In the play Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, the protagonist of the play, can be described as delusional, irascible, and insecure. Willy’s worsening case of dementia can cause him to be delusional at several instances in the play. One example of Willy being delusion is on page 45 when he is talking to his late brother Ben while playing cards with his friend Charley. Another trait that Willy portrays is insecurity. An example of Willy being insecure could be found on page 37 when Willy is explaining his shortcomings in his job to Linda. Finally, Willy seems to be irascible at several instances in the play. For example, on page 64 when him and Biff are discussing Biff’s meeting with Bill Oliver and Willy berates Linda for interrupting him.
In the play, Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller establishes Charley, a humble and successful salesman as the foil to Willy Loman, a prideful and arrogant man. Charley is the perfect character to help depict Willy’s flaws. Although the two contrast with each other, their characteristics help maintain a balance between them. Willy Loman lives in his own world, where he believes that in order to be successful, one must be well liked with a great appearance. “The man who makes an appearance…is the man who gets ahead” (Miller 1568). These are obvious words from Willy which proves that he does not believe in hard work. He instills within both of his children that looks and personality are all that matters. The characteristics of Willy allow us to grasp the idea that he lives within a false reality. He is a man living within a child’s fantasy based off of the life of Dave Singleman. The very words he spoke against his neighbor Charley and his son, Bernard, are the very words that prove him wrong.
Some coaches of been in trouble for paying athletes to come to their college. Do you think college players should be paid? Me myself I don't think college players should be paid. They are already paid in someway.
Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman follows protagonist Willy Loman in his search to better his and his family’s lives. Throughout Willy Loman’s career, his mind starts to wear down, causing predicaments between his wife, two sons and close friends. Willy’s descent into insanity is slowly but surely is taking its toll on him, his job and his family. They cannot understand why the man they have trusted for support all these years is suddenly losing his mind. Along with his slope into insanity, Willy’s actions become more aggressive and odd as the play goes on. Despite Willy and Biff’s “family feud”, his two sons Happy and Biff truly worry about their father’s transformation, Happy saying: “He just wants you to make good, that’s all. I
Cameron Cox Ms. Cox 12 Grade English 22 October 2014 Chaucer’s Take on the Corruption of the Medieval Church “We know little of the things for which we pray” (Chaucer). This quote reveals Geoffrey Chaucer’s distaste towards the medieval Church. During the Medieval Era, the Catholic Church had become corrupt and power hungry.
Toward the end of the story, Willy realizes that his life is falling apart: Biff does not have a stable job or family, is making only commissions for his job, his refrigerator and car are in despair, and he talks to himself. Willy just cannot figure out what has gone wrong, especially with Biff who to him seemed so promising because of his good looks and his charm with others. When Biff comes home again, Willy gets real nervous and starts talking to himself (Act I. Scene I). He is stressed out that Biff has done nothing with his life so he starts seeing visions of the past. When Willy talks out loud while seeing visions, he is trying to discover where he went wrong as a person and father. To find where he went wrong he begins to ask anyone in visions or in person. One character that he frequently asks for advice throughout the drama is his older brother Biff (Gross, 319-321).
Throughout the play, Willy displays the behavioural symptoms of dementia in various instances. The first of these symptoms is personality change (Lewis 1744). Over the course of Death of a Salesman, a contrast of personalities is seen in Willy. At one point in the play, Willy argues that “Biff never
At one point in the play, Willy says, “Biff is a lazy bum”(16). Moments later in the same conversation with Linda, Willy adds, “There’s one thing about Biff, he’s not lazy”(16). Even when confronted by his boys, Willy is unable to deal with the truth, that his sons won’t amount to very much at all. He ignores reality very well, and instead of pointing out that Biff hasn’t established himself yet, Willy tells Biff, “You’re well liked, Biff….And I’m telling you, Biff, and babe you want…”(26). The boys are clearly aware of their status and the status of their father, and Happy is found putting Willy’s personality in a nutshell, “Well, let’s face it: he’s [Willy] no hot-shot selling man. Except that sometimes, you have to admit he’s a sweet personality”(66). Obviously, Willie’s failure to bring up his children effectively, and his delusional thinking including denial of reality helps fortify his depleting condition and confusion.
