Death of a Salesman is an award-winning play, written by Arthur Miller about a character named Willy Loman and his constant episodes of mental uncertainty. Willy suffers from almost constant involuntary episodes in which he relives past scenarios. Willy’s current state has his two sons, wife, and friends all baffled. As he roams around speaking to people only he can see, his family and friends are left to wonder what is going on. Factors like stress, a need for notoriety, and guilt cause Willy’s mind to wander, and after an extended amount of time, these factors can be used to make a case for Willy’s involuntary episodes. Willy and Linda are going through tough times. With the unstable state of both of their sons, financial issues, and simply
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As I stated before, Willy is a very prideful man, and, according to Susan Koprince, author of “The Secret Life of Willy Loman: A Miller-Thurber Collection”, “Willy worries that he hasn’t left his mark on the world, that he has failed somehow as a husband, a father, and a family provider” (319). Throughout the play, Willy speaks of how important he feels it is to be liked. As said by Theodore E. Zorn, author of “WILLY LOMAN'S LESSON: TEACHING IDENTITY MANAGEMENT WITH DEATH OF A SALESMAN”, “Willy’s dominant organizing principle seems to be that the world is divided into two groups—those who are liked and those who are disliked—and he strives to be grouped with the former” (220). As a matter of fact, it is once again the episode that occurs while Willy and Charley are playing cards, in which Ben involuntarily shows up due to Willy pondering his missed opportunity in Alaska. In this episode, Willy has Ben stay and talk to his sons about his life, and it shows just how much he wants to be known as he loves hearing about himself as Ben speaks. Ben talks of how great of a salesman Willy was and Willy quickly responds by talking about how he is raising his sons to be just like he was. Willy goes on to beg Ben for his advice throughout the episode, as he has become extremely successful in his time away, and Willy wants to know his secret to further teach Biff and Happy. Willy’s need to be known has him wishing he went with Ben and put his name and family on the map, which is why this episode occurres involuntarily. It was pride and false belief that kept Willy in New York. Now, years later, he is looking back and wishing he had gone with Ben. He wishes he had gone and made the money Ben had spoken of. He is finally realizing that yes, a man’s image is important, but not nearly as important as he had always said. After all the years of believing this, Willy has now realized that he was wrong, and
As I stated before, Willy is a very prideful man, and, according to Susan Koprince, author of “The Secret Life of Willy Loman: A Miller-Thurber Collection”, “Willy worries that he hasn’t left his mark on the world, that he has failed somehow as a husband, a father, and a family provider” (319). Throughout the play, Willy speaks of how important he feels it is to be liked. As said by Theodore E. Zorn, author of “WILLY LOMAN'S LESSON: TEACHING IDENTITY MANAGEMENT WITH DEATH OF A SALESMAN”, “Willy’s dominant organizing principle seems to be that the world is divided into two groups—those who are liked and those who are disliked—and he strives to be grouped with the former” (220). As a matter of fact, it is once again the episode that occurs while Willy and Charley are playing cards, in which Ben involuntarily shows up due to Willy pondering his missed opportunity in Alaska. In this episode, Willy has Ben stay and talk to his sons about his life, and it shows just how much he wants to be known as he loves hearing about himself as Ben speaks. Ben talks of how great of a salesman Willy was and Willy quickly responds by talking about how he is raising his sons to be just like he was. Willy goes on to beg Ben for his advice throughout the episode, as he has become extremely successful in his time away, and Willy wants to know his secret to further teach Biff and Happy. Willy’s need to be known has him wishing he went with Ben and put his name and family on the map, which is why this episode occurres involuntarily. It was pride and false belief that kept Willy in New York. Now, years later, he is looking back and wishing he had gone with Ben. He wishes he had gone and made the money Ben had spoken of. He is finally realizing that yes, a man’s image is important, but not nearly as important as he had always said. After all the years of believing this, Willy has now realized that he was wrong, and