Free Movie Review About Death Of A Salesman

1) Willy Loman’s character is both typical and atypical of the normal Everyman. On the one hand, Willy is a standard average joe, hoping to work hard at his job so that he can achieve a major living and support his family, allowing them (and himself) to achieve their dreams. However, he is also distinct from these individuals in that he is a middle-aged man who has already failed, but does not realize it; he continues on this path without really understanding the damage it is doing to his character and family. He is a bipolar, unstable man who lashes out in many ways to his life and station, speaking out against the unreachable tragedy of the American Dream.
2) Willy’s turning point absolutely comes when he is caught by Biff cheating on his wife. Despite Willy’s central placement in the story, it is Biff’s character that undergoes the most changes. In many ways, Biff learns the hazards of following Willy’s example in his life and attitudes, and Biff discovers that he does not want to be the man that Willy has built him up to be. In discovering Willy’s infidelity, the remaining illusions that Biff had about Willy as a role model are shattered, and it is revelatory to Biff who now understands the reality of their family’s situation, rather than the happy illusion Willy set up for them. The play’s climax comes when Biff argues with Willy at the table, seeking to talk about everything that bothers them.
3) While Willy himself suffers greatly from his own delusions, it is probably Biff that suffers the most. Biff looks up to Willy, and Willy places a considerable heap of expectations on him to be a successful businessman and take after him. However, by slowly and surely dismantling Willy’s life and the illusion he has created for himself, Biff is allowed to suffer by being forced to fit the mold his father places him into.
4) In many ways, Willy’s suicide for the insurance money is a perfectly tragic way to sum up his life up to that point. Throughout his life, Willy sacrificed and gave up his entire life to provide money for his family, all while maintaining a certain cowardice about owning up to his failings. By killing himself for the insurance money, he both follows through on his already-considerable sacrifices for his family, while also taking the coward’s way out and preventing himself from owning up to his failings.
5) Willy Loman set out to fulfill the American Dream – if you work hard, and give everything you have, you can have the future that you want. Willy Loman wants to be a great man more than anything, and to elevate himself beyond the mediocre, middle-class, middle-aged man he secretly knows he is. He cannot fulfill his dreams, though, because they are impossible to accomplish; this is not necessarily his fault, as he was misled by American culture to believe that everyone could achieve these goals. Willy’s aspirations were too high, and yet he also forgot to focus on what was really important – staying true to his family, and maintaining honest, communicative relationships with them. He is not a born loser, but his own flaws, including his elevated sense of self, contributed greatly to his own failure.