Death Of A Salesman Resilience

Willy aspires to be like Ben and Ben is really just an embodiment of the idea of hard working, and successful and how WIlly uses him as a model to try to achieve the same level of salesmanship.

Willy’s warped view of the American Dream included the belief that successful people were risk-takers and adventurers. He hates the fact that he never took his brother’s offer to move to Alaska to make his fortune. His brother Ben got rich, why couldn’t he? "When I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God I was rich” (Miller 33). He wants his son Biff to become a success through taking a risk and starting a sporting goods company. He believes people would be drawn to the company by Biffs’ charisma, athletic ability, and Loman name.

Willy Loman, the protagonist in Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, is a character lacks self-confidence. Willy passionately believes in the American Dream as a way to achieve accomplishments and be wealthy, however he does not accomplish it and his sons too. His sons struggle to do their father's hopes, while Willy’s delusions starts to affect his real life under the challenging realities of life, his cerebral condition starts to deteriorate. The pressure strains appear because of this American Dream, and because of the general necessities Willy initiates the main conflict of Death of a Salesman.

He didn’t care how he got to the top. To Biff, Ben said “Never fight fair with a stranger, boy. You’ll never get out of the jungle that way.” (49), emphasizing that all of the money Ben made in the jungle may not have been made honestly. Miller criticizes society’s constant want of more, and the way people cheat their way into getting the items they desire.

Willy is constantly looking for this one event throughout the play. He ends up fired, and denied all opportunities for success. Willy is foolishly looking for something that can change his life, to start again without the need to mend past mistakes. By having these attitudes Willy thinks hes better than other people and is not humble, even though others are for more successful than him. By chasing the American Dream his entire life, Willy has been standing in his own way for success. As he dumps chances for success for a gamble of his

Walked into a jungle, and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich!” (Miller 29). Willy admires Ben because he was an adventurer who escaped the world of business and got rich quick by finding diamonds in the African jungle. “You guys! There was a man started with the clothes on his back and ended up with diamond mines” (Miller 28).

For example, Willy says, “What’s the mystery? The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it! Walked into a jungle, and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich! The world is an oyster, but you don’t crack it open on a mattress” (Miller 41). To Willy, becoming wealthy and gaining prosperity is a piece of cake and it is almost effortless to grasp onto.

His father spent time in Alaska, and his brother Ben made his fortune in Africa. For Willy these men symbolize what he could have. Throughout the play Willy talks to an imaginary Ben, asking him for advice and praising his ingenuity. The fictional Ben says to Willy and his sons, “Why, boys, when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God I was rich” (505). To Willy, Ben represents not only someone who he can look up to, but someone to aspire to become. Ben represents Willy’s understanding of the American Dream; Go out, try your best, and you will be rewarded because you are an American. Unfortunately this is a false understanding. Simply being an American does not entitle you to the American

Willy’s flashbacks and imagined conversations with Ben show that he associates him with self-assuredness and worldly knowledge. Even though Ben’s success is not the result of determination, honesty, or any other meritorious qualities that Willy could apply to his own life, Willy turns to Ben whenever he is unsure about anything. This is unfortunate for multiple reasons. Firstly, when Ben was alive, he showed few good qualities other than self-confidence—in fact, in one of Willy’s flashbacks, Ben cheats Willy’s son to win a fight. Although the author does not reveal much more about Ben’s character, this scene is very telling; it shows readers that in addition to luck, amoral activity likely contributed to Ben’s success.

Ben’s envision of the American Dream is of the concept of “Rags to Riches” his character helps determine that one must be ruthless in order for one to achieve their goal, in comparison to Willy’s where he visions

Ben (Willy’s dead older brother) appears in Willy’s thoughts and flashbacks many times. His brother is his role model; Ben has everything figured out and is shown the perfect example of success: “Can’t you stay for a few days? You’re just what I need, Ben, because I—I have a fine position here, but I—well, Dad left when I was such a baby and I never had a chance

When I walked out I was twenty-one. And, by God, I was rich! (Miller, 1026)” As the reader, this phrase pops up more than once. It shows perfectly how essential making a fortune is to the

        Willy is like an impetuous youngster with high ideals and high hopes.  Children always have high hopes for their

When the audience first encounters Ben (Miller 44), he represents the success that Willy is striving for.  Before the audience learns of the success that Ben encountered in Africa, they see him on the stage accompanied by an idyllic musical motif

Willy’s brother Ben seems to symbolize all of Willy's dreams that have not borne fruit. Ben provides an example of the type of success that Willy desires. Ben went into the “jungle” with nothing and became extremely wealthy. Ben achieved in a few years what Willy has dreamed about his entire life. Ben also provides additional evidence on the foolish behavior and poor decisions made by Willy. Ben offers to take Willy with him and make him rich – an offer that Willy declines.