Study Document
Death of a Salesman by Essay
Pages:3 (911 words)
Sources:1+
Subject:Literature
Topic:Death Of A Salesman
Document Type:Essay
Document:#62405386
Willy's "psychopathy," he explained, is a manifestation of his being "other-directed" -- or possessing a value system entirely determined by external norms…evidence that goes beyond normal human inconsistency into the realm of severe internal division" (3). The author's analysis illustrates that Willy's "psychopathy" is an inevitable and consistent result of his constant dreaming about success and wealth using the wrong approach. Knowing that he has failed himself and his family, Willy tried to compensate for this by holding strong to the belief that he will eventually prevail, that personality and charisma would save him and his family from poverty. As a result, Willy isolated himself from his family, simply by not sharing the realities that his wife and sons are experiencing, being poor and in constant conflict with Willy's ideals.
Indeed, the psychological trauma that plagued Willy upon realizing that he has grown old and did not succeed in the "American dream standards" became unbearable that he decided to kill himself. As the slave of the capitalist ideal of succeeding and getting rich through luck and chance imprisoned and isolated Willy from his reality and family. This created a void between him and his family, which he realized too late to fill in and remedy.
Willy's stubborn belief that success is possible through personal relations and charisma has paralyzed him from working hard and being more aggressive to fulfill the American dream. Kushner (2005) argues that the "obnoxious valorization of greed" prevailed in Willy's mind, leading him to pursue dreaming about wealth and success without working hard for it (3). Miller consciously portrayed people's belief in the importance of personality and charisma to succeed in life, and this is strongly marked in the play when Biff exclaimed to Willy, "Pop, I'm dime a dozen, and so are you!" This reference to Willy and Biff himself as 'failures' mirrors the weakness of American society during this time, wherein greed motivated people's attitude and behavior. Using this wrong approach, Willy failed to achieve the utopia or ideal, which is to be an example of an American dream fulfilled. Armed with the wrong tools (personality and charisma), he met (and decided) his tragic end when the new modern society proved too big for him and his "tools" to manipulate and take advantage of. This, ultimately, marks the downfall and tragic end of Miller's "hero," Willy Loman, in Death of a Salesman.
References
Cardullo, B. (2007). "Death of a Salesman, Life of a Jew: Ethnicity, Business and the Character of Willy Loman." Southwest Review, Vol. 92, Issue 4.
Kushner, T. (2005). "Kushner on Miller." Nation, Vol. 280, Issue 23.
Miller,…
Sample Source(s) Used
References
Cardullo, B. (2007). "Death of a Salesman, Life of a Jew: Ethnicity, Business and the Character of Willy Loman." Southwest Review, Vol. 92, Issue 4.
Kushner, T. (2005). "Kushner on Miller." Nation, Vol. 280, Issue 23.
Miller, a. (1998). Death of a Salesman. NY: Penguin.
Related Documents
Study Document
Death of a Salesman: Tragedy in Prose
Death of a Salesman: Tragedy in Prose Tragedy, can easily lure us into talking nonsense." Eric Bentley In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, we are introduced to Willy Loman, who believes wholeheartedly in what he considers the promise of the American Dream -- that a "well liked" and "personally attractive" man in business will unquestionably acquire the material comforts offered by modern American life. Willy's obsession with the superficial qualities of attractiveness
Study Document
Death of a Salesman/Oedipus the
" Though critics such as Sheila Huftel characterize Willy Loman's "fall" as only a fall from "an imagined height," it is nevertheless still a fall, which makes Willy Loman, like Oedipus, a tragic figure. Willy has created very powerful ideas about what he wants his life to be and what he wants his sons lives to be. But these ideas are part of what make Willy who he is. He cannot
Study Document
Death of a Salesman Culture and Gender
Death of a Salesman Culture and Gender in Death of a Salesman American culture is clearly changing. Yet, many within it are refusing to adapt, and are continuing to hold on to outdated middle class values that don't work within today's social context. This is Willy Loman. Arthur Miller presents a sad but realistic look at the destruction of the American Dream and middle class values within his work Death of a
Study Document
Death of a Salesman Fails
In conclusion, Death of a Salesman tells the tragic tale of Willy Loman's life. We do feel pity for this man as we watch him fail and we do understand that he makes tragic mistakes throughout his life that have brought him to this point. Many critics want to make allowances for the play because it represents the world in which we live. In doing so, they seem to forget
Study Document
Death of a Salesman: Ethics in Business
Death of a Salesman: Ethics in Business Arthur Miller's play titled Death of a Salesman is classic example of the transition experienced by those involved in the business world during the middle part of the 20th Century. Business ethics and the economy are interwoven and tied to the theme of achieving the American dream in the play. Willy, the main character in the play is caught in between two popular but
Study Document
Death of a Salesman Flashbacks
Willy relives the painful memory, but does not accord it the same weight as Biff. The inability of Willy to understand Biff is one of the central conflicts of the play. Even after the father and son have their show-down, when Biff insists to Willy that he is "nothing," and that it doesn't matter to him, Willy can only marvel that Biff likes him. Unlike in a Greek play,