The fear of loosing his son led Romulus to attempt to better himself, seen through the statement “My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” Although this method of parenting gave short-term dismay demonstrated through Raimond’s childhood outburst “you don’t love me”. It resulted in long-term fulfillment and a healthy relationship worthy of being recognized retrospectively within Gaitas
Willy’s American dream is about personality being the key to success, not innovation and hard work. Willy’s concepts of these themes are what lead Willy to be self-arrogant and pompous. Willy is boastful of himself and his sons, and shows it in his words and actions. Willy compares both of his sons to Greek gods by saying “That’s why I thank Almighty God you’re both built like Adonises” (Miller 1. 21).
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
In both plays Death of a Salesman and True West can be both in contrast to the conditions of their visions of the American dream. Both of these plays focus on characters that spend their lives pursuing this dream while they fail at happiness as a result. In Death of a Salesman Willy Loman is a unfortunate, man who is so obsessed with trying to live up to an ideal that he has become disillusioned and has developed a loose sense of reality. Willy, spends his lifetime attempting to become a salesman, only to find in the end that he had failed. True West also focuses on the dysfunction of the American Dream.
It is not far-fetched to wonder if Willy himself had a bad encounter with cheating as a young boy, or if it is by his own recognizance that he believed that it was alright to cheat and steal. This ideology that Willy presents is shown greatly by the lesson he presents to his sons; cheating and stealing is okay. Willy Loman teaches his sons that cheating and stealing is okay because he himself believes that. When one of his sons steals equipment from his school he congratulates his son and tells him that if he were his coach he would take that as having dedication. Willy asks his neighbor to take a state test for one of his sons because he wants his son to get a good grade.
It also belongs to the common man—in this case the “low man,” as in Willy Loman. Willy’s tragic flaw stems from the fact that he has misinterpreted the American Dream, the belief that one can rise from rags to riches. For Willy, the success of that dream hinges on appearance rather than on substance, on wearing a white collar rather than a blue one. It is this snobbery, combined with a lack of practical knowledge, that leads to his downfall. Indeed, much of the lasting popularity of Death of a Salesman both in the world of the theater and in the canon of English literature, lies in its treatment of multiple themes.
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.
Death Of A Salesman is a play written along the lines of the finest classical tragedy. Although I believe that Willy Loman is the only person to blame for his downfall, there are other aspects that can be considered to Willy’s tragic end. The tragic hero, Willy Lowman, is a sixty three year old salesman, who dedicates all his life to the American Dream. He is a victim of the American dream. The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.
Recurrent Motifs – Death of a Salesman Personal Attractiveness Motif The motif of being well liked ties in with personal attractiveness, and this is first seen when Willy mentions that he was called a “walrus” by co-workers. He says, “he will have none of it” (1237). He is so overtaken by his importance of personal attractiveness that he even encourages Biff to be like him. For example, when Bernard says that Biff will flunk math if he does not study, Willy says that Biff’s attractiveness and popularity in a football will out-win Bernard’s smarts. However, ironically, Biff does flunk that math test, which would not allow him to graduate from high school and attend university.
During this play, one of the main forms of this void is that of an idealised American Dream, which is simply not universally attainable. The manner in which Willy does not recognise this and subsequently attempts to pass on to his children the superficial values of “personal attractiveness”, is constantly reminding us of his delusions of grandeur from the reality we find him in. Biff however recognises the falsity of his father’s words, and we see their juxtaposing perspectives on values and reality clash on numerous occasions. Early on, Willy claims: “...because it’s not what you do. It’s who you know and the smile on your face!