Death Of A Salesmanquestions Essay Example

of Willy's failures, implying that he was not successful in his job. While no one directly mentions the reason for his death, the characters attempt to avoid it. Charley's use of "nice" to describe the funeral could be interpreted as sarcastic, as it is not typical funeral language. By emphasizing the word "very," he overstates the underlying misery felt by all the characters. Charlies responds to Linda's question about why nobody came, attempting to comfort the family by concealing the reality that few attended and reducing their humiliation regarding Willy's failure by not dwelling on it at the funeral.

Miller presents Willy's funeral as a tragic ending rather than a victorious one. Through this representation, the audience perceives Willy's death as an ironic culmination as the reality of his life is exposed. The sorrow felt by the viewers is not solely for Willy but also for his family. Happy, Willy's son, accentuates this emotion of pity among the audience as he envisions becoming a salesman like his father and proving others wrong. He states, "I'm gonna show you and everybody else that Willy Loman did not die in vain[3]." This statement demonstrates Happy's determination to succeed where his father failed and to prove the legitimacy of the American Dream.

The audience is moved by Happy's portrayal of his belief in the American Dream, which may not be as strong as Willy's, and his wish to honor his father's desires for his sons. This elicits both pity and respect for Happy, whether he is repeating his father's mistakes or paying homage to him. Meanwhile, Linda is shown to be a vulnerable victim of Willy's choices. Though free

from his suffering, madness, and falsehoods, she is now desperately solitary. Miller skillfully employs irony to evoke sympathy from the viewers.

Arthur Miller believed that the common man could be a tragic subject just as much as a king could [6]. In his play, "Death of a Salesman," Willy Loman is a difficult character to sympathize with. While Willy's dream of financial success had been granted, the audience still feels pity knowing that he worked his whole life to pay off a house and now Linda will be alone after his suicide [4]. This tragedy emphasizes the importance of family over materialistic things. However, it also highlights Willy's ignorance and delusional nature, which dilutes the tragedy in some senses. If Willy had been a better husband and listened to his wife, he would have realized that their money troubles were not as severe as he thought.

Miller continues to generate empathy for Biff, Willy’s oldest son, who had pleaded with his father to forget about him and allow him to pursue his own dreams instead of being pushed into a career as a salesman, which he knew he was not suited for. Willy refused to respect Biff's wants, however, and attempted to control his life. This highlights Willy's need to view himself as superior and leads the audience to question their sympathies for him, thereby reducing the overall tragedy by highlighting his flaws.
But in the requiem, the audience shifts their attention to Biff, who reflects on his father's life and realizes that Willy had spent too much time chasing false promises of wealth and popularity associated with being a salesman. Instead, Biff recognized that his true

talent lied in manual labor, causing the audience to sympathize with him.

As Biff realizes that his father wasted his life aspiring to unattainable goals, he appreciates Willy's true talents despite his delusions. This realization evokes sympathy from the audience for Biff. At Willy's funeral, attendees debate about external factors that may have led to his tragic suicide. Willy believed that he could achieve the American Dream through his personality, but the other characters in the play do not share this obsession, making Willy a minority. Therefore, the tragedy may not have happened to just anyone.

As a result, the intensity that creates comfort in the audience is diminished, resulting in an anti-climactic feeling and less sympathy for Willy. Nonetheless, the requiem contributes to enhancing the tragedy by exposing the harsh realities of Willy's life and giving reasons for his behavior, which evokes compassion from the audience. It reveals that Willy lived in a delusional state due to his belief in the American Dream and was blind to his actual circumstances. Despite this, portraying his ignorance and failure can be perceived as anti-climactic and lessen the audience's empathy. However, I believe this shifts the audience's sympathy towards Willy's family and improves the tragedy, similar to that of a Shakespearean play.