The Death of a Salesman, by Willy Loman, starts out as an average storytelling dramatic play of how a man leads a life of deception and how all his connections in society prove to be his shortcoming at the end of this stage play. First, let us investigate Willy Loman’s background and how it holds precedence over the author, Arthur Miller, himself. Arthur Miller dealt with strife at an early age because of the misfortunes of his family prosperity during the depression era. However, his venue to write plays never made him deter from making it in the movie industry even though he suffered a great loss due to wealth that should have been handed down from his family legacy.
Nonetheless, he proceeded to make it with many successes which gained him a Pulitzer Prize for “Death of a Salesman” with his wining masterpiece (Miller, 1706). The play itself characterized a portrait which many of his struggles in life was greatly associated with “rise and fall” within itself. Willy Loman, the character played in The Death of a Salesman, did prove how seeking to reach the American Dream did consist of many shortcomings that led to his demise from a narcissistic viewpoint and how it led to his rise and fall while seeking the American Dream. In this essay, we will discuss the many emotional factors that led to his lies or narcissism, what he considered as his socio-status, self-pride, identity, and his narcisstic ways that led to his suicide.
First, I would like to address his shortcomings and how the emotional factors played a big part in his shortcomings in life. Understanding how he was raised by his father played a big part in what he thought and treasured as being the provider or bread winner for his family is a great description of a protagonist man. One thing is one must realize has Willy never had a relationship with his father. But, growing up he learned the basics of what it means by been the provider to his family. That was one downfall, the was engraved in his sole. Not having an example as a child growing up, he learned the basic in survival skills.
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Although Willy did lack the skills for problem solving. He eventually learned that people on accept you if you have success in life. And, this was a big determinate in his behavior and social skills because being on top are having socio-status in the world of successful people this what you must seek. The irony of this play was Willy took it to far because in the end, he could not face the true demise of what he had really done to his family and the social status of being looked down upon. He had to tell one lie to cover the other and not looking like he failed his wife, Linda, which displayed his biggest fan for his success he could never tell them the truth of what his financial affairs was really like. As we mention status-quo, most of his neighbors lived a life of success like they thought Willy had as well, the writer Arthur Miller displays,
Willy true conformity is hard to contradict. Especially, his idealism and corruption, along with sincerity and a sense of falsehood. So, these attitudes do convey the attitude of a true salesman, he must succeed. So, in the true concept, he never exposed his true emotional reaction, he went on what felt right by telling fibs and living a life that was no of the truth. The allegory of his shortcomings is hidden by deception and an attitude that is becoming more than the realistic mean of counter dependency that shows a non- reactive to his true emotions.
Willy Loman did share political success during his life with Ronald Reagan. Gripping the many facets of life that Ronald Reagan endured in his life time. Therefore, we must remember they both were a salesman in their lifetime and selling and gaining the trust of people is what brings this duo together in the political foundations. This how Willy Loman was selling the American Dream, so he was selling his soul before and after his death (Shockley, 49). With this in hand, this gives you an imprint of the many ventures that Loman has had his hand in. Nonetheless, we must look at Reagan and Loman life because they both endured struggle’s in their family life.
Secondly, Willy Loman’s as a great father figure of support for his family which proved is state of dysfunctionality must address. According to the play he took on many roles. One as husband, next a father then their many more complexities that he attempted as he dealt with while living a life of deception. First, his wife Linda Loman did support her husband as a loyal and denoting wife. She herself did whatever she could do to support his outlandish acts. To say nothing of seeking the American Dream, she played a big part of leading to his death in this play.
Equally she shared a part that led to his narcissism by downplaying his devotion to her and his sons to the end. In addition, he also was a good father figure, more than so in his eyes. By giving advice to his sons Biff and Happy which later proved to be a fraud. Nonetheless, Biff his son did see through his father fraud. For instance, his infidelity and his portrayal of what a perfect family should be like, and how the importance of reaching riches, and power. Despite his urgency to contribute to what he thought of his son’s goals as they must contribute to his embellishment of being the perfect family and husband proved that he suffered a great fraud.
On the contrary, Biff did not excel to his standards as a business man because he failed at his own business, because of his father shortcomings of telling him what the real world expected from a true businessman yet he kept instilling in his son, Biff popularity is and having the money to appear as equal as your colleagues is the true meaning of American success. Biff found out this is so untrue, his life led him to thievery and deception like Willy Loman, too. Now on the other hand, Happy was just like his father scheming and conniving to get to the top.
He too, led a life of deception, Happy would lie about his position at work to achieve the prosperity which would make people like him. This is how this storyline proves it deception of why achieving the American Dream is the downfall of any man’s why of being acceptance in life. This proves the crudeness of a true salesman, “In a Salesman, there is always a straight line leading from a harrowing past event to a present neurosis or failure” (Harvey, 2012).
In reality this is the tragedy of his sons never having the true identity and principles because that is not Willy stood for. One must take inconsideration that Willy thought he was doing what he lacked from his father. He felt he was building a stable ground for his boys to grow on. Nonetheless, this play by Miller does prove what identity means to Willy Loman in “ A death of a Salesman” however, if one took the time to understand how he thought that his teachings and thoughts was the basic conversely efforts of survival and proving to his family.
I am giving you the life of the American Dream you have no idea of the lies and lives that I have hurt by doing this but I tried my best to be a provider and even though I have stumbled of a lot of stumbling blocks but my biggest downfall was my self-pride by not admitting that I was a failure. Yet I wanted more for my wife and kids and I did live a life of narcissism, but I did provide the American Dream to you.
Lastly, Willy Loman’s life and his true failures were about to be exposed. Not being able to face the fact of the many different facets of life of deception his role as a husband and father proved to look like on the outside he took his life. Did he not know that this caused more disappoint within his family life? Now they are bickering of money because they thought that he had lived the life of the American dream and in the end. Willy still caused turmoil on his family due to his fabrications and narcissistic livelihood.
This play by Arthur Miller was greatly defined in many ways because he still did not redeem himself after suicide. On the contrary, after his death he created bickering and once the truth was revealed to his family and friends he left such a disgrace now they are embarrassed and disappointed of the life that he really led. Now that is a true salesman, to the end we all believe in what he sold us.
Work Cited
- Harvey Giles “Death of a Salesman”: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Mediocrity. The New Yorker. 14 May 2012. Retrieved from Web. 02 Aug 2017. https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/death-of-a-salesman-a-heartbreaking-work-of-staggering-mediocrity.
- Miller, Arthur. “A Death of a Salesman” The Norton Introduction to Literature. edited by Kelly J Mays, shorter 12th ed. W.W. Norton, 2017. pp. 1709—76.
- Shockley, John S. “Death of a Salesman and American Leadership: Life Imitates Art.” “Journal of American Culture” (01911813), vol. 17, no. 2, Summer 94, p. 49. Retrieved from Web. 01 Aug 2018. EBSCOhost, proxy.lccc.wy.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9501161846&site=ehost-live.
