In the story Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller the character Biff asserts to his family that “we never told the truth for ten minutes in this house” which is completely true. The Loman family is constantly lying and making an array of different excuses in order to escape the truth that they are just a “dime in a dozen.”…
The wife’s role in this story is vital to its plot. Even in the first few pages of dialogue, Linda is giving advice to her significant other. Linda shows her devotion to her husband by the questions she poses. She shows signs of obvious stress in her dialogue. Because of Linda’s worried nature, Willy’s mental condition is revealed to the readers. The solutions she poses, such as “Willy, dear. Talk to them again. There’s no reason why you can’t work in New York,” (Miller, 6) shows her devotion to keeping her husband happy. Without Linda, we may not have as much insight to the problems of Willy’s mental stability.…
(25). In a scheming endeavor to pick her up, he misleads the girl in the restaurant saying, "I sell champagne, and I'd like you to try my brand. Bring her a champagne, Stanley (101)." He in the end leaves his dad at the restaurant, hurrying the girls out, excited to make a move on one (115). Happy needs to grow up and begin treating ladies like individuals, not bits of meat. Happy's insecurity originates from his dad's conduct towards him. At the point when Happy was in high school, Willy didn't give careful consideration to him as he did to Biff. In Willy's eyes, Happy wasn't sufficient. Along these lines, Happy was continually attempting to satisfy him. He would rehearse such remarks as "I'm losing weight, you notice, Pop?(29)" Willy instilled the thought in Happy: "Be liked and you will never want (33)." With these sort of qualities being taught to him by his dad, it's no big surprise why Happy acts so insecure. Happy needs to discover better methods for managing circumstances other than lying his way through it. My logic is that your own particular satisfaction precedes everybody else's. He should concentrate on his beliefs, not steadily attempt to coordinate views of…
When Linda first comes out in the play, she is described as a wife who is used to accepting her husband's behavior and his dreams and sudden mood swings. In one paragraph on pg. 12, even before she enters the play, the reader has the impression that maybe she is already a victim. As she talks to the disappointed Willy about his day, Miller indicates with stage directions that Linda is careful with her actions and words, but in a supportive way. It seems that she might be frightened by him or at the fact that Willy is fragile. We see this on pg. 13 in stage directions such as "very carefully, delicately", "helpfully", and even Linda helps Willy take off his shoes. Linda also describes her son Biff, as crestfallen and explains to Willy that their son is trying to find himself (pg. 15, "He's crestfallen...if he finds himself, then you'll both be happier"). Throughout the beginning, Linda only wants to ease family tensions without choosing sides. She is thought of as caring and perhaps innocent.…
The American Dream is acquired through hard work and sacrifice and allows normal people in society to believe that material prosperity is what defines success. The aspiration to achieve the American Dream is the catalyst to believing that material possessions are more important than spiritual values. Hard work and vigor is essential in being prosperous in life, and excellence must be preserved in oneself. The spirit, the will to excel, and the will to win is what one must give every bit of effort toward to acquire the dream. The American Dream remains a beacon of hope, but can be harmful if this dream is not controlled. The desire to achieve the American Dream can thus result in mental deterioration, and can cause one…
A common idea presented in literature is the issue of the freedom of the individual in the constant pressures of society. In the play “Death of a Salesman” by,…
Another idea of success that Happy and Biff embodied from Willy was materialism, the urge to claim as many material things as they can. During Happy and Biffs childhood they observed how Willy got in dues and stole many material things just so he could feel successful. It came to the point in which he had his sons steal for him just so he can feel more empowered over things, and since Happy and Biff were growing around that idea they started to embody it. For instance, as happy got older he was just like his dad, had all the material things he wanted, even the women, but still felt empty. And its not until Biff asks Happy why he's not content with his life since he has all the material things he wanted, and Happy responds to Biff by saying " it’s what I always wanted. My own apartment, a car, plenty of women, and still, goddamnit, I’m lonely. (Act 1)". In other words, this shows how even though he had all the material things he ever wanted, he still didn’t feel happy and successful, because he wanted more.…
Success is one thing most humans strive for. That the purpose or end goal of life is to be successful in of any kind of task. The true feeling accomplishment is a joyful, never ending happiness. Knowing everything you have worked for payed off in the end is just about the most pleasant emotion. Success is achieving one’s true desire in the soul and mind.…
