Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman

In the stories â€Å"Death of A Salesman,† and â€Å"A Doll’s House,† there are many similarities. I went on to pick one character from each story whom’s similarity interested me the most. The characters I picked were Willy Loman from â€Å"Death of A Salesman,† and Torvald Helmer of â€Å"A Doll’s House.† I picked these characters because of their motivation to make it to become successful. Both stories are about a climb for success that leads to betrayal. The story â€Å"Death of A Salesman,† comes with the symbolic meaning of the death of an â€Å"American Dream,† or the ridding of illusion as it applies to the American Dream. The story â€Å"A Doll’s House† the title reflects the main character’s life and how she was treated like treasure such as a doll. Both Willy and Torvald lives are similar to the fact that they are both trying to provide for their families, but in the end they discover a great loss. Willy Loman a salesman and a firm believer in the â€Å"American Dream,† had the notion that any man can rise from humble beginnings to greatness. In Willy Loman motivation to become successful was he felt that he believes success comes from being well liked not worrying about qualifications and being popular you well always come out on top. Willy is a Multifaceted character who portrayed a deep problem with sociological and psychological causes and done so with disturbing reality. Willy also starts to lie on the amount of sales that he is making whenever his wife asks him about his sales. Torvald Helmer is a Lawyer/Bank Manager who feels reputation plays a big part in his success to do well. Motivation was a key position in both Willy and Torvald lives to help them climb to become a success. In the story Torvald Helmer motivation was his appearance to be professional and personal and the knowing fact that his family will not want in the future. Torvald pushes his limits to get what he wants to become a succ... Free Essays on Death of a Salesman Free Essays on Death of a Salesman A Tragic Hero in Arthur Millers â€Å"Death of a Salesman† Tragedy was a very controversial issue in literature until recent years. Recent figures in literature have set a clear definition for tragedy. Author Miller is one of these figures. Plays and novels have distinguished the definition of tragedy. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary tragedy is a serious piece of literature typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or terror. Miller’s explains that a tragic hero does not always have to be a monarch or a man of a higher status. A tragic hero can be a common person. A tragedy does not always have to end pessimistically; it could have an optimistic ending. The play Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, is a tragedy because its hero, Willy Loman, is a tragic figure that faces a superior source, being the American dream and the struggle for success. Loman also excites pity in the reader because of his defeat and his inability t o become a success or teach his children how to make their lives successful. Miller defines a flaw as â€Å"an inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what one conceives to be a challenge to one’s dignity†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Penguin USA) Loman fulfills many of the requirements of being a tragic hero. Willy is not â€Å"flawless† in his actions, which by Miller’s standards make him a tragic hero. It is not wrong for Willy to have flaws and it does not make him a weaker man but a tragic figure. Miller designed the play so that Willy could be a tragic hero and for this he needs to have a flaw. Willy’s flaw is that he is unable to see things in a more realistic perspective. Charley says something in the play that sums up Willy’s whole life. He asks him, "When the hell are you going to grow up?" Willy’s spends his entire life in an illusion. He sees himself as a great man that is popular and su... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman From the urgency and desperation of Willy’s situation, we are bound to see the play from the angle of looking into the working of his inner life. It was meant for the audience to look into this aspect as is obvious from the dream and memory sequences. We catch glimpses of Willy’s subconscious distraught with guilt, hope and regret. It is through these scenes that we see the internal turmoil of a mind that has not come out of adolescence and because of it, is unable to help his own sons to healthy maturity. His childishness is time and again released in his angry outbursts and his refusal to listen to anyone but himself. His impatience and stubborn nature is expressed in his denial of financial constraints to Charley, his devoted friend and neighbor. He falls into dreams and imaginings from his past that tell of his delusions of grandeur. Willy regards Ben as a symbol of the success that he so desperately craves for himself and his sons. As he progresses more and more towards personal disappointments-Biff’s failure in life, loss of his job, and the realization of a low self-worth-he moves successively further into his dream world succumbing to it in a complete break down, Regularly we see Willy ´s daydreams, within his mind. It is a very clear way to tell the audience, what happened in the past, and why things are how they are, now in the present day. We as an audience gain an insight into Willy’s most intimate