"She’s nothing to me, Biff. I was lonely, I was terribly lonely." - Willy, Death of a Salesman
I think Willy's affair in Boston is when my opinion of him changed. He went from being a confused, stressed, hard-working father who wanted to do what's best for his family to a man who let his deranged memories get in the way of real life. When Biff comes to Boston, he ends up getting yelled at and told not to cry by his father. Most logical people who visit their father in the midst of him cheating on their mother would react just as Biff did. Willy couldn't control his loneliness, and he basically changed Biff's life because of it. Biff was never the same person after that experience. I assume Willy felt terrible after it happened, but he made no effort to reconcile with Biff after ordering him to basically get over the fact that he was cheating on Linda. That's when I stopped feeling sorry for Willy.
I was really tempted to put the song Boston by Augustana on this blog, but I couldn't think of exactly how it related. Plus I don't feel like stretching the reasoning - since I already did that in my last 2 blogs.
The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell. And the funny thing is that you’re a salesman, and you don’t know that. —Charley, Death of a Salesman
All Willy ever wanted in life was to make something of himself - the American dream. He wanted to be well-liked by his coworkers, idolized by his kids, loved by his wife, and successful like his father and brother. These things constantly haunted Willy. He knew that a salesman could be an honorable job, just not the way he did it. Will'y tragic flaw - hubris - was that he couldn't get passed the failings in his life. His life revolved around the image of a dream that infected his mind. He constantly relived aspects of his life that he wasn't proud of or that involved people he was jealous of. The story of Mr. Singleman and how he died the "death of a salesman" - with lots of friends who respected him at his funeral and an honest living left behind for his family- was exactly what Willy was longing for. That fulfillment never came for him, so he figured his life was not worth anything. For that reason, he killed himself to ensure a better life for his family.
One Last Hope - Hercules
This song talks all about different heroes who couldn't succeed
because of their tragic flaw. He has no hope in a hero who can truly
live up to expectations - just as Willy gives up hope on his own life.
Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there’s nobody to live in it. —Willy, Death of a Salesman
Jumper - Third Eye Blind
I can't say that I'm unsympathetic for Willy, because I feel bad
for anyone, fictional or not, who commits suicide to escape
life. I kind of wish someone would've played this song for him.
There are multiple instances where Miller foreshadows Willy's future. The title is the first place. Death of a salesman: well, Willy is a suicidal salesman. The second part of the story that solidifies how Willy will eventually die is when Linda comes right out and says that Willy has attempted suicide multiple times. Also, the quote at the top the page foreshadows the ending. Linda assures Willy that people will always be around to live in their home, but ironically, she ends up being alone in the end. She nearly reiterates this exact sentence in the Requiem of the play. All of these aspects point to Willy's suicide. The suicide seemed like a noble way to die and assist his struggling son in Willy's mind. Willy's discontent with life was leading him down a path of destruction that finally put him over the edge one night.