Arthur Miller begins his play with an excellent description of the setting of the play. This makes it easy for the reader to imagine themselves actually watching the play and causes the reader to be able to better relate to the play. Because Death of a Salesman can be considered an emotional play, it qualifies as being a timeless work of literature, especially because it has the ability to touch the human heart. Willy Loman is a salesman, who lives in New York City with his wife Linda. From the beginning of the play, Miller makes it obvious that Willy struggles with many obstacles, such as anger and even confusion since there are many times throughout the play where Willy becomes severely confused. Many characters throughout the play,
Because of Willy' incapability to accept Biff for who he is, Willy's failure increases. Willy wants Biff to be the best because he might be a failure as a salesman but he does not want to be a failure as a father. But in some ways he is a failure as a father because he never lets Biff be his own person. It is always about what Willy wants, a "his way or the highway" sort of deal. His not accepting Biff for who he is causes Biff not succeed and because of this Biff and Willy failure becomes one in the same .
Michelle Obama’s speech at Hilary Clinton’s presidential campaign will be well known as one of the most significant of the 2016 political circuit, an occasion where she transpired the emotions of a teeming number of women in accordance to Trump’s 2005 video tape allegations that have been leaked. She was infuriated but, also in distress not only for herself but women in general. And she was able to convey these feelings in a way you hardly witness any political figure or civilian do; especially one as established as Michelle Obama. Through her storytelling and descriptive examples Michelle Obama was able to catch the hearts of many and make them really wonder who is this unworthy man running for president. To get the point across to America that Donald Trump is not fit to become
In “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman is the well-developed protagonist of the story. Willy struggles throughout the story with daydreams and delusions that he confuses with reality. These delusions have a huge effect on the story and greatly impact Willy’s life. Willy has a difficult time keeping his bills paid with his job as a traveling salesman. He works long hours and drives long distances for very little success. His delusions cause him to believe that his work is successful when it is far from it. “Willy is self-deluded, believing wholeheartedly in the American Dream of success and wealth. When he fails to achieve this, he commits suicide—yet until the end he never stopped believing in this American Dream” (Sickels).
Willy is also a very stubborn man. He is like a little child who wants to do something his way even though he knows that another option would be the wiser choice. Charley practically sets a potential job into Willy’s lap and Willy refuses it. Willy was just fired and needs a job. He then refuses one. Willy is too stubborn to let go of his old job (which he no longer has) and take a new one. He still believes that he is at the top of his profession. When Willy does not get his way he acts just as a child would. He has tantrums such as when he basically challenged Charley to a fight after Charley told him to grow up, “if you say that to me again I’ll rap you one” (Miller 97)! Biff is also stubborn like his father. He never gives up being a child. He steals and lies. Biff cannot handle being ignored, so he steals a pen. “I don’t know what came over me, Hap...I took his fountain pen” (Miller 104). Willy’s childlike stubbornness hampers him throughout his life.
Later in a flashback, Willy and Biff are on their way to Ebbets Field for a football game when Charley appears and beings a conversation with Willy. Merely joking around, Charley makes a few comments which Willy takes great offense too and beings insulting Charley and telling him to put his hands up as if to fight. Willy's arrogance shows it's face once again when Willy is talking to Biff about his meeting with Oliver. Completly ignoring what Biff is saying, Willy goes on about how good of a kid Biff is and how impressive he is. Though not directly insulting, Willy ignores what his son has to say and goes off on his own tangents, losing the respect of the reader. Willy then ends up in another flashback in the bathroom of the restauraunt where he met Happy and Biff for dinner. The most disgusting part of Willy is revealed here. Biff walks in on Willy and his woman friend whom hes had a secret relationship with. Willy attempts to cover it up and when that doesnt work he orders Biff around and shows how bad of a person he can be.
Nevertheless, Willy has a waning career as a salesman and is an aging man who considers himself to be a failure but is incapable of consciously admitting it. As a result, the drama of the play lays not so much in its events, but in Willy's deluded perception and recollection of them. [1] Miller uses many characters to contrast the difference between success and failure in the American system. Willy Loman is a deluded salesman whose vivid imagination is far greater than his sales ability. Linda, Willy's wife, honourably stands by her husband even in the absence of essential realism.
In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy is depicted as living in his own world. The play centers around the end of Willy’s life, when the real world comes crashing through, ruining the false reality he had created for himself and his family. Throughout the play, Willy Loman uses the concept of being well liked to build a false image of reality, as shown through his teachings to his son, what he considers successful, and his reasoning for committing suicide.