thoughts. His thoughts are suicidal, exploitation (affair) and back stabbing. Audiences see themselves, their parents and their children in the play. It is what makes the play outstanding.... Free Essays on Death of a Salesman â€Å"Illusion vs. Reality† The theme of illusion versus reality is very prevalent throughout this play. The most indulgent of this lifestyle is the main character Willy Loman. His whole life is based on the illusion that he is successful because he is well-liked and good looking. He raises his two sons on this premise and feeds it to them day after day. Willy is a dreamer. Willy grades his life on the success he has as a salesman. He expects his sons to follow in his footsteps as well. Biff is his main concern. Willy looks at Biff to be the one who shines in the business world. â€Å"Be liked and you will never want†.(Bedford p.1836) Willy tells this to biff while they are talking about school. The reality is that Willy is not well-liked and not successful but he still tells himself every week that he’ll â€Å"knock ‘em dead next week†. Willy says, â€Å"I’m the New England man. I’m vital in New England†. Willy is not as vital as he thinks. He says this to impress his boys. Willy’s dreams and illusions also get in the way of having a normal family. His illusion that Biff will become a great businessman interferes with the father son relationship. Biff believes that what his father tells him is true and later in life realizes that Willy has formed Biff’s values and they are not the values Biff believes in. Willy sees himself as one of the founding fathers of the company he works for and helped name the man who is now his boss. His boss sees his role differently and soon Willy is without a job and just can’t understand it. â€Å"When Willy sees how his illusion of being well-liked is not true, it kills him and ends his emotional life†.(Nadi) At the end of the play, Willy’s illusion that if he were to die and Biff received the insurance money, everything would be better. In reality, the family now has to grieve with their loss and... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman The death of Willy Loman was tragic and he was also a fool. This was due to his character and circumstances beyond his own control. Willy’s life was built of false dreams and hopes. Willy’s main values in life are money and being well liked. All of these factors helped with Willy’s mental undoing and ultimately his death. From the start of the play you can see that Willy’s character is one of confusion and is pessimistic. Willy was on his way to Portland when he claimed that he was tired to death and had to return to New York. He comes home and talks to Linda but doesn’t know why he came back. He thinks to himself and says, ‘I stopped for a cup of coffee. Maybe it was the coffee’. This shows his confusion about why he drove 4 hours back to New York. Through out the play you hear sounds of the flute being played. This because Willy is reminiscing when he was 3 years and 11 months old his whole family was together as a family unit. So much hope, comfort and security lay before Willy. This was probably the happiest time in Willy life. Then his older brother Ben left to go to Alaska. This means that Willy never had a father figure in his life and his character was built on the capitalist society that he was living in. Willy’s character wasn’t developed by his dad. This was beyond his control and an unfortunate set of circumstances for Willy. This greatly affected him because he is not a strong person, just like his son Biff. Biff isn’t strong because when he found out what a fraud his dad was and that he was being unfaith full to Linda. He didn’t get over it and in the end ruined most of his life because he didn’t want to go to summer school. Willy is a compulsive liar and constantly brags to people about how popular and how much money he used to make. This are all false dreams due to Willy’s foolishness he doesn’t ever overcome the lies even before he dies. For example in the last few pages of Act 2 Biff bre... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman In Death of a Sales Man every character I believe warranted pity from the reader. However, Willy Loman more than any other character was the most tragic character. Willy’s warped sense of reality, his sad meaningless existence, and eventual suicide was what made him the very representation of the contemporary tragic hero. The first characteristic of the contemporary tragic hero is the very description of Willy. I pitied Willy, and the reason I did this was because of his displacement from society. Willy wasn’t displaced from society because of usual reasons, such as a depressing personality, or individualistic views, but because Willy had no concept of reality. Willy’s morals and ideals that he believed in more than anything else, were completely untrue, and Willy couldn’t deal with that. The fact that the only values he had instilled into his children was something Willy couldn’t take, so rather than confronting that and changing, he instead fell into a fantasy world. A world where all the mattered was that you looked good, and that you were well liked. These ideas are not true at all in society, but rather to succeed you need to work hard, and do well. I pitied Willy because he couldn’t accept reality The second characteristic is that the tragic hero has a major flaw. Willy’s major flaw again, is inability to see reality. Willy refuses to see reality to the point were should he be confronted with a fact he doesn’t like, he begins to hallucinate about years ago, when his children were young, and he was successful and he could follow his shallow ideals. Now his children are failures, his son Biff has been fired from every job he’s ever had since he failed out of school because he compulsively steals from them. And his son Happy pretends to be popular with women, successful in work, and next in line to be store manager of his job, but these are all lies. Even when confronted with the facts that his sons ar... