Death of a Salesman Essay

Abandonment in Death of a Salesman Many times, it is difficult to find the true cause of one’s downfall and how it could have been prevented. In the play Death of a Salesman, Willy is left materially and emotionally ungrounded when he is abandoned by his father and brother at an extremely young age. Willy himself fears abandonment, but he made his son Biff feel emotionally abandoned when he discovers Willy’s secret affair. Willy’s fear of abandonment leads him to create unrealistic expectations for both Biff and Happy and their careers, which also leads to an obsession over them. When Biff finds out about his father’s affair, he disappeared for many years and abandoned his father. Willy permanently abandons his wife and two sons at the end of Death of a Salesman by committing suicide, which Linda, his wife, already knew he was attempting. Linda is so preoccupied with protecting Willy from abandonment because she knows about him trying to commit suicide. Therefore, Willy’s eventual downfall that led to his suicide, is at the fault of abandonment that he has been dealing with his entire life by his father, brother, and two sons. In the play, it is obvious that Willy is persistently haunted by the abandonment of his father which is the reason why he was never happy about his life and is a major factor in his death. The flute is used as an element that represents the loneliness and the abandonment that Willy is forced to endure daily. If you listen closely you can hear the flute playing in parts of the play where Willy is feeling lonely and is at his lowest points. In the play, Willy must look after and provide for himself, his wife, and two sons who he really loves and cares for. One of the only memories Willy has of his father is him playing the flute, which is why he is always haunted by the fact that his father left him at such a young age for work reasons. Every time Willy is abandoned by someone that he cares for, he is reminded of his father abandoning him, without creating a relationship or establishing values. Unfortunately for Willy, this causes him to question his self-worth, as any child would at this point. The reader can assume that even before Willy commits suicide, he thinks of his father in his last moments. The flute is playing just before Willy dies. Here it becomes clear that the acts of abandonment are what caused Willy Loman to give up on life. Furthermore into the play, Ben, his brother, also leaves Willy’s life. After Ben leaves Willy has an emotional breakdown which contributed to his action of committing suicide. During Willy’s first flashback of Ben, it becomes evident that his emotional vulnerability is why his insecurities got worse after Ben’s walkout. Willy is consistently pushing his sons to show Ben how strong they are and what their talents are. When Willy receives a compliment from Ben, it felt as if everything had fallen into place for Willy. His character completely changes, he’s happy and sure of himself, and he’s also proud of his two boys. Although as soon as the flashback ends, along with the memory of Ben, Willy becomes miserable again. This shows how Willy will never feel like he reached his full potential in life until he gets Ben’s approval of everything Willy has done in life. Willy seems to lack in independence, even when he is about to kill himself he tries to follow Ben into the darkness and feels scared when he is alone. The combination of Willy’s insecurities and fear of being alone are the cause of Ben’s abandonment. Lastly, Biff and Happy also abandon Willy and it is the last of the leading causes of Willy’s suicide. Biff is seen as the “favorite” son, Willy always spoke highly of him and they were very close when Biff was in high school. Biff eventually discovers Willy’s mistress and loses trust in him to then leave the Loman household. This is where Willy’s downward spiral begins. In one part of the play Linda say’s “It’s when Biff comes home that Willy is always the worst”, she says this because when Biff comes home Willy is reminded of how Biff abandoned him physically and emotionally. This triggers Willy’s dementia and his insecurities rise again, and when it’s too much for him he resorted to suicide. The moment where Willy is sure of committing suicide is when Biff and Happy left him in the washroom at Frank’s Chop House to go be with two prostitutes, he finds no purpose in living and therefore gives Stanley, their waiter, a dollar tip claiming that he does not need it anymore. Obviously, Ben and Happy have a very big impact on Willy’s emotional stability. When his sons are absent Willy becomes unsure of himself and anxious which leads to him making irrational decisions. To conclude, Willy’s suicide is the result of abandonment from his father, brother, and two sons. If Willy would have had a support system, or a family who was there for him during his lowest points, and was taught to be confident, Willy would have never gone through an emotional downfall. Death of a Salesman uses many literary and movie elements to show how one’s emotional stability and outlook on life is based upon the experiences that one has with family and friends. Willy resorts to committing suicide due to all of the abandonment issues he has faced with his father, brother, and sons.