Death of a Salesman - Essay Example

Death of a Salesman of Death of a Salesman As the melody of the flute plays, Willy Loman one night decides to go to his home country Brooklyn after being exhausted from a sales trip that failed. Linda his wife persuades him to request Howard Wagner his boss to transfer him to New York so that he can avoid travelling. Willy agrees to her idea and confirms that he will ask his boss the next day. Willy complains about his older son Biff, who has visited them. His son is yet to make something constructive about his life. Willy is scolded by Linda because he is being critical and head to the kitchen to get a snack. Whilst in the kitchen, Biff and Happy, his younger brother who was also visiting recalls about their adolescent lives and also debate their fathers behaviors which includes his criticism of Biff not living up to their fathers expectations and his mental degeneration. As their father Willy enters the room angry with them because of not achieving anything in life, Happy and Biff confides in Willy that Biff intends to establish a business preposition the following day in order to appease him (Miller, 2007). The following day, Willy asks his boss for a job transfer whilst his son Biff goes ahead to make his business proposition. Neither of them is successful in their missions. Willy gets devastated and eventually gets fired when the boss orders him that he needs a rest and he is no longer competent to stand for the company. On the other hand, his son Biff waits for centuries to have a word with his former employee who turns him down because he cannot remember him. Being frustrated, Biff goes to Charley’s office his neighbor and bumps into Bernard Charley’s son who is a prominent lawyer. Willy, Biff and Happy meet in a restaurant for dinner. Willy does not want to hear any bad reports from Biff. Happy persuades Biff to lie but he goes ahead and explains to his father what actually happened which makes their father very angry. Biff gets frustrates and leaves the restaurant. He gets escorted by his younger brother Happy and some two girls picked up by Happy. Willy is left in the restaurant upset and confused. On their arrival at home, they are confronted angrily by their mother for abandoning Willy, their father. Outside, Willy keeps talking to himself. Biff gets touched and goes outside in order to reconcile with his father Willy. In their discussion, there occurred some arguments making Bill to tell his father that he is not worth for anything great. In addition to that, he insists that he and his father are simply ordinary. The argument ends when Biff and Willy hugs while shedding tears and telling his father to let go the dreams that are unrealistic and instead accept him the way he is. He declares to his father that he really loves him so much. Instead of listening to what Biff utters to him, Willy acknowledges that his Son Biff has reconciled with him and now satisfied that Biff will pursue businessman as his lifetime career. Intentionally, Willy murders himself by crashing his car. The main reason for the murder is for Billy to utilize the life insurance cash to open up his business. On the contrary, Bill at his father’s funeral claims that he can never become a businessman. His young brother, Happy on the other hand, decides to follow the footsteps of his father. The most significant themes in the play are such as abandonment, the pursuit of an elusive American Dream and betrayal. From the American Dream theme, Willy whole heartedly believes in the American Dream promise. For example, he believes that a personally attractive and well liked man in any business automatically acquires the modern American lifestyle material comfort it offers. Unfortunately, Willy interpretation of the American dream is extremely superficial. This is because; he dislikes Bernard childishly as he perceives him as a nerd. As such, his blinded interpretation of the American Dream makes his psychological mind to rapidly decline when he is unwilling to accept the existing disparity between own life and the Dream. In that case, he never understood that success only comes through hard work. The second major theme is abandonment. Willy’s life is full of abandonment making him to be in much hopelessness. His father abandons him when he is very young with no tangible or a legacy that is intangible. Willy immerses himself in the American Dream Vision. As a result of his early abandonment experiences, he greatly fears abandonment. In addition to that, he coerces his family to be conventional to the “American Dream”. His inability to understand reality reflects in his efforts to bring up perfect sons. Biff his older son, whom he considers his promise embodiment drops Willy’s enthusiastic ambition when he realizes his father is committing adultery. Biff inability to perform successfully in business triggers his separation from Willy. Finally, is the novel emphasizes the theme of betrayal. Throughout the play, Willy is obsessed when he conceives that Biffs is betraying the ambitions he holds for him. In his mind, Willy thinks that he has every right to make Biff fulfill the ambition he had for him. When Biff disobeys him, he rejects him and criticizes him as a failure. Willy thinks that the betrayal by Biff is as a result of him betraying her mother (Linda) with another woman. On the contrary, whilst Willy thinks that he is being betrayed by Biff, Biff on the other hand feels that his father (Willy) has betrayed him as a result of his continuous lies that are ego-stroking. The characters in the novel have various attributes. Willy Lowman is a very self-deluded and insecure salesman. He lives in a dream rather than reality and that is why he never achieved his wealth and success. In addition to that, he forces his son to follow his footsteps rather than letting him do what he wants with his life. Linda Loman is a caring wife. He feels for her husband Willy Loman and that is why he persuades him to ask for a transfer so as to avoid travelling every now and then. Furthermore, she is less fragile and more realistic in comparison to her husband Willy. She successfully natures her family through misguided success attempts and her perseverance and emotional strength supports Willy till his downfall. Biff Loman on the other hand is self determined. He never ignored his instincts. That is why he left the paralyzing dreams of his father and went to look for a job. Unfortunately, he was unable to reconcile his life ultimately with the expectation Willy had for him. Happy Lowman, Biffs younger brother has been confined within the shadow of his brother. On the contrary, he compensates that by nurturing his persistent professional ambition and sex drive. He is a representative of Willy’s sense of ambition, self-importance and blind servitude to expectations that are societal. The film hardly presented the visual elements I had imagined. For instance, Willy achieving the American dreams through acquiring wealth and success. On the contrary, he dies a poor man and his son Biff does not conform to his expectations of becoming a business salesman. The play scenery was awesome. I t begins with the curtain raising and the opening of the flood gates. It set the immortal silhouette and music. The immortal silhouette is a shadowed figure representing a stooped man handling case samples that are heavy enough to contain his lifetime disappointments. The costumes used depended on the wealth and success of an individual. In summary, the novel is all about accepting reality as it is. No one can ever change his destiny. Willy wished to leave the American dream which made him to be frustrated the whole of his life. He wanted to force his children to do what he pleases rather than letting them to choose their own path. He does not want to believe that Biff his elder son is a failure just like him. The” American Dream” is the dream of any average American. In that case, Arthur Miller illustrates a view of life that is pessimistic. A life that is full of social realism that concerns itself with modern man plight. This is best illustrated in his novel by the existence of the fake American Dream in Willy’s life. Reference Miller, A. (2007). Death of A salesman. New York: Spark Publishing. Read More