However, for Willy to live by his ideals necessitates building or telling many lies, and these illusions replace reality in Willy's mind. He tells lies about how well liked he is in all of his towns, and how vital he is to New England. At times Willy even believes his own lies and becomes enthusiastic when he tells his family that he made more money than he actually did. Willy then fills his sons so full of this concept of being well-liked that when Biff flunks math he goes to Boston to search for his father. He thought that since Willy is so
The first important theme is denial where each character showcase their denial of certain aspects of their lives. Willy has denial against himself and what he is because he wants to be big and known which he isn't but he thinks he is and so he denies the fact that he is just an ordinary human being. Also, throughout the play the characters keep contradicting themselves and it is seen a number of times especially with Willy. For example, in the first scene he states that Biff is lazy but then he goes on a line or two later to state that he is a hard working lad and that he is not lazy. This behavior is why he can not accept reality in order to ignore the present and re live the past.
Willy asks his neighbor to take a state test for one of his sons because he wants his son to get a good grade. These lessons that Willy is teaching his sons will not help them in life. In fact it will probably debilitate them. The American dream in which Willy and many other men of the era desires is one in which the children are successful in life and are able to help the parents in old age. By the lessons Willy is teaching his sons, he is keeping himself from
The expected reaction to his father’s rare appearances would be what the child did in the story. He is too young to understand that his father is an important part of his life also. 2. Larry is not reliable as the narrator of events. He is obviously biased against his father and wants his mother’s sole attention.
Delusions of Grandeur – An Expository Essay Death of a Salesman Willy Loman’s greatest weakness – and the reason of his unhappiness lie in the facade he has created within himself. Without a father figure to instill reason in him and leave a legacy of any kind, he fixates himself upon the only character that will leave him a lasting impression – his enigmatic brother Ben. As a result, the ideals imbued in young Willy – money, recognition, and ambition, lead him to accept a warped version of The American Dream: the belief that being well-liked and respected warrant success. However, when he fails to sell these values to his young son Biff, he discovers just how disparate dreams and reality are, and brings down his entire family along with himself. Willy’s beliefs and actions stem from his fear of being alone.
Willy associates Ben with qualities that he himself severely lacks Realtiyvs Illusion Willy has dreams of material success, notoriety and has a misguided notion of the American Dream. These hopes dwarf the other aspects of his mentality and ultimately result in a psychological descent. He is then unable to distinguish his wild dreams and unattainable goals from the harsh reality of the present. Willy attempts to convince his sons that he is well-liked: ‘... and know me,boys, they know me up and down New England…’ This demonstrates that he is discernibly delusional, as he is neither well-liked nor known. The pressure
Parents owe their children the duty to encourage them to perform well in their areas of interest or in their pursuits. I can relate the article by Amy Chua to the “Death of a Salesman”. In the book, Willy wants his son Biff to be a successful salesman. He wants him to get a well-paying job and he nags at him all day to find a steady job. As Biff’s abilities do not match his father's expectations, he is unable to fulfill his father’s high hopes of a brilliant career in sales.
More than anyone, a boy needs his father to approve of him and teach him how to be a man. Well, his father did not show him the love he required growing up. In all of Paul’s efforts to please his father, he was ignored and inadequate to his father’s expectations. In fact, his father praised a young man that worked as a clerk and insisted that Paul ought to be more like that gentleman. His father refused to give Paul money and argued that he has a job, so he can pay his own expenses.
They come down to the kitchen and catch up talking, they remember the good ‘ol days when they were younger. Happy is the younger brother, he is successful and confident. Biff is not doing as well as Happy, but has dreams of owning his own land and having a ranch. Willy begins having flashbacks and expressing his worries about the boys while talking to himself around the house. Willy and Biff fight a lot because Willy doesn’t like the fact his son cant hold a job down.
Likely a result of these early experiences, Willy develops a fear of abandonment, which makes him want his family to conform to the American Dream. His efforts to raise perfect sons, however, reflect his inability to understand reality. The young Biff, whom Willy considers the embodiment of promise, drops Willy and Willy’s zealous ambitions for him when he finds out about Willy’s adultery. Biff’s ongoing inability to succeed in business furthers his estrangement from Willy. When, at Frank’s Chop House, Willy finally believes that Biff is on the cusp of greatness, Biff shatters Willy’s illusions and, along with Happy, abandons the