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy is depicted as living in his own world. The play centers around the end of Willy’s life, when the real world comes crashing through, ruining the false reality he had created for himself and his family. Throughout the play, Willy Loman uses the concept of being well liked to build a false image of reality, as shown through his teachings to his son, what he considers successful, and his reasoning for committing suicide. Willy teaches Biff the concept of being well-liked, reinforcing his own belief in the ideology and furthering his false sense of reality. Willy tries to instil his ideal of being well liked in his sons. When telling his children about how successful he is going to be during his flashback, Willy tells them he is going to be "Bigger than Uncle Charley! Because Charley is not liked. He’s liked, but he’s not well-liked" So long as Biff plays good football, wins games, gets his name in the newspapers and makes friends Willy thinks that he will succeed in life and carry on the jovial Loman tradition. Willy has staked his whole happiness on Biff’s success, but Biff is a failure" Biff’s failure comes from the fact that once high school is over, nothing happens. Biff does not go on to be a great businessman or anything like that. Instead he goes from job to job, not making his fortune like Willy thought he would. This poked a hole in the world that Willy had presen ted to Biff and Happy. Willy even convinced himself that being well liked was the key to a successful life, and chose to believe that he was well liked. Like the legendary Dave Singleman, he wants to be well liked. â€Å"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 have to wait in line to see a buyer" Even when he doubts his charisma, Linda is right there to tell hi... Free Essays on Death of a Salesman Charley says something in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman that sums up Willy’s whole life. He asks him, "When the hell are you going to grow up?" Willy’s spends his entire life in an illusion. He sees himself as a great man that is popular and successful. Willy exhibits many childlike qualities. Many of these qualities have an impact on Willy’s family. His two sons Biff and Happy pick up this behavior from their father. He is idealistic, stubborn, and he has a false sense of his importance in the world. Willy is like an impetuous youngster with high ideals and high hopes. Children always have high hopes for their future. They all want to be astronauts or millionaires. Willy always believes he can achieve that kind of success. He never lets go of his wasted life. He dreams of being the man who does all of his business out of his house and dying a rich and successful man. Furthermore, Willy also dreams of moving to Alaska where he could work with his han ds and be a real man. Biff and Happy follow in their father’s footsteps in their lofty dreams and unrealistic goals. Biff wastes his life being a thief and a loner; furthermore, Biff, along with happy try to conjure up a crazy idea of putting on a sporting goods exhibition. The problem with Willy is that he never grows up and deals with his obstacles. Willy is also a very stubborn man. He is like a little child that wants to do something their way even though they know that another option would be the wiser choice. Charley practically sets a potential job into Willy’s lap and he refuses it. Willy just was fired and needed a job. He refuses one. Willy is too stubborn to let go of his old job and take a new one. He still believes that he is at the top of his profession. When Willy does not get his way he acts just as a child would. He has tantrums such as when he basically challenged Charley to a fight after he told him to grow up. Biff is also stubborn like his father. He ne... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman, is about Willy Loman who is experiencing a crisis where he is overwhelmed by the problems of his lifetime. He wants to be viewed as a good, decent human being, and he desperately wants to believe that he is a well-liked person that doesn’t make mistakes. However, the sad truth is that Willy has made lots of mistakes throughout his life, many of which are coming back to haunt him. The biggest problem Willy experiences that is prevalent through the play, is his struggle with his own self-concept. Willy Loman believes he is not a normal person because he knows he has made mistakes in his life, and he believes that making mistakes is not a normal human characteristic. He is portrayed as a man with a false sense of self, and he has passed this false sense of self onto his sons, making them believe they are something they’re not. Willy severely regrets his failures, which include raising Biff and Happy poorly, not doing well in business, and being unfaithful to his wife Linda. He feels