Death Of A Salesman Essay

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 12th grade February 2008

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In the play "Death of a Salesman" there are many character that were compared to the difference between success and failure within the system. Willy and Linda are the tragic hero and heroine, but their tragedies are totally different from each other. Willy is the dreamy salesman whose imagination is much larger than his sales ability, while Linda, Willy's wife stands by her husband even in his absence of realism. From the beginning, Willy tries to persuade himself and others that he and his sons are successful, but in the end, Willy is unable to live up to his own expectations. On the other hand, Linda serves as the enabler for Willy to live in his fantasy world. She tries to protect Willy from the harsh reality of their lives because she finds it too hard to find the causes of his problems.

Willy is a salesman who can't accept reality and who he is.

He is a troubled and misguided man who dreams of becoming successful but fails in the end. As Willy grows older, he has trouble seeing between the past and present, between illusion and reality and is often lost in between flashbacks of his life where much of the story is told. These flashbacks are generally during the summer after Biff's senior year of high school, when all of the family problems started. Willy hopes to strike it rich in the business world of New England. Yet, he never finds the diamond meanings of success and happiness when his older brother Ben tells Willy, "The jungle is dark but full of diamonds." as he leaves life without fortune or fame. When explaining to his wife why they can't leave the crowded city to live in New York, Willy tells his wife, "I'm the New England...