He sees himself with wealth because of his child's pride in him. Willy's children, Biff and Happy, embrace Willy's propensity for denying or controlling reality
Instead, Tack chases the path that makes him more accepted and this prevents him from uncovering his hidden potential. Similarly, in Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman,” Willy Loman desires this same approval and acceptance. Willy, having grown up without a father figure, is extremely doubtful of his parenting and admits that, “[he is] afraid [he is] not teaching [Biff and Happy] the right [values]” (Miller 52). Due to his own insecurity in his parenting ability, Willy turns to Ben for approval and asks him “how [he] should teach [Biff and Happy]” (Miller 52). By continually looking for Ben’s approval, Willy limits his abilities and fails to be an adequate parent for Happy and Biff.
Willy’s inability to move beyond the person he once was is reflected in his constantly distorted perceptions of reality. Willy’s confused perceptions of reality, where often hallucinating, blur the lines between past and present. Willy is burdened by regret and unfulfilled dreams, clinging to the hope of reclaiming his former successes: “Oh, Ben, how do we get back to all the great times?”. This demonstrates his fixation on an era in which he felt accomplished and significant.
Nathanael West and Scott F. Fitzgerald are contemporary writers of 1940s. Although they were not in the same location, they experienced in similar social changes. People searched for opportunity for living. people lost moral standards. Hardships in their lives made their moral issues blunt.
The Tragic Death of Jay Gatsby Willy Loman and Jay Gatsby were both fond of the American dream. Although they were similar in numerous manners, Gatsby’s death emerged more tragic than Loman’s. Gatsby had a higher social stature than Loman; he did not achieve his ultimate goal, and his death was unfortunately organized. Jay Gatsby, or previously recognized as James Gatz was a self-made man. He was born to a poor family and fell for Daisy Buchanan at an early age.
“The man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead” (33). In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses foil characters to elucidate Willy’s flaws that ultimately prevent him and his family from succeeding. The contrast between Charley and Willy and Bernard and Biff serves to highlight how Willy’s obsession with achieving his version of the American Dream impacts both his life and his children’s. His poor values are passed on to his children producing even more failures. ¬¬¬¬Both Charley and Willy work as salesmen, however Charley represents what Willy desired to become – successful.
Individuals have different perspectives on success. Some people will think of success as becoming popular while others will consider it as possessing more than enough amount of wealth. Although people's point of view on success may differ, it is indisputable that everyone wants to become successful. While a lot of people in today's society view success in a positive way, a number of literary pieces suggest that becoming successful is such an unfavourable trait. For example, in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the certain characters who are eager to be successful becomes phoney and morally corrupted.
Gatsby’s downfall suggests that equal opportunities to achieve success in our lives don’t exist, people take advantage of far too many things that it is ruined for others. For example, Daisy took advantage of Gatsby and Tom. Daisy seemed to only want the person with the most money, but that wasn’t exactly true. “Your wife doesn’t love you. She’s never loved you.
As the old saying goes, not all heroes wear capes. This is especially true for Willy Loman in the Death of a Salesman. Death of a Salesman is a rather tragic tale depicting the fall of Willy Loman and, to some degree, the fall of his son Biff Loman. There are two ways in which one could interpret Death of a Salesman, with Willy as the protagonist, or with Biff as the protagonist. Either way, the story is not made a tragedy by its plot, but rather, it is made a tragedy by its characters.
Although the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald emphasizes the parties and prosperity of the American 1920's, it reveals many major characters meeting tragic ends. The characters who meet these ends - Jay Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson, and George Wilson - possess the same tragic characteristic: they endeavor for something more out of their lives than what they have. This ambition for what they could not have ultimately spelled their doom: Gatsby wanted money and Daisy; Myrtle wanted wealth and luxury, and sought it from Tom Buchanan; Wilson earned what he could only to please Myrtle. The Great Gatsby reveals a tragic nature through the trials and tribulations these characters endure to progress and prosper, only to receive death for their ambition. The exciting and wild time period of the "Roaring Twenties" provides a stark contrast to the deaths in order to further highlight the tragic nature of the novel, and leaves a theme that even those with the most hope and strong ambitions can fail and die miserably, no matter how much money they have.
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.
He has a Job, two kids, and a wife. Willy is a salesman who dreams to be like his role model, Dave Singleman. Singleman - in Willy perspective- had the ultimate successful life, as expressed in this quote: "Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people?" [Act 2] Willy believed that success, was equivalent to how well liked he was. Willy's 'flaw' was his foolish pride, his persistence of achieving "his rightful status".
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.
Willy Loman is the central figure of the play. He’s an untalented but energetic man gripped by the American dream. Willy’s personality disintegrates as he moves into his 60’s and his strength begins to fail him. He commits suicide in hope of earning thousands in life insurance for his wife and two sons. Over the course of the play, he is presented as a complex person who hides deep insecurity beneath bluster and drive, relying on his handsome and athletic sons to compensate for his own sense of inadequacy.
From an outsider perspective, Willy Loman lives a normal life. He is a traveling salesman with two grown up sons, and a beautiful marriage. But is that really the life he has? No, it is not. One of the first disappointments Willy experiences is with his son.