that these mistakes he made have caused his life to become the ultimate failure. Willy is what has come to be known as a tragic hero. He wants to do things right, but the fact is that many incidences have occurred in his life that are coming back to haunt him. Consistently throughout the drama Willy drifts in and out of dream sequences, and he is constantly haunted by memories of things that happened in the past. Willy has an â€Å"underlying fear of being displaced† and this is the major problem apparent. His age has slowly caught up to him and he realizes that he isn’t as sharp as he used to be. Willy has a slight inferiority complex, and this is shown through the continuous flashbacks he has of his dead brother Ben who struck it rich in the jungle. Ben causes Willy to feel like more of a failure because he is struggling to make ends meet and provide for his family. Another example of Willy’s... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman â€Å"Death of a Salesman may center on personal and family breakdown but it also involves contradictions in national American ideals.† Discuss. On the surface, Arthur Miller’s groundbreaking play, Death of a Salesman, does seem firmly rooted in the â€Å"familial arena†. The whole play is structured to gradually reveal the deteriorating condition of Willy’s mind as well as the worsening relations of the entire Loman family, through a series of complex flashbacks. Beneath this, however, the structure of American society as a whole is analyzed and the ideals of the nation held up for review. Many of these come into conflict with each other, one often contradicting another, such as the ideal of the agricultural frontier versus that of the successful urban worker. The two issues are also essentially linked as it is the fact that Willy is often caught between two opposing ideals that lead to his personal breakdown, and the subsequent breakdown of his family. Willy Loman’s personal breakdown is the central issue in the play, as the title suggests. Within the first few lines of the opening scene, the audience is confronted with a man in obvious mental distress and forced to ask; is he mad or merely exhausted? Miller is instantly creating the persona of a deeply troubled man, he is quickly irritated by his wives questions and contradicts himself, firstly claiming; â€Å"Biff is a lazy bum!† then changing it to; â€Å"There’s one thing about Biff- he’s not lazy.† The audience is also quickly presented with the image of Willy becoming lost in the past and, even at this early stage, it is obvious that he has trouble distinguishing between the two. His perceptions of time and place are breaking down, a sure sign that he is no longer mentally stable. This impression of the leading character is strengthened by the first appearance of his dead brother, Ben. In this scene, as he sits playing cards with Charley, Willy is unable to distin... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman† challenges the idea of the American Dream. Willy Loman represents a uniquely typical American figure as the traveling salesman, who realizes the disenchantment with the American Dream because it fails him and his sons. The death of this particular salesman raises the issues concerning the significance and value of the American dream of success. Miller portrays the Lomans as an average all American family. He does this with the setting of middle class suburbia as well as with the dialogue. The house is described as â€Å"small, fragile-seeming home† with the kitchen as the center of the household. It could be anyone’s home, in any neighborhood in America. Additionally, the dialogue of the play includes a lot of American slang: gee, Pop, babe, flunk and knock ‘em dead, and the dialect of â€Å"coulda†, â€Å"woulda†, and â€Å"gotta† are also typically American. This is very effective depicting the Lomans as an everyday American family. Willy and Linda Loman attempt to achieve their own version of the American Dream. Their lives are full of monthly payment to pay for possessions that symbolize achieving that dream, such as a car, (Studebaker), home and household appliances. These monthly payments become a source of heartache because of the struggle to pay for them, even though to them they have achieved success because they have them. They also believe they are an ideal American family. Their two sons are built like Adonises; are well liked and even idolized by their peers and seem destined for success. Willy’s typical American job, his â€Å"All American† sons and his commitment to achieve the American dream enhance Miller’s idea of the American ideal. For years Willy has believed that both he and his sons (particularly Biff), will one day be great successes. He thinks that natural charisma, good looks and confidence are the most important attributes ... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman The American Dream Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman ends with the tragic suicide of Willy Loman, the lead character. It is the end of a life spent uselessly chasing â€Å"the American dream†. Willy has been unsuccessful in achieving the success he so desperately craves because his perception of the formula for success is fatally flawed. Willy believes that the American dream is only attainable for the popular and attractive few, and he does not believe he belongs to this elite group. Yet, Willy still works his entire life pursuing his dream. The first component of the American dream, in Willy’s eyes is a successful career. Always the dreamer, he attempts to make his mark as a salesman because â€Å"selling is the greatest career a man can want† (1859; Act 2). But when he falls short of his goals, he blames the superficiality of the business world, as evidenced in his thoughts about Bernard: â€Å"Bernard can get the best marks in school, y’understand, but when he gets out in the business world, y’understand, you’re going to be five times ahead of him. That’s why I thank Almighty God you’re both built like Adonises. 