Topic > The consequences of Willy Loman's desire for success

In Arthur Miller's comedy “Death of a Salesman” the sacrifice of character is one of the mind. Willy Loman is characterized by being a "common man". In a time when the glow of post-war success had rapidly begun to fade from the country's mundane realities, Miller exemplified the truth that the American people were being sold the promise of an "American Dream," which just like Willy Loman, would you discover that you are empty. Willy becomes the embodiment of the contradiction between what we desire as people and what life really is. It is when Willy is confronted with this reality that he realizes that his life has been marked by failure. He is not well loved, he has been unfaithful to his wife and, worst of all, he is not the respected man he tried to be in Biff's eyes. It is only when faced with the idea that his death would be more beneficial to his situation than his life that he chooses to make that sacrifice. He sacrifices his life so that he can succeed through the redemption of his death. His life insurance policy would take care of his wife Linda, and his son Biff would see him as the "well-liked" man who is at a funeral surrounded by mourners. Willy Loman's death was an inevitable tragedy as much as a redundant sacrifice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayWilly is fundamentally governed by the desire for success. In both conversation and reminiscence he refers to his brother Ben, who made his fortune mining diamonds in Africa. It is through Ben that the reader can honestly learn about Willy's past and his main motivations. Willy exemplifies Ben as an example of living life and taking risks; however, when given the opportunity to join him, he declines. It is crucial to note that Willy was unwilling to join Ben in his father's pursuit and financial success because he did not want to abandon his family. His family is his motivating factor and every act Willy committed was done so he could be a better father to Biff and Happy than his father was to him. Willy wanted to ensure success in order to convey success. He believed and conveyed to his children that they would be successful as long as they were well-liked. Ben exists in contradiction to this by not caring about the risk and whether those around him liked him because he was able to achieve success far beyond Willy. Willy stayed behind for his family, and being faced with the missed opportunity that was Ben was the first step in his descent into sacrifice. Memories of Ben aren't the only thing plaguing Willy's mind in the final days of his life. The play exists because all the characters surrounding him act in response to Willy both in the present and in the memory of the past. Willy's paranoia intensifies due to the incessant angst and this is where the audience becomes aware of Willy's behavior. Willy is characterized as a man contradictory to himself, often angry and undoubtedly obsessive. Just as with Ben, Willy carefully selects memories or relives past events to imagine circumstances in which he was successful. Willy is unable to acknowledge the idea of ​​his financial failure, so he brings up Ben's visit to attempt to correct the mistake he had made in not joining Ben in his quest for the diamonds. Willy is unable to recognize the fact that after being caught having an affair, his son Biff, on whom he has imprinted all his personal hopes, no longer admires him. Relieve memories of Biff when he still idolized him and had a perspective of..”