The Death Of A Salesman Essay Example

to borrow money from his friend and neighbor Charley to cover his expenses. Feeling that he has wasted his entire life by not achieving the success he desired, Willy employs defense mechanisms to protect himself mentally and pretends that everything is fine. He even temporarily convinces himself of this facade.

Willy is influenced by prevalent stereotypes in America, linking success to being a businessman. He instills this belief in his sons, resulting in their suffering. Biff and Happy both fall victim to their father's dysfunctional desire for success based on his definition of it. Growing up with an unsuccessful role model leads them to adopt the mentality of failure as their only way of behaving.

Both Biff and Happy have inherited their understanding of success from their father, but they are unable to meet these standards, which ultimately makes them unhappy. Additionally, like Willy, his sons lack the necessary business skills for success. Moreover, they have only seen their father's failures and do not fully comprehend how to achieve success. In particular, Biff feels the consequences of his father's desire for success as Willy tries to enforce his own beliefs on him in order to control his career and personal decisions.

When Biff witnesses his father engaging in adultery, it not only disappoints him regarding Willy's character but also destroys his ideals. This is the reason why Biff rejects the opportunity to attend college, even though he has been offered a scholarship, and instead decides to live independently away from his parents. After fifteen years of searching for purpose in his life, Biff eventually comes back home. However, upon returning, he finds

himself confronting the same pressure that he had escaped from as a teenager. Willy perceives Biff as his primary hope and believes that his oldest son should achieve what he himself never could.

Biff Longman realizes the absurdity of his father's chosen career path for him and his attempts to escape from it. He comprehends that his entire life has been completely ridiculous when he looks up at the sky. Biff knows that in order to find happiness, he must live life on his own terms, disregarding his father's influences and restrictions. Ultimately, Biff is the only one who manages to break free from the illusionary world created by his father. Similarly, Willy's younger son, Happy, also suffers due to his father's actions as he has always been perceived as the "second son" in Willy's eyes.

The younger boy has always lived in the shadow of his older brother, whom their father had high expectations for. This has also affected him, as he feels the pressure to succeed. Unlike Biff, Happy does not understand his father's unrealistic beliefs and values and sees his father's death as justified. Happy believes that his father's dream is a good one and thinks that the only worthwhile dream is to be the best. He declares that he will achieve this dream and fulfill it for his father. Like Biff, Happy faces challenges in meeting their father's definition of success.

He feels unhappy and tries to compensate by surrounding himself with lots of women and cars. Despite having the attributes of success valued by society, Happy cannot meet his father's standards and remains dissatisfied. Willy's wife, Linda

Longman, and mother of their two sons, also suffers because of Willy's perception of life and success. Linda's main aim is to make others feel at ease, preventing her from breaking free from the illusionary world her husband inhabits.

Linda witnesses the deterioration of her husband and sons, causing her great suffering as she is powerless to solve the problem. She also discovers that her husband attempted suicide, adding to her pain. However, she chooses not to inform Willy about this incident to spare him from embarrassment. The story of The Death of a Salesman delves into the themes of illusions and stereotypes, exploring their repercussions. The author emphasizes the importance of individuals determining their own path in life based on their abilities and interests, disregarding societal expectations.