Death Of SalesmanIn the play, ” Death of a Salesman” , Arthur Miller depicts a typicaldysfunctional family. This is Arthur Miller’s best-known and most importantproblem play.
It is a symbolic and in part expressionistic, and it challengesthe American values concerning success. Willy Loman is a salesman who afterthirty-four years of being on the road, is slowly starting to deterioratephysically as well as mentally. Upon his being fired, Willy tries to understandwhy he has failed as a salesman, a father, and as a husband. The word”dysfunction” defined according to The American Heritage Dictionary is”abnormal or impaired functioning”.
This definition paints a perfectpicture of the daily goings on in the Loman household. It can be said that theLomans are a dysfunctional family due to the lack of communication, respect, andvalues. The basis for a good relationship is constant communication. Communication was something the Lomans did not practice often, and when theydid, it usually ended in a shouting match. Willy has extremely poor listeningskills, which is the key component in communication.
He constatnly talks overpeople, and always interrupts whoever is speaking. When Willy went to talk toHoward about getting a job in New York, and not traveling anymore was a perfectexample of Willy’s poor communication skills. Whenever Howard would start to sayanything that Willy didn’t think was in his favor, Willy would talk over Howard. Page 2 When Howard left Willy alone in the office to greet other people outside,Willy acknowledged this to himself, saying “What the hell did I say to him?My God, I was yelling at him! How could I ?” ( Miller 1285). This is aperfect example of Willy’s lack of communication skills.
It’s well known thatparents’ behavior influences their children. So it’s no surprise that Biff lackscommunication skills also. Everyone in the family has a habit of interruptingone another as evidenced in this exchange between Biff and Linda talking aboutWilly’s car accidents: Biff: What woman? Linda(simultaneously with Biff). .
. . . and this woman.
. . . . Linda: What? Biff: Nothing. Go ahead Linda: What didyou say? Biff: Nothing.
I just said what woman? (Miller 1272). This is a typicalconversation in the Loman household; interrupting each other, not listening toeach other, and lack of interest in what one another are saying. Their lack ofcommunication is again apparent when Willy is getting ready for bed with Linda,and he’s instructing Biff on his conduct in his meeting with Bill Oliver thenext day. Linda cuts him off, and Willy responds “Will you let metalk?”, cutting Linda off in return.
Biff then tells Willy not to yell atLinda, which Willy responds to angrily and sarcastically ” I wasn’ttalking, was I ?” ( Miller 1276). This is a common path conversation takeswith any of the Lomans. All this points Page 3 to their lack of communication,which will breed dysfunction in any atmosphere, especially in a family. Problemscommunicating and a lack of respect are direct influences on each other.
Lack ofrespect for each other is another reason why the Lomans are a dysfunctionalfamily. Willy’s lack of respect for his wife is obvious, due to the fact that hecheats on her during his business trips and thinks nothing of it. When he’scaught cheating on Linda by Biff, Willy explains it’s because he gets lonely,and tells Biff “when you grow up, you’ll understand about these things. Youmustn’t overemphasize a thing like this.
” (Miller 1306). Willy only caredthat he was caught, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with the cheatingitself. Further, more convincing evidence of the lack of respect existing in thefamily occurred when Willy met Happy and Biff at the restaurant the day ofBiff’s meeting with Bill Oliver. This was also the day Willy was fired byHoward.
Willy strated having one of his dilusional episodes, and went into thebathroom. Biff and Happy got into an argument about Happy’s apparent disregardfor Willy, and Biff stormed out of the restaurant. Happy leaves with the twowomen while Willy is still in the bathroom, in the middle of a flashback. Whenthe woman asks him about his father, happy replies, “No, that’s not myfather.
He’s just some guy. ” (Miller 1303). This is evidence of theultimate disrespect ; Happy’s not willing to admit that Willy is actually hisfather. Taking into account the state Willy is in Page 4 when Happy leaves, thisshows total disregard for his own father’s well being.
Biff shows the samedisregard when he leaves before Happy does. Another example of disrespect in thefamily is the fact that they don’t even respect themselves. This is evidenced byHappy’s philanderous ways, and ultimately by Willy’s suicide. When an individualhas no self-respect, it is impossible to respect others.
When there is norespect for others in a household, this obviously is going to lead to adysfunctional environment also. The Lomans’ dysfunction is further proven in thelack of morals displayed throughout the family. Happy and Willy’s womanizingalone show a lack of morals, especially in Willy’s case, considering he ismarried. When Biff’s thievery is factored in to all this, the Lomans’ lack ofmoral value becomes undeniable.
Even more alarming is the fact that Biff goesundisciplined for these acts by Willy, as well as Linda. In fact, the boys areencouraged at one point to steal. When Willy wanted to build the front porch, hetells his boys to “go over to where they’re building the apartment houseand get some sand” (Miller 1267). What kind of parent encourages hischildren to steal? During the time Biff was playing football, he stole afootball from the locker room at school. Not only did Willy laugh with Biffabout the theft, he made the excuse that “sure, he’s gotta practice with aregulation ball, doesn’t he?” and even goes so far to say “coach’llprobably congratulate you on your initiative!” (Miller 1256). This is ablatant illustration of Page 5 the lack of morals contained in the Lomanchildren, as well as the lack of morals taught by Willy himself.
The lack ofmorals in the Loman boys is the result of never learning any morals from theirparents. This is an obvious form of dysfunction in the Loman family. Willy nevertaught his sons right from wrong, only how to be philandering thieves. TheLomans were a dysfunctional family due to their lack of communication, theirlack of respect for each other, and their overall lack of moral value.
Theexamples used to illustrate these points are undeniable evidence of theirdysfunction. Their symptoms of dysfunction are not uncommon in today’s society. The Lomans dysfunction could have easily been avoided by a more attentive andrespectful family relationship. The same holds true for today’s societalproblems.
All problems are created and curbed in the family environment. If moreattention is paid to youth, the youth in turn, will pay attention.
