5.1.1
Willy Loman
Willy Loman
Willy Loman
Despite what he believes about himself, Willy is a “dime a dozen” everyman, who's intense ordinariness helps to make him a universally relatable figure.
‘The Inside of his Head’
‘The Inside of his Head’
- Miller originally intended to call his play ‘The Inside of his Head’ and, although the title would change, it remains a psychological study of Willy.
- We, the audience, watch Willy’s mind disintegrate as the failures of the past finally overwhelm him in the present.
The life of a salesman
The life of a salesman
- We meet Willy Loman in the final 24 hours of his life.
- A 63-year-old travelling salesman, Willy is exhausted by his regular 1,500 mile round-trip to New England and back, and is demoralised by his dwindling sales.
- His salary has just been taken away from him (five weeks ago) and he now relies on commission from his sales in order to bring money home.
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Willy's relationship with Biff
Willy's relationship with Biff
- The arrival of Biff the day before creates further emotional and mental strain on Willy: he blames himself, but is also full of resentment at Biff, for the way his oldest son has so far drifted through life as a “bum”.
- Willy’s mind is so affected by Biff’s arrival that we, and his family, catch him in conversation with his son when no-one is there.
Loman, everyman
Loman, everyman
- Miller gives Willy the surname of Loman, emphasising how ordinary, almost insignificant, he is (‘low man’).
- Willy is a lower middle-class Everyman – a father, husband and son struggling to succeed in life.
Willy’s ordinariness
Willy’s ordinariness
- Indeed, his wife Linda describes him as “not a great man… a small man” while, at the play’s climax, Biff pleads with his father to finally accept that they are both just “dime a dozen”.
- Willy’s ordinariness perhaps helps to make him a universal figure, able to affect audiences across different continents and generations.
Willy Loman: Delusions
Willy Loman: Delusions
Willy can also be seen as a tragic hero in that his downfall is made inevitable by the weaknesses, or tragic flaw, in his character.
Tragic hero
Tragic hero
- Miller elevates Willy from being totally ordinary by giving him a stature which allows us to see him as a tragic hero.
- In the opening stage direction, Miller alerts us to Willy’s “massive dreams” and it is these dreams, and the effects they have on those around him, which give the play its power.
The American Dream
The American Dream
- Willy’s dreams are part of the national psyche, the idea of the American Dream, which also helps to raise Willy above the level of a ‘no-mark’.
- In bringing Willy’s beliefs and ambitions to life, Miller is able to examine the dreams and values of an entire nation.
Willy's blindness
Willy's blindness
- However Willy's major flaw is his blindness – he is unable to see how destructive his version of the American Dream is.
- He believes that happiness and fulfilment are achieved through material success and that this in turn is achieved through a combination of personal magnetism (being “well-liked”), initiative and a ruthless competitive instinct.
- However, he cannot see how these values have failed him and his family – indeed, how he has passed on the “wrong dreams” to his boys.
Fantasy
Fantasy
- Instead, Willy finds comfort in his fantastical version of his, and his family’s past achievements.
- We see early in the play how reality does not match Willy’s inflated view of himself when he is forced to keep lowering his actual earnings to Linda.
- However, even then, Willy resorts to fantasy in order to save face (“… three of the stores were half-closed for inventory… Otherwise I woulda broke records”).
Contradictions
Contradictions
- The contradictions between illusion and reality, which may provide some comedy at the beginning of the play, become impossible for Willy to reconcile and eventually lead to his breakdown and suicide.
Willy Loman: Other Flaws
Willy Loman: Other Flaws
We see many of Willy's flaws - his pettiness, short temper and infidelity – throughout the play. Though we gradually come to understand their causes.
Guilt
Guilt
- Willy is haunted by guilt, knowing deep down that Biff’s discovery of his affair in Boston shattered his son and ruined his life.
- The guilt is mixed with resentment at Biff for just giving up on life out of “spite” but, by the end of the play, Willy has found a new way of kick-starting Biff’s future: the $20,000 from his life insurance policy.
Other character flaws
Other character flaws
- Audiences may feel frustrated, and at times disgusted, by Willy.
- Miller warns us of his “little cruelties” in the opening stage direction and we see many of his flaws - his pettiness, short temper and infidelity – throughout the play.
Abandonment
Abandonment
- However, Willy is himself a victim of familial betrayal, having been abandoned by his father and brother at a young age, before he has had a chance to learn about himself, and the world around him.
- Willy later admits to Linda that, deprived of a guiding influence at a young age, Willy has always felt “kind of temporary” about himself.
Creating ideals
Creating ideals
- As a result, he has created his own mythology of familial success built around self-reliance (“We’ve got quite a streak of self-reliance in our family”), personal charisma and enterprise.
- Tragically, he himself is unable to live up to these ideals.
1Introduction
1.1Introductions
2Act One
3Act Two
4Extended Passage Analysis
5Character Profiles
5.1Willy & Linda Loman
5.2Biff & Happy Loman
5.3Other Characters
6Key Themes
7Writing Techniques
7.1Structure
7.3Expressionism
8Historical Context
8.1Historical Context
9Literary Context
9.1Tragedy
10Critical Debates
10.1Introduction
10.2The Marxist Reading
10.3The Feminist Reading
10.4The Eco-Critical Reading
10.5Other Debates
Jump to other topics
1Introduction
1.1Introductions
2Act One
3Act Two
4Extended Passage Analysis
5Character Profiles
5.1Willy & Linda Loman
5.2Biff & Happy Loman
5.3Other Characters
6Key Themes
7Writing Techniques
7.1Structure
7.3Expressionism
8Historical Context
8.1Historical Context
9Literary Context
9.1Tragedy
10Critical Debates
10.1Introduction
10.2The Marxist Reading
10.3The Feminist Reading
10.4The Eco-Critical Reading
10.5Other Debates
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