Death of a Salesman- Overview

A detailed Summary of Death of a Salesman- Overview

Willy Loman is one of the most tragic heroes in American drama today. He has a problem differentiating reality from fantasy. No one has a perfect life. Everyone has conflicts that they must face sooner or later. The ways in which people deal with these personal conflicts can differ as much as the people themselves. Some insist on ignoring the problem as long as possible, while some attack the problem to get it out of the way. In the case of Willy in Arthur Miller's, Death of a Salesman, the way he deals with his life as a general failure leads to very severe consequences. Willy never really faced his problems in fact in stead of confronting them he just escapes into the past, whether intentionally or not, to those happier childhood times where problems were scarce. He uses this escape as if it were a narcotic, and as the play progresses, we learns that it can be as dangerous as a drug, because of its ability to addict Willy, and it's deadliness.

Willy is like an impetuous child who uses dilutions to escape his problems. The first time Willy is seen reminiscing is when he encounters Biff after arriving home from work. The conversation between Willy and Linda reflects Willy's disappointm

The comparison between Willy's trips into the past and the use of a narcotic is so perceptible because of its verity. Like in reality certain hallucinogenics cause illusions "flashbacks", the same is true for Willy. "When he 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. The only thing Willy ever wanted was to be a successful role model for his sons and that he was not. At least not in the practical, and that is exactly why the abstract can have a way of taking people to high's that they could reach on their own. Charley said it best when he said to Willy, " When the hell are you going to grow up". Willy never did and that is why he is such a tragic hero, with mind of a child and soul of a father he was certainly headed for impending doom.

ent in Biff, and what he has become, which is for the most part a bum. , Willy "Biff is a lazy bum". After failing to deal adequately with his feelings, he hallucinates into a time when things were better for his family. It is not uncommon for one to think of better times at low points in their life. This is used as a defense mechanism so that they are able to deal with the problems they encounter, but Willy Loman takes it one step further. His refusal to accept reality is so strong that in his mind he is transported back in time to relive some of the happier days of his life. He gets taken back to a time when no one argued, a time when Willy and Linda were younger, the financial situation was less of a burden, and Biff and Happy enthusiastically welcomed their father back home from a long

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Approximate Word count = 1328
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English