Reaction Paper-Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman Willy is a man who cares about success. His entire life has been spent trying to get the American Dream. He is a very proud man. Willy wants to give his family a good life, so he constantly buys new things which have put him in debt. He is very absorbed in the past and angers easily, especially to his son Biff.
Most of the relationships he has with his family are strained. He cheated on his wife so his relationship with her is guilt ridden. This causes him to get angry with her and snaps at her very easily.
His relationship with his son Biff is a love/hate relationship. Biff knows that his father was cheating on his mother because Biff caught his dad with the other woman. Knowing this caused Biff to go into a state of depression therefore causing to him to not succeed in life which torments Willy.
Willy has always chosen Biff to be his favorite so Happy his other son is constantly ignored. This causes Happy to want to always impress his dad.
Charley is Willy’s neighbor and everything that Willy wants to be and is not. Willy is very jealous of Charley because it reminds him of what a failure he is.
All of Willy’s relationships are strained; he is losing his relationship with his sons and is constantly snapping at his wife, he is also trying to commit suicide. Willy has his own ideas of what the American Dream is. His dream is where a man has a good job, is paid well, is well liked, has a good family life and has no debt. Willy has none of this.
Strategies
One strategy that the Arthur uses is pity. His ability to make the reader feel sorry for Willy is amazing. Just reading the story a person can feel what Willy is feeling especially when it comes to failure. The fact that Willy has tried to commit suicide more than once gives the impression of how depressed Willy feels about being a failure to his career and to his family. He is fixed on the superficial qualities of what is successful when success is about hard work. Willy’s life as he feels is full of abandonment. His father leaves him and Ben leaves for Alaska finding riches in diamonds. By describing how Willy is living in a fantasy world and wants his sons to follow in his footsteps. When his son Biff is not fooled by Willy’s idea of the American Dream he feels like his own son is betraying him. By creating these mythical figures like comparing his sons to Hercules and Adonis is further leading Willy to his realization that his life is not what he thinks it is. By trying to live up to what Willy believes was a heroic life of Dave Singleman only leads him to a pathetic death and meaningless legacy even if in the end his life insurance policy gives him the riches that he has been striving for. A rubber hose is a constant symbol of Willy’s attempts to take his own life as he realizes he does not have the fantasy he has been trying to live. There is an American Dream. Each person’s dream is different. Can we attain our idea of the American Dream? All people regardless of wealth or likeability have a right to the American Dream and everyone has the right to feel that they have worth. Imagination A good deal of imagination comes from Willy Loman. He wants to be successful and respected. He lives in a fantasy world. He imagines himself in far off cities where people are calling out to him in joy. He sees himself as a role model for children and a man that is well known around town. Willy is none of these. His business never took off therefore he sees himself as a failure and is constantly fantasizing on what his life could have been like. He feels that he is important to the company that he works for, that they depend on him when in reality it is Willy who depends on them. His idea of the American Dream and that anyone can make it was his true falsehood. He chooses to put aside his real talents to pursue a fantasy. Conclusion All in all the story makes the reader feel sad for Willy. The harder Willy tries the more he fails. This makes the reader relate to Willy and the reader can feel the fear of possibly failing themselves. Willy tried his hardest to be successful, and to be a good husband and father, but he made all the wrong choices, and it ruined him and his family.