There are various reasons that can lead to a character's downfall. For example, Willy Loman dreams of having a happy and successful life, but unfortunately, he failed to work as a traveling salesman all his life. Psychoanalytic theory is perceptible in Willy's behavior. It is obvious that Willy's life is nonchalantly falling apart over time, nevertheless Willy is blindsided by this. The blame for the downfall of Willy's character in Death of a Salesman can be placed on Willy himself. It is his own actions, such as a lack of responsibility, creating a facade of himself to appear superior, and his pride that lead to his lack of success and eventual suicide. Some things, like the past trauma he experienced due to the lack of a father figure, are external factors that he cannot control and lead to his destruction. It is more obvious, however, that this is his fault. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Willy takes no personal responsibility for his actions and always tries to criticize certain factors beyond his control. He often succumbs to violent tendencies as a method of seeking inner affirmation, pleasure, or pride. Even though Willy has failed to achieve his life goals of becoming successful, he clings to the belief of the American dream and the promise that anyone attractive and cherished will make it far. His life is full of illusions and tries to live through his son Biff, unintentionally. This is seen when Biff discovers Willy's lies when he finds out he cheated on Linda. Willy chose to alienate his son, rather than face reality and defend his actions: WILLY: Don't you want to be something? BIFF: Pop, how can I go back? WILLY: You don't want to be anything, is that what's behind it? WILLY: Are you spitting at me? BIFF: Don't take it like that! Damn it! WILLY [hits Biff and walks away from the table]: You rotten little louse! Are you spitting on me? Willy recognizes Biff's business failure as a personal betrayal, an attempt to discipline him for his previous romance. Psychoanalytic theory can be applied here through Willy's guilt over his affair which led him to make many irrational and damaging decisions, affecting his son. Willy begins to doubt himself as a "child prodigy" and begins to assume that this is what his lying father made him believe. Their relationship becomes dysfunctional and they both behave like strangers and Biff doesn't go to his father to reconcile and move on. Throughout the novel, it is evident that Willy creates a veneer of himself to appear superior to those around him. For example, Willy sometimes tries to persuade others to believe that he makes more money than he actually does. Additionally, when Willy talks to Linda about his financial situation, he states, "Well, I - I made it - about a hundred and eighty gross in Providence." Well no, it came to about two hundred gross for the whole trip.” Additionally, this quote reveals how Willy creates an impression of himself to make Linda believe that he is more than he claims to be, because in reality, he does not make as much money as he claims , which will show him trying to create a facade around himself. The reason Willy lies about his income is because he wants to be known as a more successful and better man than his neighbor, Charley. This makes Willy feel more comfortable and comfortable. Furthermore, it is obvious that Willy is lying in this.