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Is Willy Loman a average man? Arthur Miller once said: Tragedy requires a... balance between what is possible and what is impossible. And it is curious, although edifying, that the plays we revere, century after century, are the tragedies. In them, and in them alone, lies the belief optimistic, if you will in the perfectibility of man.
It is time, I think, that we who are without kings took up this bright thread of our history and followed it to the only place it can possibly lead in our time the heart and spirit of the average man. In Miller s play Death of a Salesman the main character Willy Loman refuses to believe that he is an average man, this is proved by the way he views his job, a conversation with his brother Ben, and a conversation between his friend Charley. At the beginning of the play we learn that Willy was driving to go make a sale and he began to daydream and he had to stop, turn around and go home. His daydreaming is a sign that he s tired of constantly moving around and he is ready to retire, but in his own mind he was just tired and he tells his wife, Linda, how everything is good. His wife tells him that There s no reason why you can t work in New York (1478) and Willy responds by tell her, They don t need me in New York.
I m the New England man. I m vital in New England (1478). She begins to try and explain to him that he should retire, But your sixty years old. They can t expect you to keep traveling every week (1478). But he will not listen to what she says, I m supposed to see Brown and Morrison tomorrow morning at ten o clock to show the line. Goddammit, I could sell them! (1478).
Here his wife is telling him how he is to old to be driving all over the place and that he should retire, and while she tells him this he is saying how he is going to see some people tomorrow and how he can make a sale with them. Willy is refusing to believe that he is getting old and maybe he shouldn t be working anymore. Then later in the play Willy decides he will go ask his boss, Howard, for a job in New York where he won t have to constantly drive around, he is confident that Howard will do this for him because Willy feels is is so vital to his job they can t afford to lose him. Even Howard knows that Willy is to old to work and he is no longer important to the business, he proves this in his conversation with Willy: Howard- Say, aren t you suppose to be in Boston?
Willy- That s what I wanted to talk to you about, Howard. You got a minute? Howard- What happened? What re you doing here?
Willy- Well... Howard- You didn t crack up again, did you? Willy- Oh, no. No... (1513) This part of the conversation has Howard asking Willy why he isn t doing what he is suppose to be, and Willy is reluctant to answer first. So Howard realizes that Willy may of had another incident and he asks him this and Willy lies to him and says no but he says it in a way that Howard realizes that Willy is not the salesman he was in the past. Willy then explains to Howard that he doesn t want to travel anymore and asks for a job in New York.
Howard begins to hint to Willy that he is no longer needed Oh, I could understand that, Willy. But you re a road man, Willy, and we do road business. We ve only got a half-dozen salesmen on the floor here. (1514) Then Howard explains that if he can t do road business then he isn t going to have a job, Willy- Look, it isn t a question of whether I can sell merchandise, is it? Howard- No, but it s business, kid, and everybody s gotta pull his own weight. (1514) This has Willy asking is he can t have the job because he doesn t sell as much merchandise as everyone else and Howard says no, but in fact he tells Willy that it is because he can t sell merchandise anymore. Now we find that Willy refuses to believe that he is no longer needed, Willy- You father in 1928 I had a big year. I averaged a hundred and seventy dollars a week in commissions.
Howard- Now, Willy, you never averaged Willy- I averaged a hundred and seventy dollars a week in the year of 1928! (1515) Then Willy begins to yell at Howard for thinking that he isn t a good salesman anymore and that he didn t make that much money in 1928. Then Willy decides that he just wants to keep his old job, Willy- I ll go to Boston. Howard- Willy, you can t go to Boston for us Willy- Why can t I go? Howard- I don t want you representing us. I ve been meaning to tell you for a long time now. Willy- Howard, are you firing me?
Howard- I think you need a good long rest, Willy. (1515 - 1516) This shows how Willy thought he was good enough to go and get an easier job when in reality he went to get a better job and he was told he wasn t good enough and he got fired. Willy s brother Ben left home when Willy was four and went out into the world to make a fortune for himself. He was going to look for their dad in Alaska but somehow he eventually ended up in Africa where he made his fortune by finding some diamonds. One time when he came back from Alaska he asked Willy to come with him, Willy- No, wait! Linda, he s got a proposition for me in Alaska.
Linda- But you ve got a beautiful job here. Willy- But in Alaska, kid, I could Linda- Your doing well enough, Willy! Willy has been lying to Linda about how well he is doing at his job, this is why he can t take up Ben on his offer because that means he would have to admit he is not doing as well as he said and that he lied to Linda. Had Willy not lied to Linda and he just admit that he wasn t as good as he used to be, then he may have been able to go with Ben to Alaska and then they both would have ended up in Africa and made the fortune together. The Loman s next door neighbor s are Charley and his son Bernard, Charley is a big time lawyer who is everything Willy thinks he is, Charley is Willy s only friend and Willy knows this. Charley is always trying to make Willy realize that he he is not perfect and he his not as good as he thinks he is.
Willy tells Charley of how he got fired and Charley offers him a job, Charley- Willy, I know you don t like me, and nobody can say I m in love with you, but I ll give you a job because just for the hell of it, put it that way, Now what do you say? Willy- I I just can t work for you Charley. Charley- What re you, jealous of me? Willy- I can t work for you, that s all, don t ask me why. (1523) Willy will not take the job from Charley because that would mean that he would be admitting that his whole life was a failure and that he was just an average man. Willy has been jealous of Charley his whole life because Charley is everything he thinks he is and wants to be. Willy Loman was an average man, the problem was that he would never admit to it because he grew up with the idea that all you need to succeed in life was to be well-liked.
He thought he was well-liked but he wasn t, and if he realized this he may have been able to turn his life around and not commit suicide, thinking that this was the only way. But all he had to do was realize who he really was and swallow his pride and take the job from Charley or not constantly lie to his wife about how well things are at work, and had he done this his life could have been completely different
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Research essay sample on Job In New York Willy Loman
