many years. He starts to explain to his wife why he has returned so early and empty handed: I was driving along, you understand? And I was fine. I was even observing the scenery. You can imagine, me looking at scenery, on the road every week of my life. But it’s so beautiful up there, Linda, the trees are so thick, and the
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of his life in reality, and the other in fantasy of what could have been. Willy often fantasizes about his dreams. Willy particularly has dreams about his son Biff, Willy feels like Biff has never lived up to his potential. Biff has trouble holding down a decent job. Biff returns home often between jobs, and this reminds Willy of his sons lost potential, which seems to infuriate Willy which may bring on more hallucinations, quite the vicious circle. The relationship that Willy has with Linda
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after this incident it is shown that Willy’s flaw as a tragic hero is his excessive pride because after being fired his longtime friend, Charley, who runs his own sales company, extended to him a job offer. But Willy refuses to take it saying that his sons are working on a big business deal and that he didn’t need the job offer. “I offered you a job. You can make fifty dollars a week…” but Willy replies “what’s the matter with you? I’ve got a job.” This shows that even under the direst of circumstances
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"unsuccessful" ones. As the play goes on it continues to describe how the failure of William Loman’s and son’s Biff and Happy’s dream dies out. William Loman is portrayed as an insecure self-deluded traveling salesman. In a flashback, Willy tells his sons what it takes to be successful in America. He states, "Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. You take me, for instance. I never
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One cannot live in the past. Arthur Miller’s play, “Death of a Salesman” tells the story of Willy Loman, a salesman who lives in the past because he cannot handle his downward-spiraling reality. When he realizes he is not a great salesman and his sons will not follow in his footsteps, he becomes angry and reverts to his better memories to cope. This proves to be fatal. 2, Is Miller using the story of Willy to send a message? If so, what do you think that message is? Willy’s story gives us the
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When the young playwright Arthur Miller began writing All My Sons, he was embarking on a project that would be either the beginning or the end of his career. His first and only play to be produced on Broadway, The Man Who Had All the Luck, was an unmitigated failure, lasting only four performances. A practical man who had lived through the depression, Miller decided to give himself one more chance. If he did not have success with his next play, then he would quit the business and find "another line
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Reaction Paper – “Death of A Salesman” by Arthur Miller Marcos Leiva ENG/125 April 6, 2015 Mr. Ozichi Alimole Reaction Paper – “Death of A Salesman” by Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman is a tragedy about the struggles of a middle class family living in Brooklyn, New York during the 1940’s. The play is a scathing critique of an American society that places emphasis on hollow materialistic values. Arthur Miller personifies the struggle between what society believes to
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the individual vs. himself, and the perception of the American Dream. Willy has been a salesman all his life. He has brought his sales experience into his personal life. He was selling the idea that his marriage and family life are perfect. His sons Biff and Happy are not what Willy had imagined or made them out to be. He wanted them to be successful business men just like him; however they are not. Willy has sold his lies for so long about his happy family that he can’t even remember what the
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society in which Willy lived determines his fate. America, in the time which the play is set was a winner-take-all society as it is today. The American Dream as it came to be defined was one of material success. Although Willy had a devoted wife and two sons that admired their father, he did not measure success through his personal relationships. Willy’s society saw success only through the acquisition of wealth. With an understanding of the forces that shaped Willy’s character and motivated his behaviour
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from his sons, but most importantly his son, Biff. He pushes so hard and is focused so much on that, that it's getting in his way of succeeding in his job. The more he pushes for affection the further he ends up pushing his sons away from him. It’s clear that the boys don’t see that their father loves them but it becomes quite evident when Linda yells at Biff “What happened to the love you had for him? You were such pals!” (Miller 57). Linda sees that Willy just wants to love from his sons but they
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