Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller
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“Let go of the past and go for the future. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined.” by this quote, Henry David Thoreau means that one many can verify for the people who have failure when they are making progress toward their goal. In his play, Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller describes the vision of American dream which is in reach of every man with opportunity and successfulness. But competitive society does not let everyone to be successful; only few people live with high satisfactions. People who cannot throw off the failure of the past, deferred dream makes people to wander around in the maze of confusion even it makes them to lose the more important than any other values. Miller implies these typical characteristics of this periods society to the Loman family. In several ways, the Loman family illustrates the effects of deferred dreams which are overwhelmed disappointment and betrayal by showing their inability to cope with reality.
In the Loman family, Willy Loman is a salesman, father and husband with strong aspirations but he becomes delusional when he realizes and disappoints that he will never accomplish his dreams. Willy often daydreams about the “old good days” (25) when his sons once cared about him when he was successful at work. Ben, Willys older brother, appears a lot in his flashbacks. Ben advises Willy that he should “Get out of [the city]; [cities] are full of talk and time payments and courts of law.” (85) Then he also suggests that Willy should “screw on [his] fists and [he] can fight for a fortune up [in Alaska]” (85). Willys biggest lifelong regret is that he decides against going to Alaska with his brother because he wants to keep his dream of working as the remarkable successful salesman alive. Willy feels a great sense of loss when Willy realizes the failure of his dreams and hope. This disappointing revelation allows makes Willy to yearn for retreating back in time and occupying his body to change his history forever which leads him to lose himself between past and reality. Willy criticizes Biff, his older son, for working on farms and does not understand how Biff can “find himself on a farm” (15) and blames him by calling as a “lazy bum” (16). Willy loudly insists angrily when Bernard, Biffs friend in High school, asks about the reason about sudden change on Biffs behavior. When Biff evinces the truth in his family, Willy warns Biff to “remember, and dont [Biff] dare blame on [Willy]” (130). Willy considers Biffs failure in business as a betrayal of his hopes and expectations. But he realizes the reality when Bernard specifies Biffs changed behaviors. Although Willy knows and feels guilty because of his lies and false notions that directly impact on Biffs life and ruins, he tries to separate