Death of a Salesman - Essay Example

 Introduction Willy Loman has been a traveling salesperson who has literally been working for a company that has spanned for over three decades. With the passage of time, Willy’s age has also been a source of problem for him, so much so that his employers have started questioning his ability with regards to the work that he puts in day in day out. He has been taken off the usual salary register and put on a straight commission, of which he is not capable of earning enough money that could clear away his bills, expenditures and other needs with respect to his life and himself in particular. Meanwhile, Charley who is Willy’s neighbor has been kind and generous enough to lend some money to him every other month so that the latter’s expenditures could be somehow or the other curtailed but Willy in all seriousness is too proud to agree to all this -- a job from him. Emphasis on “Time” This essay has clearly pinpointed an old man’s problems that he has started encountering ever since he was shown the door from where he used to work for a very very long time. The same happened due to his old age whereby his superiors thought that he could not do any better hence they struck him off the payroll salary list and put him on a commission basis so that the old man himself, with respect and dignity quite the job rather than firing him out, as the latter would have looked severe and unbecoming of, especially if we take into consideration his age and the amount of time he spent with the company. Time is one such issue, which has been particularly taken care of here, and an effort is made to focus on the very problems that led to his untimely death at the hands of a suicide. Taking into perspective, his fight with loneliness, time and old age, he said, "After all the highways, and the trains, and the years, you end up worth more dead than alive." Also, the manner in which his son Biff has been talking to him of late concerning Willy’s brother’s death a while back, has made matters all the worse for Willy whereby by his standards, he has started to think that no one takes him seriously and everyone’s avoiding him due to one reason or the other. This forces him to give up his life and he seriously starts to think about it. In the end, he does so what he had planned and he gives up his life by hitting his car with a tree at full speed. He gives his life because his age cannot cope up with the changing tides of the time and hence he decides that he has got no role in this world, therefore, death is the only way out (of misery and loneliness). His son was of the view that "He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong," thus in essence making a reference to his father. This is true that the past disables the present and the coming times in a number of ways whereby man in his hey days does not think that one day he will get old and would be literally useless for everyone, rather all the time he is in search of either one thing or the other in this material world but when he or she actually reaches that age, then only a man or a woman seriously starts thinking of the errors and mistakes that they had done in their past. They feel that they are seriously led down by their time and their age. Surely this time and their age cannot in any way come back and serve for them. There are a number of themes, which can be discussed while keeping time in perspective. These are ignorance on the part of Willy who has a philosophy that relies on the fact that success is solely based on the appearance and popularity without mentioning hard work. Apart from that, pride is another theme whereby Willy considered himself too proud to accept a job, which demanded working under Charley, but on the same token he accepted his money on the basis that it was a loan for the former given by Charley. This is seen in the light that it was literally impractical on the part of Willy to pay back. Self-awareness is another issue that needs to be tackled here with respect to the themes concerning Willy whereby his son Biff knew that his father loved working with his hands and outdoors whereas Willy was in pretty much denial of the fact that that was his love in life as well; Willy therefore concealed the joy because it did not fit into his predetermined mold for a beloved businessman Lastly, he used to lack the right kind of energy for accepting and coming to terms with reality with the passage of time. He refused to admit the fact that he was a fine carpenter, and hence continued to live a life of lies, memories, and dreams as a smothered businessman. Conclusion This essay has focused on the life of Willy and his fight with age and more so with time. This story within itself contains the moral that no matter how aged one becomes, a person should not give up to live with life as it comes, as life is too short to uphold and give place to grievances and sorrows. It should be spent in the best manner possible, with everyone and in a pleasant and cordial manner where smiles should be the order of the life, rather than the day. According to his quote about old age and life, he said: "You can't eat the orange and throw the peel away. A man is not a piece of fruit." Bibliography Miller, Arthur. Death Of A Salesman The Norton Introduction to English Literature, 2004 Word Count: 981 Read More