Flaw In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

Willy is shocked when Charley doesn’t mention that his son is “gonna argue a

The prime example of an American tragedy can be found within Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Showcasing a dysfunctional family, the Loman's, and the issues plaguing each of the family members, none of them meet the depressingly low standard of the father, Willy Loman. From an overall drab and tired appearance to the flashbacks that constantly engulf him, Willy Loman stands as the highlight of what a skewed American Dream can do to a person. However, is this the only cause behind Willy Loman's actions? It can be seen that Willy not only has mental issues, but these issues contaminate the lives of those around him.

Throughout the play, Willy is blind to the reality of who he is

Willy finds out his dream of being an popular, well respected salesman is impossible and takes his own life. Linda supports Willy despite the abuse and confusion he puts her through with his various attempts to take his own life, with his delirious ramblings and hallucinations, and with his constant deception. Happy still sees his father as a hero and Biff finally begins to grasp the truth of the “American Dream”. When Willy kills himself, all of the Loman family, including Willy, break free from the web of false dreams he spun and begin to understand Willy’s failings. They also realize their own flaws.

Julian Baggini iterates that while “happiness is important… it’s not everything; it’s worth having but hard to possess,” though he also admits that happiness’ role in life’s meaning is “so unclear,” (90). It is evident that Miller mirrors this sentiment--his main character, Willy Loman, devotes his entire life to achieving “happiness” through personal success. However, Miller depicts Willy’s goal, pursuing happiness as the main purpose of life, in a very tragic manner. Willy is greatly unable to achieve his goals. And, even in death, he did not obtain happiness or even guarantee his sons’ happiness, though he ends his life just because there is a possibility that his death may inadvertently bring success, and with it, happiness, to his family.

He raised his sons to believe in the same false American Dream as he had. Neither of his sons turned out to be successful in life and towards the end of the novel they figure out that Willy is to blame. Arthur Miller provides us with a character who is both pathetic and tragic. Willy Loman spent most of his life

“I myself am made entirely of flaws stitched together with good intentions” by Augusten Burroughs. Death of a salesman is written by Arthur Miller, The play is about this man named Willy who has a really big tragic flaw and tries to make his sons the same way that he is which is him being insecure. Willy’s tragic flaw makes himself insecure and wants his sons’ to listen to him meanwhile he’s going crazy. Willy’s intensity is demonstrated in his prideful behavior.

Ana Oceguera 12. 19. 16 AP English Death of a Salesman Character Compare and Contrast     In the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, the audience follows the dynamic between the members of the Loman family. The father of the family, Willy Loman is a self-deluded traveling salesman whose dreams of success do not match his reality. Prompted by his frustration due to the discrepancy between his unrealistically ambitious expectations and his reality, we watch as his mental health takes a turn for the worse,  and his story eventually ends in suicide.

Iago’s jealousy stems from Othello promoting Cassio over Iago for the lieutenancy position. Following this event, Iago strives to “make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward [Iago] / for making him egregiously an ass” (II.i.330-331). In “The Truth About Lying”, Kornet explores the belief that different personality types lie at different frequencies. Iago has a personality type that makes him prone to lying more frequently. One of the primary reasons Iago is jealous is due to his insecurity and needs to be superior to others.

Pip becomes ungrateful because he cannot accept that Magwitch is actually his benefactor and not Miss Havisham. He hated Magwitch even though that man has done so much for him. Pip said, “I know nothing of his life. It has almost made me mad to sit here of a night and see him before me, so bound up with my fortunes and misfortunes, and yet so unknown to me, except as the miserable wretch who terrified me two days in my childhood.” From this point, Pip just only looked at the past time when Magwitch threatened him and not the present time when Magwitch has brought good fortune to his life and made him become a gentleman.

‘“That huge place there?’ she cried pointing. ‘Do you like it?”’ (pg. 90) F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby, reflects how Gatsby’s passion for success was so strictly to please others.

Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller, is about the dysfunctional Lowman family. The family consists of salesman father Willy, homemaker mother Linda, son and sports star Biff, and youngest son and daddy’s boy Happy. It became apparent through the course of the story, that the “Men” of the story were actually boys. By analyzing the males of this story the reasons for their immaturities become clear.

Many people live their lives without meaning. Some have a firm grasp on reality and realize that their hard work and efforts will be rewarded. Others prefer a more laid back approach and think that if they deserve it, then they will receive it. In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, the characters, Willy and Biff live an unhappy life because of their similar character traits, beliefs, and situations. They are both idealists, prideful, and they both lack “parental” figures.

Bartleby, from Bartleby the Scrivener, and Willy Loman, from Death of a Salesman, are in many ways opposites. Bartleby is an extreme individualist; only doing what he wants to, no matter the personal or professional cost. On the other hand, Willy Loman is a conformist; he does what he is told, lives an average life, and pursues the “American Dream” like most Americans do. Bartleby and Willy also share similarities: both are physiologically broken and their respective individuality and conformity lead them to their deaths, albeit in different ways. The stories themselves are also similar in that they both critique American society.

The biggest struggle in the younger generations is that individuals are told to become whatever one can envision after all the world is one’s oyster. The world is full of opportunity and excitement to follow dreams and desires the problem is how does one execute it and achieve it. Sadly the reality is that not all individuals can achieve what they sought after, resulting for settling for what is left on the plate. In pursuit of achieving bliss, an individual must be willing to endure the ups and downs of the journey to search for pure happiness. In the play, Death Of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller depicts the contradiction to one’s own joy and the compromise an individual is willing to make in order to achieve happiness.