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† (1836; Act1). Willy has ingrained his distorted views in his sons, Biff and Happy, condemning them to failure as well. Happy complains, â€Å"I mean I can outbox, outrun, and outlift anybody in that store, and I have to take orders from those common, pretty sons-of-bitches till I can’t stand it any more† (1831; Act 1). Happy thinks that just because he is stronger than those who give him orders, he should be the one to give the orders. His father taught him that that was the way to success, and it is obviously failing for Happy. A second aspect of Willy’s American dream is mat... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy is depicted as living in his own world. The play centers around the end of Willy’s life, when the real world comes crashing through, ruining the false reality he had created for himself and his family. Throughout the play, Willy Loman uses the concept of being well liked to build a false image of reality, as shown through his teachings to his son, what he considers successful, and his reasoning for committing suicide. Willy teaches Biff the concept of being well-liked, reinforcing his own belief in the ideology and furthering his false sense of reality. Willy tries to instil his ideal of being well liked in his sons. When telling his children about how successful he is going to be during his flashback, Willy tells them he is going to be "Bigger than Uncle Charley! Because Charley is not liked. He’s liked, but he’s not well-liked" So long as Biff plays good football, wins games, gets his name in the newspapers and makes friends Willy thinks that he will succeed in life and carry on the jovial Loman tradition. Willy has staked his whole happiness on Biff’s success, but Biff is a failure" Biff’s failure comes from the fact that once high school is over, nothing happens. Biff does not go on to be a great businessman or anything like that. Instead he goes from job to job, not making his fortune like Willy thought he would. This poked a hole in the world that Willy had presen ted to Biff and Happy. Willy even convinced himself that being well liked was the key to a successful life, and chose to believe that he was well liked. Like the legendary Dave Singleman, he wants to be well liked. â€Å"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 have to wait in line to see a buyer" Even when he doubts his charisma, Linda is right there to tell hi... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman Dream On Time is an inescapable aspect of our daily lives, which we live by, by being in certain places at certain times. For most of us, it is easy to live in the present, taking in the day’s activities and looking to the future. In the story Death of a Salesman, the Loman family is not like the majority of society, living in the present, but living in the past and in illusions. Willy Loman is an old businessman close to the end of his career. The biggest problem for the Loman family was his efforts to bring his wife and two sons down with him as he struggles to make ends meet. He is an ignorant and stubborn man that believes that both he and his family are something that they are not. His pursuit of the â€Å"American Dream† throughout his life leads him to live completely in the past through flashbacks he has and dreams that are unfulfilled. Throughout the story, time is important to developing the play’s theme and characters by showing the downfalls of Willy an d how they affect his family and eventually, lead to his death. Willy Loman has been a businessman his whole life and has never known anything else in his life. Willy does not have Alzheimer’s disease or any other health related problem, but we know there is something very wrong with him. In the opening scene of the play, he must turn around his car because he can’t remember where he was going. Nor did he recall what he was doing and could not remember the past five minutes. â€Å"I’m tellin’ ya, I absolutely forgot I was driving. If I’d’ve gone the other way over the white line I might’ve killed somebody† (Miller 1316). From the beginning the audience is brought into these flashbacks that Willy has, because they tell us how his current mental condition has developed. In Willy’s earlier years, he was a very proud father and wanted nothing but the best for his boys. His eldest son, Biff, was a star football player and had several scholarship ... