FREE ESSAY ON NIRVANA

NIRVANA

Death of A Salesman
In the book Death of A Salesman, author Arthur Miller shows how cruel life can be through
the life of Willy Loman, the main character. His feelings of guilt, failure, and sadness
result in his demise. 
Willy's sense of pride is a very big issue in his life; he doesn't like people to give
him handouts, although he may need them. But the feeling of failure overrides him when he
learns about the loss of his job. "But I got to be in 10-12 hours a day. Other men-I
don't know-they do it easier. I don't know why-I can't stop myself I talk to much."
(p.37) Willy being a hard working man that tries his best realizes times have changed.
His youthfulness and life have begun to fade. A man his age working ten to twelve hours a
day is very unlikely. "I don't want you to represent us. I've been meaning to tell you a
long time now!" (p.83) When Willy first heard this from his boss, that is a man younger
than him begins to cry. A man his age working in a company that long doesn't really
deserve to be fired. It makes his life seem a waste, and makes him imagine himself as a
failure. "I was fired and I am looking for a little good news to tell your mother,
because the woman has waited and suffered." (p.107) Willy is clueless of what is to come
of his family and feels he has let everyone down. He failed to support his wife along
with his sons. His life was basically devoted to impressing others and the one job he had
led him to failure.
In Willy Loman's life, guilt played a big role. He lived many years feeling remorseful of
what led and followed after cheating on his wife. "Now look Biff, when you grow up you'll
understand about these things. You mustn't overemphasize a thing like this." (p.120) When
Biff first caught his father cheating on his mother he reacted in a very harsh, way
leaving his father feeling guilty. Biff began to realize his whole life was a fake. "You
fake! You phony little fake! You fake! Overcome, Biff turns quickly and weeping fully
goes out with his suitcase. Willy is left on the floor on his knees"(p.121) Biff, Willy's
main pride, left him. Biff never trusted him again. Willy's guilt of lying to his loving
son stays in his mind-leaving Biff to hate his father. Whatever relationship they had
before what shattered into millions of pieces. It killed Willy that his once loving son
grew to hate him as much as he did. "Will you stop mending stockings? At least while I'm
in the house. It gets me nervous please! (p.75) Seeing his wife Linda mending stockings
leads him to a great deal of guilt. The woman with whom he was cheating with was
constantly given gifts of stockings from Willy. It reminds him of how he should have
given the new stockings to his loyal wife. The feeling of guilt and losing the trust of
his son leaves him with great pain and the many attempts of suicide.
As the play ends, we begin so see more clearly towards Willy's flashbacks. His suicide
attempts become stronger and the painfulness of his life turns to sadness. "I was looking
for a fuse down in the cell and behind the fuse box-it happened to fall out-a length of a
rubber pipe-just short." (p.59) Linda, suspicious of her husband wanting to kill himself,
finds a hidden rubber pipe connected to the gas line of the water heater. Linda, scared,
tried to take the pipe away every day but always found herself putting it back thinking
she was betraying her husband. She began to confide in her sons with what she should do,
but finds them thinking the opposite. "Pop I'm nothing! I'm nothing pop! Can't you
understand that? There's no spite in it anymore. I'm just what I am that's all!" (p.133)
Biff begins to find his father unbearable. He always relied on Biff to come home and
surprise him with good news, but Biff tells Willy he can't do that any more because their
lives are both shams. Biff begins to realize he and his father never were important and
never will be. Biff cries to his father to make him understand. Biff's speech was the
last meaningful thing that Willy, heard and he dies knowing his son did love him and
never blamed him for his life. "Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream,
boy. It comes with the territory." (p.138) For all of the feelings of guilt, sadness, and
failure in Willy's life, at his requiem everyone praised Willy for his good doings,
forgetting his bad doings. Charley, Willy's only best friend, explains how a salesman
must dream to be successful. Willy may have had the wrong dreams but did what he was
meant to do in life.
Willy's sad ending left him to remain a salesman. He never made it to the top as he
planned or ever got his son to trust him. His death was basically based on the ways of
the world and his wrongdoing. But what human being is perfect? Some get dealt good cards
others may not. What Willy should have done was follow his heart and not his needs, and
his life may not have ended as sadly as it did.
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