Death Of A Salesman Essay: Dysfunctions Of The Loman Family

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Dysfunctions of the Loman Family
Every family is unique and complex, each having their own difficulties. What one family may consider wrong, may not be true for another. Although it is difficult to recognize the dysfunctions within an individual's own family, it is far easier to pick out the abnormalities in another's family. Throughout “Death of a salesman”, the Loman family displays an abundance of dysfunctions in their lifestyle, which is aided by Willy and Lindas co-dependence.
To begin with, Willy is a father and husband who are expected to uphold the family by being a salesman. However, this is nearly impossible, due to his health rapidly declining. He can't seem to make out what is happening in real time, leaving him short tempered and in constant confusion. An example of this is when his brother, Ben, appears on several accounts throughout the book. This is particularly peculiar, because Ben met death many years ago, yet Willy still imagines having genuine conversations with him. Ben continuously torments Willy in these fictional conversations saying,“You don’t want to make a fool of yourself” (Miller 100) and “ He’ll hate you, William.” (Miller 101) This is a direct reflection of how Willy feels about himself during this point in his
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Willys mental health is rapidly deteriorating, while Linda refuses to seek professional help for him, nor does she do anything to help their financial issues. Hap has an unfortunate embarrassment of Willy and Biff gave up on his entire life because of Willy's affair, which leaves Linda ready to throw her relationship with the kids away. As one may be able to recognize, it is effortless to find the endless dysfunctions within the Loman family. Just like any family, they have unresolved issues, but the Lomans have an enduring love for each other. After all, Mary Karr once said, “A dysfunctional family is any family with more than one person in

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