Death of a Salesman

Character Analysis of Willy Loman

Analysis Outline

Willy Loman is a tragic hero who lives in the past glory and desperately works towards self-realization and fails to achieve.

Willy fails to examine the harsh realities of his current life and dwells on the past glories.

Willy’s troubles take the better part of him, and he becomes desperate resulting in hallucinations.

Willy develops an attitude of doublespeak and makes contradictory statements in most of his conversations with people around him.

Willy speaks highly of his car Chevrolet and claims that it is the best car ever made. However, he soon contradicts this statement and claims that the Chevrolet should not be manufactured.

Willy’s attitude towards people around him constantly changes because of mixing his past glory and his present situation.

When Willy’s life dives, one notices that the cause of Willy’s dissatisfaction with life is because he believes in American Dream.

Willy believes that one can succeed in America by mere luck and being loved by others.

Willy seeks approval from people around him and trusts the idea that one can be successful if you are loved.

Willy wrecks his children’s future by teaching them to have a social charisma around people. Biff and Happy eventually fail to achieve their dreams.

Although Willy tries to hang on the straws of social approval by engaging in extramarital affairs, this too does not work, and he soon admits to his brother that he is losing it.

Willy engages his brother Ben in s conversation, and his suicidal thoughts are reflected in the conversation.

Willy becomes jealous of his neighbor, Charley, a salesman.

Willy opens up to Linda that people no longer take him seriously and consider him a failure. He eventually takes away his life.