Denial by definition is where a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and instead rejects it, insisting on the fact that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence. In Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, the Loman family lives and breathes in denial. It begins with Willy and Linda's awkward and horrible marriage and ends with their two sons in trouble. The Loman family's dysfunctional traits stem from years of self-deception, which they use as a way to mentally escape the cruel reality of their daily lives. Their eldest son Biff is the only member of the family to see these false hopes and makes the decision to change his life. These lies and false illusions are primarily created by the head of House Loman, Willy Loman. Willy is a middle-aged man who sells women's clothing in the northeast. He travels to all these places like Boston and Providence. Early in the book we get our first glimpse of it when his wife Linda asks about the car. “How did the Chevy work?” asks his wife. Willy responds by saying "Chevrolet, Linda is the greatest car ever made." Linda then responds to Willy by saying "You owe Frank money for the carburetor." Willy then shouts "I'm not going to pay this man!" This damn Chevrolet, they should ban the manufacture of this car! “. (Act I) In a matter of seconds, it goes from the greatest car ever built to a worthless pile of scrap metal. This quote shows that Willy, during his "fantasy", is laid back and laid back, then when he breaks out of his web of lies and realizes his true financial situation, he immediately changes his mind about his car. Willy's self-deception not only targets his material wealth, it also targets his personal life....... middle of paper ......p just like his father. Overall, Willy, Linda, Biff, and Happy All use self-deception to mentally escape the reality of average life. It's an American family obsessed with material wealth, like having a nice car, a nice house, and a well-paying job, and depreciating the little things in life like doing what makes you happy even if it doesn't make much money. . They chase the American dream and barely succeed at it and are average at everything they do. Biff, the eldest son, is the only one in the family to realize this at the end of the play. .Works CitedDeath of a Salesman. Real. Dir Volker Schlondorff. Perf. Dustin Hoffman. 1985. movie. Miller, Arthur. Death of a salesman. New York: Penguin Book, 1949. Print. Shmoop editorial team. “Quotes on the subject of death of a salesman.” Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., November 11, 2008. Web. May 9 2014.