Willy the Failure Death of a salesman is the ultimate mutation of the American dream. Willy Loman is the perfect example of the American dream gone wrong. He craves success and believes he should have it just like any other successful American. The problem is he is a complete and utter failure. Although it can be argued that he is a victim of American society, this is not the reason why he is a failure. Willy has major flaws in his character that are the root of all of his misfortunes. Willy Loman is a Phony, a liar and a cheat. Willy also can not seem to take responsibility for his actions and instead blames his misfortunes on others. Willy has very high hopes of success but completely lacks the ingredients for it. He idealizes his brother Ben and Dave Singleton. As a result, he has a very warped sense of success. To Willy being well liked is put above all else when it comes to success.
Upon first impressions it seems that Willy is overly optimistic about the future. Only after closer inspection is it revealed that; he has idealized the concept of the American dream for so long that his perception of success has been warped beyond recognition. He seems to drone on and on about a potential successful endeavor. He fantasizes about what life could be if things would only go right. To quote Happy …show more content…
It is almost as if he were still a child, in the sense that he blames others for his faults. Willy tries to remove any fault at all from himself and project it onto others; “Don't you dare blame it on me! … I won't take the rap for this, your hear?” (Miller 96). Underneath the surface, Willy actually blames himself for his misfortune. He will do anything to deny the fact that he is to blame for biffs failures. He can not face the guilt of failing his Biff as a father. He truly believes that Biff has destroyed his life in order to spite him. Willy Exclaims; “spite, spite is the word of your undoing!” (Miller
Upon first impressions it seems that Willy is overly optimistic about the future. Only after closer inspection is it revealed that; he has idealized the concept of the American dream for so long that his perception of success has been warped beyond recognition. He seems to drone on and on about a potential successful endeavor. He fantasizes about what life could be if things would only go right. To quote Happy …show more content…
It is almost as if he were still a child, in the sense that he blames others for his faults. Willy tries to remove any fault at all from himself and project it onto others; “Don't you dare blame it on me! … I won't take the rap for this, your hear?” (Miller 96). Underneath the surface, Willy actually blames himself for his misfortune. He will do anything to deny the fact that he is to blame for biffs failures. He can not face the guilt of failing his Biff as a father. He truly believes that Biff has destroyed his life in order to spite him. Willy Exclaims; “spite, spite is the word of your undoing!” (Miller