Monday, January 2, 2012

Death of a Salesman Essay-1/2/12

Who is Willys foil in the play? Explain how that person serves as a foil for Willy, noting specific differences between them.

Throughout Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, the protagonist in the play, lives in a world of delusions and lies as he is in constant pursuit of his warped version of the "American Dream". He has an incredibly materialistic perception of this dream and lives in a false reality that he is accomplishing this dream. In this reality, he is constantly asking his brother Ben for advice as he believes in get-rich-quick schemes and, as Biff puts it, "boss big shot in two weeks". This is obviously very unlikely to happen and Willy is unable to understand that he is not a "boss big shot" but just an average "low man". He was never able to truly comprehend that the only way to earn true success is with hard work. Bernard, Charlie's son, is the complete opposite as he has been a hard worker since he was a child. Bernard's character mainly sheds light on Willy's failure and exposes his disposition to be somewhat pathetic. Bernard is introduced in the play in one of Willy's memories as a "worried boy" that is "earnest and loyal". He is asking for Biff and telling Willy that if Biff doesn't pass the math test his teacher will flunk him and Biff will be unable to graduate him. Willy regards him with contempt and calls him "anemic" and a "pest". Willy does not like Bernard as he does not share the characteristics that he says his own family have: popularity and attractive/athletic. Willy believes these superficial attributes are the key to success instead of hard work. He even asks Biff if Bernard is well liked and Biff responds by saying that Bernard is "liked, but he's not well liked". Willy then says "Bernard can get the best marks in school, y'understand, you are going to be five times ahead of him". This shows that Willy definitely is not facing reality and does not have his head screwed on tight. Eventually, readers are exposed to an older Bernard, who had been haunted by a certain question:"I've often thought of how strange it was that I knew he'd given up his life. What happened in Boston, Willy?" Willy was frightened by the question as he very well knew what happened in Boston: Willy's affair. Willy cheated on Linda in a hotel in Boston, where Biff came looking for Willy to help him get his math teacher to raise his grade to allow Biff to pass. When Biff discovered that his father had cheated, Biff was devastated as his role model was no longer a role model and, as a result, he gave up on his life. Willy feels an incredible amount of guilt because of the entire situation and he grew to view Bernard as a reminder of the incident. Bernard acts as a catalyst and makes him realize he has failed his wife and Biff. Older Bernard is portrayed as a symbol of success. He tells Willy that he has a wife and two sons, and that he's about to go to Washington to play tennis with his friends, who own their own court. Willy eventually confides in him and asks him for advice as Willy regards Bernard as a "very brilliant man". Bernard is polite and modest about his success, and Willy doesn't find out that Bernard is lawyer that is about to "argue a case in front of the Supreme court". As Willy looks upon Bernard as a symbol of success, he begins to view his sons as a symbol of his failure as a father. It also makes him feel like a failure as a salesman and even as a man. Miller used the transition of younger Bernard to older Bernard to exemplify that hard work pays off and creates inevitable success in the future. Willy's prediction about Bernard turns out to be false, which creates an incredible self-doubt in Willy. He realizes that superficial (personality and appearance) aspects are not what is needed to survive in the business world. It is diligence and perseverance that allow the success and respect Willy is seeking. Bernard definitely contrasts with Willy in order to bring out Willy's superficiality and materialism. In his pursuit of the "American Dream", Willy is unable to think rationally and face reality. Bernard helps ground Willy, serves as a reminder of the real definition of success, and is a true example of how to achieve it, even in spite of his father's lack of interest in his son. Bernard is also a constant reminder that he has failed as a salesman and a father/husband.