The Pursuit of Happiness
For an individual, the pursuit of happiness is ultimately their end goal in life. Unfortunately some compromise their happiness and in turn, are unable to live fulfilling lives. This is most common from a root cause of the mind, where the individual themselves prevent the growth and development of their own happiness. In the modern drama “Death of a Salesman”, the author Arthur Miller details the effects of the mind and one’s own choices that stem from it, and how it can effect or compromise the pursuit of an individual’s happiness. This is most clearly shown in the portrayal of the character named Willy Loman who’s troubled mind and stubborn manner prevented him from reaching true happiness.
In the beginning of …show more content…
Willy see’s true success and happiness in life, to be attained through the collection of “diamonds”. The diamonds are a major symbol in the drama, this is because through Willy’s interpretation, they are directly related to that of material success, which to Willy means happiness. Throughout the play, the reader is introduced to many character foils of Willy. One such one is that of Willy’s brother, Ben, who appears only in Willy’s troubled state. The reason that Ben foils Willy so well, is because of one reason, success. It is shown that Ben had offered for Willy to go to Alaska with him, to find their father. But Willy, who is shown as a stubborn character, refuses, stating that he had a job as a salesman. It is here that the reader is shown that Willy’s conscious choice to be stubborn, and stick with the job in which he was unhappy with, prevents him from achieving his own true personal success in life. Willy asks Ben in the hallucination to tell his boys about how he did it (about how he became successful). Ben explains that “When I was seventeen, I walked into the Jungle, and by twenty one, I walked out, and by God! I was Rich!” It is through Bens genuine joy, that Willy reinforces his idea of materialism being directly related to that of happiness. It is because of this idea, that Willy goes on to live a relatively unfulfilled and unhappy life. When Willy inevitably fails …show more content…
The fork in his road to happiness eventually brought him to a crossroads. With his mind crumbling, and his life a failure. He turns to his hallucinatory brother Ben, who from the depths of Willy’s own mind, suggests suicide. Ben states “The jungle is dark, but full of diamonds.” through this quote, learn that Willy is turning to suicide. the reader learnt that Willy has had happiness before. In his hallucinations, it is shown that Willy from years back, was actually a very happy man. Living in a rural area, with only a few neighbours, plenty of room for one’s mind. It is suggested that as the rural area became more and more urban and industrialized, Willy deteriorated. It is indirectly suggested that, the apartment buildings are a direct reason for Willy’s mind failing. This is shown many times in the book, from him snapping about the two oak trees in his front lawn, which were removed for more apartment houses, to him directly complaining of them being as a cage. Willy eventually opts to kill himself. It is shown that the reason behind this, is that he has 20000 dollars in life insurance that would be payed to his family. Being the way that his character is portrayed, he thinks that 20000 dollars would bring true happiness to his family, and doesn’t stop to think about the negative consequences of ending his own life, would have on his family. It is at the end of the play, that the family falsely believes that
For an individual, the pursuit of happiness is ultimately their end goal in life. Unfortunately some compromise their happiness and in turn, are unable to live fulfilling lives. This is most common from a root cause of the mind, where the individual themselves prevent the growth and development of their own happiness. In the modern drama “Death of a Salesman”, the author Arthur Miller details the effects of the mind and one’s own choices that stem from it, and how it can effect or compromise the pursuit of an individual’s happiness. This is most clearly shown in the portrayal of the character named Willy Loman who’s troubled mind and stubborn manner prevented him from reaching true happiness.
In the beginning of …show more content…
Willy see’s true success and happiness in life, to be attained through the collection of “diamonds”. The diamonds are a major symbol in the drama, this is because through Willy’s interpretation, they are directly related to that of material success, which to Willy means happiness. Throughout the play, the reader is introduced to many character foils of Willy. One such one is that of Willy’s brother, Ben, who appears only in Willy’s troubled state. The reason that Ben foils Willy so well, is because of one reason, success. It is shown that Ben had offered for Willy to go to Alaska with him, to find their father. But Willy, who is shown as a stubborn character, refuses, stating that he had a job as a salesman. It is here that the reader is shown that Willy’s conscious choice to be stubborn, and stick with the job in which he was unhappy with, prevents him from achieving his own true personal success in life. Willy asks Ben in the hallucination to tell his boys about how he did it (about how he became successful). Ben explains that “When I was seventeen, I walked into the Jungle, and by twenty one, I walked out, and by God! I was Rich!” It is through Bens genuine joy, that Willy reinforces his idea of materialism being directly related to that of happiness. It is because of this idea, that Willy goes on to live a relatively unfulfilled and unhappy life. When Willy inevitably fails …show more content…
The fork in his road to happiness eventually brought him to a crossroads. With his mind crumbling, and his life a failure. He turns to his hallucinatory brother Ben, who from the depths of Willy’s own mind, suggests suicide. Ben states “The jungle is dark, but full of diamonds.” through this quote, learn that Willy is turning to suicide. the reader learnt that Willy has had happiness before. In his hallucinations, it is shown that Willy from years back, was actually a very happy man. Living in a rural area, with only a few neighbours, plenty of room for one’s mind. It is suggested that as the rural area became more and more urban and industrialized, Willy deteriorated. It is indirectly suggested that, the apartment buildings are a direct reason for Willy’s mind failing. This is shown many times in the book, from him snapping about the two oak trees in his front lawn, which were removed for more apartment houses, to him directly complaining of them being as a cage. Willy eventually opts to kill himself. It is shown that the reason behind this, is that he has 20000 dollars in life insurance that would be payed to his family. Being the way that his character is portrayed, he thinks that 20000 dollars would bring true happiness to his family, and doesn’t stop to think about the negative consequences of ending his own life, would have on his family. It is at the end of the play, that the family falsely believes that