Willy Loman As A Parent In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman
Willy Loman failed as a parent. In the play, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, this protagonist’s success is marred by his sons’ failures. In his attempts to sift through his past and realize the cause of such a letdown, Willy comes to the conclusion that his own actions are to blame. When his son, Biff, stumbles upon his secret woman, Biff is crushed and loses all respect. It is this incident that clears all doubts in the play and serves as an illuminating incident, throwing light on the once ambiguous issue and connecting all the dots. This event also functions as a casement, opening Willy’s eyes to his true purpose in life and preventing his death as a salesman.
Willy’s nostalgia about his son’s flourishing past is brought to a sudden
halt when he realizes that Biff is struggling in life now because of him. Biff was a thriving football captain: the whole team followed his every order. He had three college scholarships waiting for him after his high school graduation. However, his devotion to football and his ego prevented him from passing math. To amend such an issue, Biff decided to ask his dad to convince his teacher. When Biff goes to Boston to request this from his dad, he discovers his dad’s affair. It is this event that kills Biff on the inside, making him lose all his determination and hope for his future. Having revered his dad at all times and worked hard to be “well-liked” in his eyes, Biff’s perceptions transform altogether about the “phony little fake” (Miller 92). With no idol to look up to, and nobody to impress, Biff drops all his goals and stops being Biff. This incident caused unrest in his heart and made him unstable enough that he starting succumbing to theft in each of his jobs, to merely fill his void. All through the novel, the readers and Willy are unsure about Biff and his sudden decline, but the account of this episode elucidates all doubts. This serves as an illuminating incident because it is essential in the plot and without the mention of this incident, the book’s plot would be obscure and incomplete.
It also serves as an illuminating incident because it explains the theme of the play, thereby functioning as a casement. Willy has worked as a salesman for thirty-five years, but in vain. He left no significant legacy; in fact, he only ruined his son’s life. When Willy comes to this resolution, he is distraught about his past and unsure about his future. Ultimately, he realizes that sales was never his forte; rather, he always enjoyed working with tools and that a farm is his niche. Thus, when Willy died, he died as a farmer, having planted seeds in his house. These seeds grew the foundations for Biff and Happy, as they were now determined to learn from their mistakes and leave behind their own legacy. Had Willy not remembered about his affair and its consequences on his dearest son, Biff, he would have stayed the same, fighting to keep his salesman job and getting in car accidents, thanks to his trances with nature. He truly loved the outdoors and never came to this resolution until his illuminating incident. Overall, this episode serves the author’s purpose of showing that one must do what one likes, instead of fuelling one’s greed for money.
As a whole, Willy Loman’s epiphany moment lucidly finishes the plot and opens the meaning of the work. He realizes that he had no positive impact in anybody’s life, but rather hurt his son Biff’s chances for success, just because of his affair. Thus, he learns from this illuminating incident, changes his lifestyle, and becomes a farmer to sow seeds of success for his sons!
Willy’s nostalgia about his son’s flourishing past is brought to a sudden
halt when he realizes that Biff is struggling in life now because of him. Biff was a thriving football captain: the whole team followed his every order. He had three college scholarships waiting for him after his high school graduation. However, his devotion to football and his ego prevented him from passing math. To amend such an issue, Biff decided to ask his dad to convince his teacher. When Biff goes to Boston to request this from his dad, he discovers his dad’s affair. It is this event that kills Biff on the inside, making him lose all his determination and hope for his future. Having revered his dad at all times and worked hard to be “well-liked” in his eyes, Biff’s perceptions transform altogether about the “phony little fake” (Miller 92). With no idol to look up to, and nobody to impress, Biff drops all his goals and stops being Biff. This incident caused unrest in his heart and made him unstable enough that he starting succumbing to theft in each of his jobs, to merely fill his void. All through the novel, the readers and Willy are unsure about Biff and his sudden decline, but the account of this episode elucidates all doubts. This serves as an illuminating incident because it is essential in the plot and without the mention of this incident, the book’s plot would be obscure and incomplete.
It also serves as an illuminating incident because it explains the theme of the play, thereby functioning as a casement. Willy has worked as a salesman for thirty-five years, but in vain. He left no significant legacy; in fact, he only ruined his son’s life. When Willy comes to this resolution, he is distraught about his past and unsure about his future. Ultimately, he realizes that sales was never his forte; rather, he always enjoyed working with tools and that a farm is his niche. Thus, when Willy died, he died as a farmer, having planted seeds in his house. These seeds grew the foundations for Biff and Happy, as they were now determined to learn from their mistakes and leave behind their own legacy. Had Willy not remembered about his affair and its consequences on his dearest son, Biff, he would have stayed the same, fighting to keep his salesman job and getting in car accidents, thanks to his trances with nature. He truly loved the outdoors and never came to this resolution until his illuminating incident. Overall, this episode serves the author’s purpose of showing that one must do what one likes, instead of fuelling one’s greed for money.
As a whole, Willy Loman’s epiphany moment lucidly finishes the plot and opens the meaning of the work. He realizes that he had no positive impact in anybody’s life, but rather hurt his son Biff’s chances for success, just because of his affair. Thus, he learns from this illuminating incident, changes his lifestyle, and becomes a farmer to sow seeds of success for his sons!