Death of a Salesman is a story containing three “extremely” main characters with varying morals. Willy is a salesman who thinks it is more important to be liked then wealthy. Happy, a drunken philandering bum uses women to fulfill his pleasures. As well as Biff, whose rebellious childhood causes him to become a social misfit and financial failure. Will making money and working hard bring you prosperity and happiness? Are friends the most important element in life or is honesty with yourself and others the most important component in life? After reading this story one can review your life and reflect on how you choose to live it. Happy was a son of Willy’s, he was considered a philandering bum by his mother.
He lived in an illusory world of promise and hope, caused by his lack of responsibility and his inability towards commitment. Happy squandered all of his money on alcohol and wayward women to fulfill his pursuit of pleasure. He was a man of human infidelity and few principles. This is demonstrated in how he views women saying that “babes” of his intentions were “a dime a dozen.” In addition to leaving his father sprawled out on the grimy bathroom floor and saying he was “just some guy.” It is difficult to find fulfillment in wayward women and drunken blurs because the reality is you wake up from drunken blurs only to find that the wayward women have left you alone and taken your money… Biff another son of Willy’s, was considered to be a financial failure as well as a social failure.
The Essay on Failure in The Great Gatsby vs The Death of a Salesman
With life comes failure, it is expected for humans to makes mistakes and be unsuccessful. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman there are several characters that face failure. Their failures are based on their actions and it is the response of the characters that create a tragic story. The characters fail at facing reality and accepting change which ...
Biff fell one class short of senior matriculation which would have transformed his athletic talents into a college degree and possibly prowess in the business world. He despised his father’s hypocrisy and condemned Happy’s immorality. He rejected society standard of “money equals power.” Biff also lacked sufficient self confidence and motivation to impress either the business world or the frivolous women of his brother’s life. Biff’s rebellious childhood led to a disorder causing him to ignore his father’s word and rebel. Ultimately his rebellion led to his financial and social downfall. Willy is a discredited patriarch and misguided capitalist.
To circumvent the harsh realities of commerce he tried to maintain an outward appearance that he always “won the day.” However this outward appearance was either frivolous or overly brazen. He was a man who taught his sons to fight their hardest and “win at any cost.” In contrast he found them cheating and stealing their way out of every job therefore preventing any advancement in the financial world. Willy also pursued an adulterous relationship which became the catalyst for regret, self loathing, familiar disillusionment and eventual suicide. Hence proving that winning at any cost can destroy an individual and honesty with oneself and others is the best policy.
The way you live your life can result in what you choose is more important to you. Whether you feel money is the most important attribute to life, or whether you view being liked as most the most important things in life; either way both have their pros and cons. If you think money is the most important you may be successful but if your not you have no one to make it easier and you always have to question your true “friends.” While if you ” re liked and broke then you know people like you for who you are. These characters can often be integrated with the way you live your life and make you choose who is the protagonist and antagonist in this story..
