blog




  • Essay / The Consequences of Willy Loman's Desire to Succeed

    In Arthur Miller's play “Death of a Salesman,” the sacrifice of character is that of the spirit. Willy Loman is characterized by being the "common man". At a time when the glow of postwar success had quickly begun to fade from the country's ordinary realities, Miller illustrated the truth that the American people were being sold the promise of an "American Dream," according to which, just like Willy Loman, he found empty. Willy becomes the embodiment of the contradiction between what we desire as a people and what life actually is. It is when Willy comes face to face with this reality that he realizes that his life has been marked by failure. He's not well-liked, he's been unfaithful to his wife, and worst of all, he's not the respected man he tried to be in Biff's eyes. It is only when faced with the idea that his death would be more beneficial to his fate than his life that he chooses to make this sacrifice. He sacrifices his life to succeed through the redemption of his death. His life insurance policy would take care of his wife Linda, and his son Biff would see him as the "well-liked" man he is at a funeral surrounded by mourners. Willy Loman's death was an inevitable tragedy as well as a redundant sacrifice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Willy is fundamentally governed by a desire for success. In his conversations and in his memories, he refers to his brother Ben, who made his fortune mining diamonds in Africa. It is thanks to Ben that the reader can learn frankly about Willy's past and main motivations. Willy illustrates Ben as an example of life and risk-taking; however, when given the opportunity to join, he refuses. It is essential to note that Willy was unwilling to join Ben in his pursuit of their father and his financial success because he did not want to abandon his family. His family is his motivator and every act Willy did was so he could be a better father to Biff and Happy than his own father was to him. Willy wanted to ensure success to pass on success. He believed and passed on to his sons that they would succeed as long as they were appreciated. Ben exists in contradiction to this by not caring about risk and whether those around him liked him, because he was able to succeed far beyond Willy. Willy stayed for his family, and being confronted with the missed opportunity that was Ben was the first step in his descent into sacrifice. Memories of Ben aren't the only thing plaguing Willy's mind in the final days of his life. The play exists because all the characters around it act in response to Willy both in the present and in memory of the past. Willy's paranoia has intensified due to the incessant distress and this is where the audience becomes aware of Willy's behavior. Willy is characterized as a man contradictory to himself, often angry and undoubtedly obsessive. Like Ben, Willy carefully selects his memories or relives past events in order to imagine the circumstances in which he succeeded. Willy is unable to recognize the idea of ​​his financial failure, so he relieves Ben's visit in an attempt to correct the mistake he made in not joining Ben in his quest for diamonds. Willy is unable to recognize the fact that after being caught having an affair with his son Biff, on whom he has imprinted all his personal hopes, he no longer admires him, he relieves the memories of Biff while He still idolized her and had a potential career as a soccer star. He will congratulate Biff in the..”