Death of a Salesman 5
We can't all become what we want to be and further more, others can't become what we want them to be. In the play Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller, Willy wants to become a very successful, big, respected salesman. But as he could not reach his longed for dream and as his reality starts to sink, he starts to use his very vivid memory to escape his present problems. The ways in which people deal with there personal conflicts can differ as much as the people themselves. Some insist on ignoring the problem at hand for as long as possible, while others attack the problem to get it out of the way. Willy never really does anything to help the situation, he just escapes into the past, whether intentionally or not, to happier times were problems were scarce. He uses this escape as if it were a narcotic, very addictive and always at hand. This flashback process or what I would rather call it, a drug, occurs only when Willy would become discontent, whether it be because of Biff to economic problems. These flashbacks shows how Willy is incapable of handling situations and being the great man he claims to be. The conversation between Willy and Linda reflects Willy's disappointment in Biff a
a big hit of the flashback drug. Such a big hit in fact, that he is transported back to what was probably the happiest day of his life. Biff was going to play in Ebbets field in the All-Scholastic Championship game in front of thousands of people. Willy couldn't be prouder of his two popular sons who at the time had everything going for them and seemed destined to live great, important lives, much more so than the "liked, but not well liked" boy next door, Bernard. Too much of anything, even a good thing, can quickly become a bad thing. Evidence of this statement is seen during Willy's next flashback, when the drug he has been using for so long to avoid his problems backfires, giving him a "bad trip", quite possibly a side effect of overuse. This time he is brought back to one of the most disturbing moments in his life. It's the day that Biff had discovered his father's mistress while visiting him on one of his trips to ask him to come back home and negotiate with his math teacher to give him the four points he needed to pass math and graduate high school. When Willy's feeling down or life seems just too tedious and insignificant, or when things just aren't going his way, why not take a hit of the old miracle drug, memories. The way he overuses his vivid imagination is sad because the only thing it's good for is enabling Willy to go through one more day of his piteous life, full of bitterness, confusion, depression, false hopefulness, and a feeling of love which he is trying very hard to express to his sons who seem reluctant to accept it. Willy can also be seen as a misunderstood hero who eventually takes his own life for the betterment of his family, especially his eldest son. Throughout the story, Willy proves through his actions that he is indeed a tragic hero in Arthur Miller's eyes. To Arthur Miller, a tragic hero can be a common person who is ready to lay down his life to secure their sense of personal dignity. Tragedy is also the consequence of a person's total compulsion to evaluate himself "justly". "Pop! I'm a dime a dozen, and so are you! I am not a leader of men, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash can like all the rest of them! I'm one dollar an hour, Willy!" (Miller 132). This statement shows that Biff also considers Willy a typical guy. Throughout the story, the reader sees Willy questionin
Some common words found in the essay are:
All-Scholastic Championship, Willy Biff, Arthur Miller's, Linda Miller, Willy Linda, Miller Willy, Arthur Miller, Willy Miller, Biff Biff, Biff Happy, tragic hero, willy linda, arthur miller, throughout story, can't cry, arthur miller's eyes, huge fight, miller 133, play willy, linda can't cry, believes biff, throughout story willy, fight biff, tragic hero arthur, hero arthur miller's,
Approximate Word count = 1610
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