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller shows the life of a salesman as he attempts to fulfill the ‘American Dream’. Willy, the salesman and father is the main character of the story. He has two sons, Biff and Happy, and a wife, Linda. This play has always been portrayed as the focus of the American Dream; however, I see this play as the hardships of parenting. Willy tries and tries to make a good amount of money so that his sons will be financially sound. There are many minor characters that have a big impact on the storyline and plot of the play. Just the same, each of these minor characters changes the way that Willy focuses his parenting technique. Willy does not recognize the impact that each of these characters has on the interaction and influence of his children, and only sees them as the dreams/obstacles of his goals. Linda, Willy’s ever so faithful wife, tries to share in Willy’s ideals, and suffers great torment as she observes Willy’s decline knowing that she is unable to help. She is loyal and supportive even as she struggles to come to terms with the city, her husband, and her sons. Sadly, she fails to understand what happens to Willy, and fails to fathom what has occurred between him and Biff, but still manages to retain a belief in the need to treat human beings properly. Linda consistently comforts Willy into supporting Biff through his bad times, even though Willy gives up on him. Biff, Willy’s eldest son was a successful athlete in High School. Biff lacks self- assurance because of the uncertainty about his father’s attitude towards him, and his doubts about his own life and future. He has not found his place in society, but also realizes that he does not fit into any of the openings that society has made for him. His character is a result of Willy’s lies†¦he is undisciplined and disillusioned. Biff sees the city as a concrete jungle, but refuses to conform to the city’s demands. Happ... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman In the stories â€Å"Death of A Salesman,† and â€Å"A Doll’s House,† there are many similarities. I went on to pick one character from each story whom’s similarity interested me the most. The characters I picked were Willy Loman from â€Å"Death of A Salesman,† and Torvald Helmer of â€Å"A Doll’s House.† I picked these characters because of their motivation to make it to become successful. Both stories are about a climb for success that leads to betrayal. The story â€Å"Death of A Salesman,† comes with the symbolic meaning of the death of an â€Å"American Dream,† or the ridding of illusion as it applies to the American Dream. The story â€Å"A Doll’s House† the title reflects the main character’s life and how she was treated like treasure such as a doll. Both Willy and Torvald lives are similar to the fact that they are both trying to provide for their families, but in the end they discover a great loss. Willy Loman a salesman and a firm believer in the â€Å"American Dream,† had the notion that any man can rise from humble beginnings to greatness. In Willy Loman motivation to become successful was he felt that he believes success comes from being well liked not worrying about qualifications and being popular you well always come out on top. Willy is a Multifaceted character who portrayed a deep problem with sociological and psychological causes and done so with disturbing reality. Willy also starts to lie on the amount of sales that he is making whenever his wife asks him about his sales. Torvald Helmer is a Lawyer/Bank Manager who feels reputation plays a big part in his success to do well. Motivation was a key position in both Willy and Torvald lives to help them climb to become a success. In the story Torvald Helmer motivation was his appearance to be professional and personal and the knowing fact that his family will not want in the future. Torvald pushes his limits to get what he wants to become a succ... Free Essays on Death Of A Salesman â€Å"Literature opens a dark window on the soul, revealing more about what is bad in human nature than what is good.† This simply means that english brings out negative rather than positive. This is true in many pieces of literature. In Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller this lens is supported in the American Dream. Willy Loman is a traveling salesman who believes the American Dream, that anyone can become rich and well known through only hard work, perseverance, or personality. This attitude destroys Willy’s life through the course of the novel. Characterization and Theme are used by Arthur Miller to support this lens. Characterization is used effectively in revealing what type of character Willy Loman was. Willy was like a child, he had high ideals and high hopes, but had no ambition of pursuing them. Willy believed that a good life and financial security was going to be handed to him. However, Willy is eventually overcome by his dreams and illusions. He realizes that his life is a wreck and wasted. In the end Willy makes one final profit, selling his life. He does this because he believes it will help his son Biff out. Theme is also used to support the lens. The falsity of the American Dream plays a big part in the novel. Willy is the main target of this theme. After years of working as a traveling salesman, Willy Loman has only an old car, an empty house, and a defeated spirit. Miller chose the job of salesman carefully for his American Dreamer. A salesman does not make his/her own product, has not mastered a particular skill or a body of knowledge, and works on the empty substance of dreams and promises. Additionally, a salesman must sell his/her personality as much as his/her product. Willy Loman falsely believes he needs nothing more than to be well liked to make it big. The lens, â€Å"Literature opens a dark window on the soul, revealing more about what is bad in human nature than what is good† is supported in...