Death Of A Salesman Betrayal Analysis

Willy Loman, the protagonist and main character of Death of a Salesman, has lived his life seeking the American Dream. Sadly for him, he did not succeed and to make matters worse, he betrayed his family, friends, and himself along the way. His actions depict the desperate measures a man would take to fulfill his materialistic needs and the definition of success after World War II.
Willy was once a man who was praised by his company, but after Howard took over the business, he was fired. Willy had not brought in the same revenue as he did when he was younger, neither did he have the same appeal. He was betrayed by the very company he thought would make him rich and powerful. However, his job was not the only thing taken that day, his mind was gone too. The mind has a …show more content…
Willy’s act of betrayal demonstrated the will he had for him and his family to be defined successful. His son Happy, was perhaps the only one who was defined successful by others and he could not be more miserable. On the other hand, Biff, could not live up to this definition, he wanted to be truly happy and was unable to envision living for others and instead opted for his own definition of success. Essentially, through Willy’s actions one could try to understand the need for consumer goods as he killed himself for such a title.
Willy Loman was unable to distinguish himself from a provider to his family and a human being. It is for this reason he unwillingly betrays his family from cheating on his wife to boost his ego and setting his son on a path of failure. His betrayal portrayed an ugly illustration of the world, one in which a person will do anything to be the definition of mainstream media’s success. As that definition has to do with the materialistic things in life, money, the latest appliances, flashy cars, and a house. Which in reality, success has to do with the accomplishment of one’s goals, not the