Authors use many different devices in their writing such as personification or hidden meanings to add a little something extra to their work. While examining the main character of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, we see much of the same. The hidden meaning in Willy's name comes in his surname, Loman, which is often taken to mean "low-man". Reading Death of a Salesman and its many critiques, the overwhelming theme of commonness and even lowliness is plainly evident. In this paper, I intend to show that his treatment of his family and friends, as well as what we know about his own thought life, proves Willy Loman's true commonness and periodic lowliness.
             First, we will look at Loman himself. Loman is without a doubt one of the most perplexing characters in literature. Huftel states, in his review of the story, "Death of a Salesman is governed by a need to know and understand Willy Loman." (103) The statement could not be truer, but it is also something that we respond to with an, "Easy for you to say." This is a story of a salesman who has run his race, but who, for the most part is unwilling to leave the finished course and a man who has trouble grasping reality. The first instance we see of this difficulty comes in the beginning when Loman has a flashback from his son's childhood in which he actually talks to the young Biff. Although the author does use flashbacks such as these to clear up parts of the story we otherwise would not have understood, it remains clear that they are also symbolic of his unwillingness to let go of the past. In her review of Death of a Salesman, Elenor Clark states, "Willy has one fatal flaw, he lives in a dream world..." (62) We find this to be inherently true throughout the story.
             Another of Loman's flaws is the overwhelming amount of stress he puts upon himself to make friends and be "well-liked". Clark...