Willy Loman is many things: a coward, unpassionate, undevoted to his family and extremely
arrogant; nothing can overwrite these characteristics. 25 pages in, and Miller makes Willy’s
character so complexed but so undeveloped. He leaves us questioning several times in a
lack of pages who Will is and what he’s made up of in his character’s layers.
Willy is extremely, and I emphasise that highly, unlikeable. Willy has two sons, Biff and
Happy- Miller introduces Biff into the play with the line “He was crestfallen Willy. You know
he admires you.” As we’re introduced to the two sons, we see their concern for their father
after he mumbles to himself in the kitchen. This personally for me, makes liking Willy
impossible, as here are two sons who love and appreciate their father who are being
emotionally neglected by the man himself. Crestfallen is a very heavy word, and the fact that
Biff is described as being so distraught over his father’s disappointment really hits us as the
audience hard, especially as we’re physically introduced to Biff and Happy where we can
visibly see Biff sulk over his father disciplining him.
I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Willy and his two sons. Biff is described as being lost
in the world after struggling with the idea of settling down, but we also see this in Willy in
another situation as he’s described as being lost in his dead on job where he lives unhappily.
One of Willy’s stage directions is just ‘lost.’ As the audience, we see how hypocritical Willy
really is, as slightly earlier he said “In the greatest country in the world - gets lost.” This quote
is him mocking Biff, however he feels the same way. This makes him unlikeable as he clearly
holds himself in higher respect to his sons, who later develops the idea he may be jealous of
them. Willy is a poor father, and it makes him even more unlikeable, when we as the
audience come to like and appreciate his two sons.
Just like his relationship with his sons, Willy’s character is also just as equally a disgrace of a
groom. Linda is presented to us by Miller as being a bubbly and happy woman. This tone of
character shows us that Miller wanted us to love Linda due to the way her character is
described so positively. We see Willy come in from the door, and just project all his emotions
onto his wife who has spent the day waiting for the man she ‘adores’ while never once
asking about her or her day. Willy belittles his wife several times; he quite noticeable belittles
her in the quote, “Why did you get american when I like swiss.” - First, this is belittling
because Willy hasn’t taken into consideration what his wife may want. Sadly, we see this
alot. Willy dominates his wife and quite literally speaks for her, de-characterizing a character
who already feels so developed through her positivity and already noticeable love for her
sons and husband. The quote continues with Willy’s anger being explosive. “I don’t want
change! Why am I always being contraindicated?” This quote is significant in the highest
regards. We see his hypocritical state once again through the way he claims to be
‘contraindicated’ even though we’ve just seen him do the same to his wife and also heard
the mention of him doing it to his sons. Another noticeable feature to this quote is use of I.
He refers to himself three times, and what he wants without related to what his family wants.
This use of I, also builds on this idea of self love and even respect which is odd saying how
he feels so sorry for himself. Is this empty self hate? He feels bad for himself, but he also
highly credits his pronoun in so many of his quotes. He knows his world only revolves
around him.
arrogant; nothing can overwrite these characteristics. 25 pages in, and Miller makes Willy’s
character so complexed but so undeveloped. He leaves us questioning several times in a
lack of pages who Will is and what he’s made up of in his character’s layers.
Willy is extremely, and I emphasise that highly, unlikeable. Willy has two sons, Biff and
Happy- Miller introduces Biff into the play with the line “He was crestfallen Willy. You know
he admires you.” As we’re introduced to the two sons, we see their concern for their father
after he mumbles to himself in the kitchen. This personally for me, makes liking Willy
impossible, as here are two sons who love and appreciate their father who are being
emotionally neglected by the man himself. Crestfallen is a very heavy word, and the fact that
Biff is described as being so distraught over his father’s disappointment really hits us as the
audience hard, especially as we’re physically introduced to Biff and Happy where we can
visibly see Biff sulk over his father disciplining him.
I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Willy and his two sons. Biff is described as being lost
in the world after struggling with the idea of settling down, but we also see this in Willy in
another situation as he’s described as being lost in his dead on job where he lives unhappily.
One of Willy’s stage directions is just ‘lost.’ As the audience, we see how hypocritical Willy
really is, as slightly earlier he said “In the greatest country in the world - gets lost.” This quote
is him mocking Biff, however he feels the same way. This makes him unlikeable as he clearly
holds himself in higher respect to his sons, who later develops the idea he may be jealous of
them. Willy is a poor father, and it makes him even more unlikeable, when we as the
audience come to like and appreciate his two sons.
Just like his relationship with his sons, Willy’s character is also just as equally a disgrace of a
groom. Linda is presented to us by Miller as being a bubbly and happy woman. This tone of
character shows us that Miller wanted us to love Linda due to the way her character is
described so positively. We see Willy come in from the door, and just project all his emotions
onto his wife who has spent the day waiting for the man she ‘adores’ while never once
asking about her or her day. Willy belittles his wife several times; he quite noticeable belittles
her in the quote, “Why did you get american when I like swiss.” - First, this is belittling
because Willy hasn’t taken into consideration what his wife may want. Sadly, we see this
alot. Willy dominates his wife and quite literally speaks for her, de-characterizing a character
who already feels so developed through her positivity and already noticeable love for her
sons and husband. The quote continues with Willy’s anger being explosive. “I don’t want
change! Why am I always being contraindicated?” This quote is significant in the highest
regards. We see his hypocritical state once again through the way he claims to be
‘contraindicated’ even though we’ve just seen him do the same to his wife and also heard
the mention of him doing it to his sons. Another noticeable feature to this quote is use of I.
He refers to himself three times, and what he wants without related to what his family wants.
This use of I, also builds on this idea of self love and even respect which is odd saying how
he feels so sorry for himself. Is this empty self hate? He feels bad for himself, but he also
highly credits his pronoun in so many of his quotes. He knows his world only revolves
around him.
