Willy Loman Existentialist Essay - 599 Words

Willy Loman an Existentialist? Can anyone control their life? Is the power of control in human beings hands to make choices and set or know the exact outcome of those choices? Personally, I dont believe that human beings are awarded with such a power as to be able to change any aspect of their lives. The purpose of my essay is to focus on the life of Willy Loman, a protagonist in a play called Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. Is Willy Loman an existentialist or he thinks he has no control over his life? According to my own perspective, Willy Loman is and is not an existentialist. In his life, Willy Loman desires to be a wealthy and respectful man. His blueprint of becoming successful in life is what he often says, Be liked†¦show more content†¦The other way in which Willy is an existentialist is that towards the conclusion of the play, Willy thinks of taking a responsibility of his family and therefore doing something that would benefit his entire family. Willy makes a major decision; as a mate r of fact, the biggest and the most significant decision of his life. Willy chooses to finally take control of his life and end it. This time he knows and he’s confident that the outcome of his decision will be in his favor. Ironically, Willy is excited to terminate his life, because that would give his family the twenty thousand dollar insurance that Willy had. Twenty thousand dollars would assist Biff in getting a good start in his career. Willy took control of his life and made a choice that he believes is responsible and helpful to his family, especially to Biff, therefore Willy is an existentialist. Willy Loman was and at the same time was not an existentialist. There could be many point of views whether Willy Loman was or wasn’t an existentialist. This essay demonstrates my view and perspective of Willy Loman. Works Cited existentialist. WordNet ® 3.0. Princeton University. 21 Apr. 2008. Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/existentialist. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: The Viking Press,Show MoreRelated Individual Choice and Failure in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman1553 Words   |  7 Pagesfailures of a system, but from an existentialist point of view, however, the play solely represents the failures of an individual. By looking at the many distasteful characteristics of the societal system embodied by the Lomans family values and dreams, and by then arguing these points from an existentialist point of view, this essay will confirm that the play represents the failures of an individual instead of casting blame on a socially constructed system. Existentialists claim that to live is to beRead MoreNew York : A Cultural Melting Pot, And The American Dream2234 Words   |  9 Pagesaround him, and he fought to bring a realistic and existentialist point of view in the theatre. Though many of his early works failed, All My Sons (1947) was an unprecedented hit. It related the individual’s responsibility to society to advocate the greater good (Rollyson and Sterling 1). Miller’s magnum opus came in the form of Death of a Salesman (1949). The play ran for 742 performances and it still continues to be performed today. Willy Loman, the main character, chases the American Dream, but