Willy Delusions In Death Of A Salesman

n the play “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, it focuses on how self image takes a part when others try to restore the struggle between hallucinations and the present. The protagonist, Willy Loman is introduced to the readers as an ambitious salesman who is not successful. Willy fails to understand his reality so he creates a fantasy world to disguise the fact that his life is a failure. The play revolves around the last days of his life when the real world destroys his dreams he had for his family and himself. He ends his life realizing he failed as a businessman, husband, and father. Willy delusions include his beliefs that the American Dream is easy to obtain, that his family desires being successful as much as Willy does, and he fails …show more content…
Throughout the play, it becomes apparent that he is infatuated with the dream and he forces it on his family.Specifically, he forces it onto his eldest son, Biff Loman. Willy influenced his son into believing that greatness is achieved through good looks and charm instead of hard work which affected his inability to keep a job in the future.He tells his son that having qualities that make Biff likable is more valuable than actually studying. Willy: “Sure. Certain men just don’t get started till later in life.Like Thomas Edison, I think. Or B.F. Goodrich [...] I’ll put my money on Biff.” (Miller 18).Because Biff isn’t financially stable at the age of thirty-four, Willy seems him as an underachiever but Biff views himself stuck in his father’s fantasies.Willy grips to the expectation that his son will settle down and get a career as a business man in defiance of the unlikeliness of it happening. Biff wants to live a life opposite from his father. Unlike his family, Biff becomes aware of the lies deceiving his family and tries to bring reality back to his life. Biff is reminder that the American Dream is not desired by everyone, and that happiness does not require wealth or