Willy Loman Mental Illness Analysis

In 1929 the effect of The Great Depression echoed throughout The United States. Forcing many farmers to sell their farms and give up on their pursuit of the widely sought after American Dream. Although in third person Steinbeck centers the novella around the two main characters George, and Lennie. Using strong rhetorical strategies such as diction, imagery, novel structure, and literary devices. Steinbeck crafts a story that expresses the hardships of achieving the American Dream.

Willy wants dearly for Biff to become a business success, although Biff has an internal struggle between pleasing his father and doing what he feels is

Even after years of seeing his dad’s affair he is still lost on his direction. Before he saw his father with another woman he had a clear path ahead of him, but after the fact he failed his math class and never finished high school. Willy is to blame in this and for the failure of Biffs life, because he had a fake exterior to his son and he was the image of the dream Biff wanted to be. After the affair Biff calls his father a, “phony little fake.” He calls him this because his father has come into the light and the veil off allusion has fallen and the lies he has been told have become the new reality.

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

Biff exclaims: “Dad, you’re never going to see what I am, so what’s the use of arguing” (Miller 103). Biff’s discontent tone reinforces the concept of resentment. The fact that Willy never puts time into getting to know his son makes Biff bitter, contrasting to his carefree attitude when he was younger. Also, Willy never properly punishes his son for his wrongdoings.

The relationship between Willy and Biff is complicated. Actually, Biff is everything for Willy. He doesn’t do well as a salesman anymore, so this situation makes him depressed but at least there is Biff. So Willy believes that Biff will reach the success and his dreams will become true. That makes him want Biff to take some responsibility, in other words this is a big pressure on Biff. “How can he find himself on a farm? Is that a life? A farmhand? In the beginning, when he was young, I thought, well, a young man, it’s good for him to tramp around, take a lot of different jobs. But it’s more than ten years now and he has yet to make thirty-five dollars a week!” says Willy and then Linda says “He is finding himself Willy.” Then Willy answers again “Not finding yourself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace!” This shows how Willy mad at him because he thinks they couldn’t reach their dreams because of Biff. Willy says “Sure. Certain men just don’t get started till later in life. Like Thomas Edison, I think. Or B.F. Goodrich. One of them was deaf. I’ll put my money

The inability to accept change in life leads to a disastrous and heartbreaking ending. In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman’s unwillingness to accept change leads to his suicide. The changing dynamics of his relationship with Biff cause Willy pain. His modernizing career leaves Willy financially unstable and unable to support his family. The evolution of society is unfamiliar to Willy and he does not want to accept that life is changing.

While Biff is in some ways desperate to impress his father, he is also conscious about the fact that Willy has failed his attempt to be successful in his career. He considers his dad’s dreams materialistic and unreachable. As a matter of fact, in the Requiem, even after his father’s death, Biff says: “He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong.” Unlike Happy and Willy, Biff is self-aware and values facts; Willy never was a successful salesman and he never wanted to face the truth. On the other hand, Biff is conscious about his failures and the weaknesses of his personality. During an argument with his father, Biff admits that his dad made him “so arrogant as a boy” that now he just can’t handle taking

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 .

BIFF: You’re practically full of it! We all are! And I’m through with it” (Act

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’s unreasonable expectations of Biff creates a hostile relationship between Biff and Willy. Ever since Biff was in highschool, Willy always expected Biff to be very successful without instilling the tools

Willy goes in and out of daydreams, causing his children to treat him like a child, thus angering the independent minded man. It causes further tension in their relationships. Yet Willy is not merely losing his grip on reality- he is choosing to let it go. Still racked with guilt over his adulterous affair, Willy- in the back of his troubled mind- knows that occurrence is the root of his difficulties with Biff. He pathetically claims over and over again, “…don’t you

Willys idealistic view for Biff evaporates as the once idolized Willy, in the eyes of Biff, disappears, leading to a sad and pitiful version of what his father used to be. When Biff said "Pop! I'm a dime a dozen, and so are you!" Biff is understanding the role he plays in the world thus changing the father and son relationship. His father sees Biff and himself as great men with extraordinary potential, but Biff understands the reality of being poor and ordinary. After years of embracing his father's dream Biff grows and understands the true realities of

Another important symbol is Howard’s tape recorder. It represents the many material objects wealthy businessmen could provide for their families and for themselves. Willy wanted this lifestyle; he wanted “something he could lay his hands on” (Miller pg. ). It would not be enough to just be successful; Willy wanted to be able to show people material representations of his success. The tape recorder shows that Howard has reached this level of success. Yet while the recorder symbolizes the wealth and power of Howard, it also represents Willy’s discouragement and