Willy Loman’s moral compass often does not point true North in his life and the series of dishonest statements over many years eventually lead to his demise and detriment of his family. When his boys were young, Willy makes many promises of great riches and achievements for them, something he lives for, but never really has. While Willy continually puts Biff on a pedestal, setting him up for failure, he barely pays attention to his younger son, Happy, who simply desires respect and affirmation from his father. Further, Willy is frequently dishonest, in particular to his wife, Linda, about his income, his actual stature, and his faithfulness. It finally culminates when he is caught cheating on his wife by Biff, and goes so far to get his son to keep quiet about his indiscretion.…
1. What conditions existed in what is today the United States that made it "fertile ground" for a great nation?…
Happy says, “I'm gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain. He had a good dream. It's the only dream you can have - to come out number-one man. He fought it out here, and this is where I'm gonna win it for him”. This quote shows that Happy has vowed to continue in his father’s footsteps, pursuing an American Dream that will leave him empty and alone, just like it did to his father. The tragedy of Willy’s death comes about because of his inability to distinguish between his value as an economic resource and his identity as a human being. Willy is proud of being able to sell himself to the women he is cheating on and not to his wife, Linda. This sabotages his role as a financial provider for his family. Willy sacrifices himself in order to get his family the money from his life insurance policy. This is the abandonment and betrayal of Willy towards his family because of his vision to pursue the American…
An immense desire for personal satisfaction, and extraordinary reputation can often result in a sickly, perverse distortion of reality. In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, a man well known for his intellect and wisdom, finds himself blind to the truth of his life, and his parentage. William Shakespeare's Hamlet also contains a character that is in search of the truth, which ultimately leads to his own demise, as well as the demise of many around him. Arthur Miller's play, The Death of a Salesman, tells of a tragic character so wrapped up in his delusional world, that reality and illusion fuse, causing an internal explosion that leads to his downfall. Each play enacts the struggle of a man attempting to come to grips with his own, harsh reality and leaving behind his comfortable fantasy world. In the end, no man can escape the truth no matter how hard he may fight it. In choosing the fragility of chimera over the stability of reality, the characters meet their inevitable ruin.…
Linda is like Willy’s arch supports, she supports everything he does whether it is wrong or not and is constantly offering him excuses for his own behaviour, and this support is what is leading him to his death. Willy is confiding in Linda and trying to tell her how he cannot think straight, and Linda immediately tries to blame it on his glasses, as she doesn’t want willy to feel that his mind is becoming delusional.…
Willy's attitude is a dangerous thing to himself and his family because his constant bragging gives his family and himself a false sense of who he is. Willy thinks that if you have money then you will be well-liked. To Willy, being well-liked is everything. In his way of thought people without money are not well-liked and if you are not well-liked then you are nothing. He thinks that he is well-liked but he is not. He even poisons the minds of his boys with the notion that being well-liked is everything. "Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never wait in line to see a buyer. Willy Loman is here! That all they have to know and I go right through."(Pg. 21). This leads to his failure and lack of accomplishment because Willy thinks his life is going somewhere and he gives the impression to Happy and Biff that their lives will go somewhere too. Willy's world revolves around money, because money leads to fame, and fame leads to recognition. "That a man can end with diamonds here on the basis of being well liked."(Pg. 65-66). Willy and Charley have a certain amount of respect between them. Willy does not like Charley all that much but he respects him because he has money.…
Comparison of "The Boarding House" and "Araby" James Joyce wrote a collection of short stories that can be found published as Dubliners. An observant reader may notice a trend throughout these stories. They are stories of frustration and escape from the harsh realities that the characters are bound in. "Araby" details a boy's first crush portraying youth and childhood. "The Boarding House" portrays marriage and love as a social convention and a trap. The innocent enthusiasm of "Araby" cannot be found in the "The Boarding House", where the innocent Mr. Doran is manipulated into marriage. The two stories share the themes of frustration and escape. Both of the stories also share a setting in the Irish city of Dublin, Joyce's place of birth.…