What Is Willy's Intentions In Death Of A Salesman
Good intentions do not always create a good outcome.As seen in The Death of a Salesman. This play focus on a family of four, the Loman family; Willy, Linda his wife and their two sons Biff and Happy. They are very poor and Willy is the only one who works, even though both his sons are over twenty five.Willy is a salesman and works on commission even though he has been with his company long enough no be treated as a new salesman.As he has gotten older and other issues have arisen it has made selling a lot harder and since he is on commission it has made is income even less.To the point where he borrows fifty dollars from his neighbor every week to give to his wife as his “income”. Due to their lack of money the family are on each others cases
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a lot. Linda while trying to encourage and help is actually hurts her family by ignoring Willy’s problems and yelling at her sons instead of explaining how they are not helping the family..
Linda ignores the issues that her husband has such as his mental issues, cheating and attempts to kill himself.
In the first few pages of the book it becomes evident that Linda is ignoring the issues with her husband when she says “But you didn’t rest your mind. Your mind is overactive, and the mind is what counts, dear.” (6). When Willy is explaining how he came back early as he felt tired and then had swerved off the road many time; Linda said it was not an issue and that he just had not rested enough. While if this was a one time thing the ignorance could have been expected of the time period; yet it was after he had destroyed two cars in wrecks and had been talking to himself. Thus her ignorance of his tiredness is does not helping her family as it continues to but puts Willy’s life in danger. Then when it is revealed that Willy is cheating and Linda says “It seems there’s a woman”.(41) Linda is aware that there is another woman but does not do anything about it. Even when talking with one of her sons about it she says she does not want to confront him to embarrass him.Even though she knows her family can barely make rent and cannot afford new clothes she lets him buy things for her. Linda lets her family fall further into poverty and not say anything when he is buying things for another woman. She says she does not want to embarrass him more as she also knows that her husband is trying to kill himself and she even knows how yet after she takes it away everyday she “put(s) it back where it was.”(42). Linda will not talk to her husband about his issues and what he is doing; she also would not take away how he was planning on committing suicide. She is so afraid to call him out on hos issue and try and help him that she lets him continue so he can have his pride; she believes that his pride is more important than his life. This does not help him as in the end he takes his own life and it is not apparent if him talking with him could have helped him. She
continues to ignore the issues Willy is facing which further pulls her family apart as they all see that he is not acting like himself.
Linda also hurts her family with her conversations with her boys. When Biff brings up his dad’s habit of talking to himself she says “It’s when you come home he’s always the worst.” (37). Linda is saying the Willy is the most upset when Biff is home and that is his then that he talks to himself. She states that his lack of job and being home worsens his mental state to the point of insanity. She continues to cast the blame upon her son and thus only makes Biff feel less connection to his father. Instead of pulling her family together she drives a wedge between father and eldest son. When Linda is then talking to Happy about his father she says “You never asked, my dear!” (39) as if he does not care. Linda say that her son is not paying attention and thus not acting as a member of that family. This then also drives a wedge into the family as then Happy feels he does not belong and falls further from the rest of his family. He resorts to women instead of his family. Thus when his mother tells him that he is not participating in his family it further pushes him out. Linda pulls her family apart when she blames Biff for making Willy worse and tells Happy that he does not pay attention to his family in the least.
Linda while trying to help her family makes them worse as she ignores the issues faced by Willy and yelling at her sons and blaming them for the issues of the family. As the book concludes with Willy taking his own life we are think about what could have been. If his mental issues would have been taken care of it then would have the last few pages have been very different. As we see Biff step up in his role in his family we so see Happy fall further out. So while Linda may have been trying to help her breaking through to Biff was slow painful and happened most after the decline of his father. So thus this play teaches us a lesson that while good intentions do not always have good outcomes that the most come out of good communication and without it is where the true problems live.
a lot. Linda while trying to encourage and help is actually hurts her family by ignoring Willy’s problems and yelling at her sons instead of explaining how they are not helping the family..
Linda ignores the issues that her husband has such as his mental issues, cheating and attempts to kill himself.
In the first few pages of the book it becomes evident that Linda is ignoring the issues with her husband when she says “But you didn’t rest your mind. Your mind is overactive, and the mind is what counts, dear.” (6). When Willy is explaining how he came back early as he felt tired and then had swerved off the road many time; Linda said it was not an issue and that he just had not rested enough. While if this was a one time thing the ignorance could have been expected of the time period; yet it was after he had destroyed two cars in wrecks and had been talking to himself. Thus her ignorance of his tiredness is does not helping her family as it continues to but puts Willy’s life in danger. Then when it is revealed that Willy is cheating and Linda says “It seems there’s a woman”.(41) Linda is aware that there is another woman but does not do anything about it. Even when talking with one of her sons about it she says she does not want to confront him to embarrass him.Even though she knows her family can barely make rent and cannot afford new clothes she lets him buy things for her. Linda lets her family fall further into poverty and not say anything when he is buying things for another woman. She says she does not want to embarrass him more as she also knows that her husband is trying to kill himself and she even knows how yet after she takes it away everyday she “put(s) it back where it was.”(42). Linda will not talk to her husband about his issues and what he is doing; she also would not take away how he was planning on committing suicide. She is so afraid to call him out on hos issue and try and help him that she lets him continue so he can have his pride; she believes that his pride is more important than his life. This does not help him as in the end he takes his own life and it is not apparent if him talking with him could have helped him. She
continues to ignore the issues Willy is facing which further pulls her family apart as they all see that he is not acting like himself.
Linda also hurts her family with her conversations with her boys. When Biff brings up his dad’s habit of talking to himself she says “It’s when you come home he’s always the worst.” (37). Linda is saying the Willy is the most upset when Biff is home and that is his then that he talks to himself. She states that his lack of job and being home worsens his mental state to the point of insanity. She continues to cast the blame upon her son and thus only makes Biff feel less connection to his father. Instead of pulling her family together she drives a wedge between father and eldest son. When Linda is then talking to Happy about his father she says “You never asked, my dear!” (39) as if he does not care. Linda say that her son is not paying attention and thus not acting as a member of that family. This then also drives a wedge into the family as then Happy feels he does not belong and falls further from the rest of his family. He resorts to women instead of his family. Thus when his mother tells him that he is not participating in his family it further pushes him out. Linda pulls her family apart when she blames Biff for making Willy worse and tells Happy that he does not pay attention to his family in the least.
Linda while trying to help her family makes them worse as she ignores the issues faced by Willy and yelling at her sons and blaming them for the issues of the family. As the book concludes with Willy taking his own life we are think about what could have been. If his mental issues would have been taken care of it then would have the last few pages have been very different. As we see Biff step up in his role in his family we so see Happy fall further out. So while Linda may have been trying to help her breaking through to Biff was slow painful and happened most after the decline of his father. So thus this play teaches us a lesson that while good intentions do not always have good outcomes that the most come out of good communication and without it is where the true problems live.