The Two Willy Lomans in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman Essay

The Two Willy Lomans in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman There ar two Willy Lomans in The Death of a Salesman. There is the present broken, exhausted man in his sixties, soon to end his life. And there is the more confident, vigorous Willy of some(a) fifteen years before, who appears in the flashbacks. One actor portrays both, readily shifting from one representation to the other. To some extent, of course, the personality remains constant. The younger Willy, although given to cock-a-hoop blustering, does admit misgivings to Linda and loneliness to Biff. And the shattered older man, in turn, occasionally reverts to his former manner of jaunty optimism. Yet the changes are great and significant. The earlier Willy could never bedevil been the idol of his teen-aged sons had he behaved in the perverse, distracted fashion of his older self. Willys agitation during his last days stems from a twofold sense of failure. He has not been sufficient to launch successfully in the world his beloved son Biff, and he no longer can meet the demands of his own selling barter. Although not all in all ignoring Linda and Happy, he is primarily concerned ab come in the once magnificent young football star who at thirty-four drifts from one temporary ranch job to the next. Willy cannot walk away from Biffsproblem, as Bernard suggests, nor can he accept Lindas view that life is a casting off. Being oer sixty, Willy is doubtless tiring physically. The attempt cases are heavy. The seven-hundred-mile drives are arduous. And many business contacts, developed over the years, are vanishing as the men of his era die or retire. Yet the worry over Biff has obviously accelerated his collapse. Actually, Willys attitude toward Biff is complex. On the one hand, t... ...ledge. But Happy is still determined to beat this racketand come out number one man. On the day of the big game, Charley ruefully asks Willy when he is going to grow up. In some ways Willy never does. His boyish warmth is , of course, part of his appeal. But his persistent refusal to face facts squarely drives him at last to a violent death. Ironically, his suicide, to him the ultimate in magnificent gestures, merely leaves Linda woefully grief-stricken and Biff more than ever sure that he had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong. Works Cited Eisinger, Chester E. Focus on Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman The Wrong Dreams, in American Dreams, American Nightmares, (1970 rpt In clc. Detroit Gale Research. 1976 vol. 6331 Gordon, Lois Death of a Salesman An Appreciation, in the Forties 1969) rpt in clc. Detroit Gale Research. 1983 vol. 26323