Death of a salesman

             According to the American dream, even the lowest of man may rise to a position of greatness. This level of greatness is commonly portrayed in society through its outer luxuries and charismatic appearance. In "Death of a Salesman", Willy Loman is surrounded by people who have reached this state of well-being, from his brother Ben to his neighbor Charlie, and continuously believes there is a secret to such success. Focusing only on the outer view, Willy finds that people of this state are all well-liked in society. Thus Willy bases his morals on outer charisma as what makes or breaks an individual's success. Willy has taken the end-result as his road to reaching that point of success. This misinterpretation has led him to a state of denial to the reality of his life and living on such he has become the cause of his own failures and the failures of others around him. As a result, Willy develops characteristics that cause him to take the wrong turns on the abundant roads he is faced with. A poor sense of judgment, perception and foolish pride make Willy Loman the tragic hero that he is.
             "I always thought that if a man was impressive, and well liked, that nothing-" (p.97) . Willy's ideal on how success is possible, forces his entire life...and the life of his family members into a horrible break away from reality. He raised his boys on the notion that if one is well-liked, regardless of aspects such as qualifications, being popular would bring them to the top. Unfortunately this would mean that one must disregard that the way an ordinary person can get rich is through work (Bernard) or through luck and good timing (Ben). The boys grew believing in all their father had told them, and Happy went on to follow his footsteps even after his death. Willy's denial and deceive were now being passed down to other members of his family, and thus the cycle was not going to be broken, of a miserable life, misint...

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Death of a salesman. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 04:19, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/25001.html