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Biff caught Willy in the act and that affair became a betrayal of the entire family. Yet, Willy betrays Linda by having an affair with the woman. That Biff would fail him in some way is betrayal of Willy’s sense of order. This betrayal fractures all of Willy’s illusions about how the world works Willy believes that if things look good, they are good. He sees Biff’s actions as betrayals of his fatherly guidance and example. Willy cannot come to grips with the fact that Biff is fundamentally different from the life he imagined for him. The major conflict in the play centers on what Willy sees as Biff’s betrayal of his expectations. In one of the final moments of the play, both Biff and Happy abandon Willy to his ramblings as he descends into madness. The conflict between Willy and Biff is one in which Willy feels abandoned by his son, and Willy abandons his paternal responsibilities by cheating on Biff’s mother.
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Ben abandons him for Alaska which leaves Willy completely alone with nothing but his shallow ideals of the American dream. This left him both financially and spiritually abandoned. We learn in the play that he was left by his father when quite young.
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Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman has various themes and is known as one of. Themes make the story appealing and persuasive and help readers to understand the hidden messages in a story or poem.
Theme of death of a salesman series#
Willy’s entire life can be seen as a series of abandonments. Themes are overarching ideas and beliefs that the writers express in their texts including poetry, fiction, and plays. As Willy is forced to confront the reality of these shallow beliefs, his world comes apart and so does he. His own sons are popular and are more likely to succeed. For example, he thinks Bernard is an unlikely person for success because he is awkward and unattractive. He believes that being well-liked and being attractive are all that are necessary to succeed in business.įor this reason, he is shallow in his way of living and ignores things like hard work and dedication. He takes this in an almost childish sense. The notion that anyone can be achieve economic and social success through hard work is one of Willy’s central beliefs. Willy emphatically believes in the American myth of the rise of the individual in society. It is a tragedy that shows the striking contrast between the Loman family’s dreams and the reality of their lives. In like manner, Biff considers his father as betraying him with false aspirations and a selfish nature.Literature Guides Major Themes of Death of a Salesman Important Themes Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is a play revolving around the themes of betrayal, desperation, failure, denial, and abandonment. He fails to see why Biff would reject him. However, when Biff decides he will not continue with his father’s diluted goals, Willy takes it as a betrayal. Willy thinks of Biff as his golden boy, the son who will further bring the American Dream closer. It is there where he shatters any hopes for Willy and his so called “American Dream”Īt the same time, the universal theme of betrayal can be seen throughout this story. This ultimately causes Biff to question his father’s ambitions and confront him at the Chop House. Willy, facing this abandonment issue also commits adultery. Biff, one of his sons, is popular in school and varsity player for his football team. Willy enforces his desire to obtain a perfect life by raising his sons in a model way. Important to note, Willy’s past and determination to achieve the American dream could be seen as of way to coping with his abandonment issues. Eventually this hope becomes into an altered reality for Willy, failing to see his reality as a failure. Willy in turn believed the American dream would take him out of a mediocre life. The beginning of this abandonment issue is seen in Willy’s father, a man who had left him with very little at a young age, and his brother who decided to head towards Alaska. To initiate, a central theme focused was abandonment. The play itself switches from flashbacks to other flashbacks to let the reader understand how and why Willy Loman decides to commit suicide. Willy Loman, a man set on reaching the American dream, lives in a state of delusion and altered perception on what really matters. In general two themes can be constantly seen throughout the play, abandonment and betrayal. “Death of a Salesman,” by Arthur Millier addresses many of literary fiction’s universal themes.