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Death Of A Salesman Essay

In order to really understand Willy Loman, from Arthur Miller’s play
Death Of A Salesman, the reader must analyze the way his character is
developed. Studying his thoughts, actions, how he relates to other characters
and how other characters relate to him enables the reader to come to an
understanding of the world in which Willy lives in.
Although Willy sometimes has flashbacks, examining them, as well as his
thoughts, helps the reader to understand and relate to him better. Willy had
very high, but unrealistic expectations for his boys, especially Biff; he thought that they would be guaranteed success. This is illustrated in the quote, “I see great things for you kids, I think your troubles are over. But remember, start big and you’ll end big.” (pg.64) Willy was convinced that Biff should become a great star and could not accept the fact that Biff had turned out less than perfect. This is demonstrated when Willy says “My God! Remember how they used to follow him around in high school?” (pg. 16) It is easy to see that Willy thought the world was against him and that his life would never amount to anything. When he says “I’m always in a race with the junkyard,” (pg. 73) it is simple to sense that Willy is not satisfied with his life.
Willy’s actions also help the readers take a look into the world he lives in. With all his hopes and dreams for Biff, Willy never paid much attention to Happy. Any praise and acts of approval were always focused on Biff. This is shown when Biff repeatedly says, “I’m losing weight, you notice Pop?” and Willy ignores him each time. Willy also has a lot of anger inside of him, which you can notice by his actions. When his boss Howard tells Willy that there is no job for him Willy gets very angry and bangs his fist on the desk in a rage.
Willy relates to the other characters in many different ways. With Biff, Willy feels...