’s take on success is different. Biff believes he is a failure because he doesn’t have a stable job and isn’t married, while Happy believes he is a failure because although successful compared to his brother, he feels empty and unfulfilled. The play then shifts its setting and time within the act, through Willy’s many flashbacks to a past memory of his early life when he was idolised by his two sons, a time when Biff was a football superstar in high school with a scholarship to UVA, butShow MoreRelatedDeath Of A Salesman By Willy Loman860 Words   |  4 Pagesend up worth more dead than alive.† This is said by Willy Loman in Act 2 of the play â€Å"Death of a Salesman.† Willy is a 63-year-old man who has been a salesman for 34 years working for the same company. As he ages, his sales decrease due to his lack of strength and pep. The opening quote is Willy reflecting on his worthlessness of all the years that he spent working. Once Willy gets fired he feels as though he has nothing left. This is not how Willy pictured his life and this ends up alienating himRead MoreDeath Of A Salesman By Willy Loman1076 Words   |  5 PagesThis modernized tragedy, Death of a Salesman, illustrated the last days of life for poor Willy Loman. Realistic dramas, emotionally, physiologically, and spiritually, this action-filled play occurred in the present. When the play goes back into the past, it makes the audience feel as if they have drifted into the past, almost like a dream. In some of the scenes, Biff and Happy appeared as if they are in high school, but only their father, Willy, can see them. This method is often referred to as usingRead MoreDeath of a Salesman: Willy Loman Essay681 Words   |  3 PagesWilly Loman: Failure of a Man In Arthur Millers 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, notRead MoreIs Willy Loman a Tragic Hero in Death of Salesman1305 Words   |  6 PagesWilly Loman’s character in Death of a Salesman portrays him as a tragic hero. Willy Loman continued to want his recognition and his reputation but never forgets about his family. These characteristics describe him as a tragic hero in Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman’s tragic flow leads him to purse the idea that reputation in society has more relevancies in life than knowledge and education to survive in the business. His grand error of wanting recognition drove him crazy and insane and lead toRead MoreCompare And Contrast Death Of A Salesman And Willy Loman1377 Words   |  6 Pages The Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller. A book about an old man whose occupation is a salesman. The story takes place in Brooklyn Manhattan, in a nice quite neighborhood and the main protagonists is named Willy Loman. Willy Loman main goal in life was to succeed and make a name for himself but since he didn’t achieve it, he passed on that dream to his two sons. From Willy Loman point of view his second son did make a named out of himself but for his first son, that dream of success didn’tRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Willy Loman In Death Of A Salesman838 Words   |  4 PagesWilly Loman from â€Å"Death of a Salesmanâ €  by Arthur Miller is a tragic hero. A tragic hero is someone who has a judgement error and inevitably ends up destroying himself. Miller believes that the common man makes the best tragic hero as we want to be seen as a image and or not be thrown away. That fear, which he believes is very strong today, is what makes us the best tragic hero. I would take the stance that Willy Loman is a tragic hero. Willy starts to show signs of flaw of judgement, reversal ofRead MoreSimilarities And Differences Between Willy Loman And Death Of A Salesman1112 Words   |  5 PagesWilson and Death of a Salesman was written by Arthur Miller are two plays that can be considered different in terms of their plot. Both plays have two very different cultural backgrounds. The background affects each protagonist therefore differently. However, there are also similarities beyond the plot. Despite the different backgrounds of each protagonist or main characters, they are both trying to achieve their dre ams. They both fail ironically in similar ways .Willy Loman in the death of a salesmanRead More Willy Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a Salesman Essay1519 Words   |  7 PagesWilly Loman as Tragic Hero of Death of a Salesman       Willy Loman, the title character of the play, Death of Salesman, exhibits all the characteristics of a modern tragic hero. This essay will support this thesis by drawing on examples from Medea by Euripedes, Poetics by Aristotle, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, and Shakespeares Julius Caesar, while comments by Moss, Gordon, and Nourse reinforce the thesis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Death of Salesman, by Arthur Miller, fits the characteristics of classicRead MoreEssay Death of a Salesman, Tragic Hero. Willy Loman.1503 Words   |  7 PagesTo what extent can Willy Loman be considered a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s rules? Arthur Miller presents his play ‘Death of a Salesman’ in the ancient form of a tragedy. Aristotle has defined his idea of the ‘perfect’ tragedy in his text, ‘Poetics’ (350 BC).Here he suggests that the protagonist must fall from an elevated social standing as a result of a â€Å"fatal flaw† within the character; the fall from the main character creates resolution to the play which is seen as just; finally, AristotleRead More Willy Loman as Coward in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman876 Words   |  4 PagesWilly Loman as Coward in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman Everybody feels the penetrating presence of fear throughout life. However, people’s reactions to this fear separate the brave souls from the cowards. Mark Twain once said, Courage is resistance to fear; mastery of fear, not absence of fear (Twain 6). In Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman fears rejection by his son, Biff, and the business world. His fears master him, creating in him a fantasy world of life as it