The Narcissistic Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman :: Death Salesman essays

The Narcissistic Willy Loman in Arthur moth millers Death of a Salesman Many dilemmas throughout the recent decades are repercussions of an individuals foibles. Arthur Miller represents this problem in society within the actions of Willy Loman in his modern play Death of a Salesman. In this controversial play, Willy is a despicable hero who imposes his ill-considered value system upon his family and himself because of his own rueful nature, which is akin to an everyman. This personality was described by Arthur Miller himself who Believes that the common man is as apt a field of operations for a tragedy in its highest sense as kings were (Tragedy 1). An additional segment of his common human nature is Willys self-centeredness. Although one might say that the American stargaze is imposed upon him by the society, Willy himself creates his dream. Willy supports this claim when he praises Dave Singlemans career to Howard And when I saw that, I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could hope (Miller 81). His nostalgia for a non-existing future is also proven by the fact that no one else in his environment has a similar, impossible dream If he were not wearing the rose colored glasses of the myth of the American Dream, he would see that Charley and his son are successful because of lifelong hard dissemble and not because of the illusions of social popularity and physical appearances (Spark 11). Surely the false ego and pride predicted to come from his assured success are the bridges that prevents Willy from seeing through his fake dream, force him to persuade the rest of his family to worship it along with him. Biff sadly bites the apple when he realizes his fate Willy I ran down eleven flights with a pen in my hand today. And suddenly I stopped, do you hear me? And in the middle of that building and I saw--the sky. I saw the things that I love in this world. The work and the food and the time to sit and smoke. And I look ed at the pen and said to myself, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I trying to release what I dont want to be?