Willy had one goal in life: to make money. As a salesman, he strived to be at the top of the game - well liked and one of the most successful. In the end of the play, he was still striving to make money by killing himself. Willy leaves a legacy of failure. He was never able to supply the success and wealth for his family, though he died trying.
Willy killing himself for the insurance money supported the way he lived because he always strove to make enough money to not have to worry through his life. He always talked up his sales to his kids and Linda almost as if to reassure himself more than anything. Willy's legacy left behind is one of defeat, yet success as well. With Willy's one final act, he supports his family and earns the last bit of money needed to make sure his family did not have to worry. His legacy lives on through his kids and through Linda.
I agree and disagree with your statement. Willy's legacy was of defeat but not also success. He failed in being able to support his family. However, the insurance money collected from the suicide was not needed as Linda had made the last payment to the bill on the day of his death.
Willy's suicide was symptomatic of the way he lived. In killing himself, he reinforces the idea of providing for his family. Throughout Biff's and Happy's lives, Willy always praised them and expected the best out of them. He did everything to keep them happy and successful- even behave differently around them. Up until the end, Willy thought the boys did not see through his act. When Willy realized the boys were also acting and not as successful as they said, he does one last effort to help them: killing himself. With Biff never coming back and Happy in a low wage job, Willy's negative income would do nothing. For legacies, Biff, Happy, and Linda each have their own interpretations of Willy. All agree that his death was untimely; however, the family differs on Willy's impact. Linda is sad about Willy being gone. Linda says she is "keeps expecting him" to return from his trips. Linda always waited and got along with Willy. Throughout her marriage, she expected Willy to succeed... maybe not majorly, but enough to keep the family happy. The final payment on the house represents Linda's dream of seeing Willy accomplish something, Linda was hoping that Willy would finally "settle down" after his years of work and on the road. Biff had a great impression of his father until the incident in Boston his viewed changed. Gone was the dream of success and hard work his father tried to put in Biff. Biff realized that being happy did not mean being successful. Biff did not want Willy's dream to be his own. When Willy killed himself, Biff say it as an attempt by a disillusioned man to set things right. Biff continues in his dream to search out West for happiness. Happy takes Willy's death as added motivation. Having never personally experienced Willy's actual life, Happy wants to complete his father's dream. To him, Willy was a hard working man who believed success could happen anywhere, including in the city. Happy takes on his father's legacy of doing anything to help the family.
I think the difference in interpretations of Willy's death within the characters is very interesting. Although, i disagree that Biff was just moving west to find happiness. I think Biff went west to run away from his father. After his father died, he was finally free of the guilt he had held onto for abandoning the father who loved him.
Willy's killing himself for the insurance money reflects his constant obsession. Willy thought that wealthy people, like Ben who struck diamonds, were truly successful. He longed to have expensive appliances, for example when he talks about the refrigerator, because he thought that people would think higher of him if he was wealthy. Willy leaves a legacy that the man needs to provide for his family. He showed his sons that it is not good enough to have just everything you need, but to have everything you need and all of what you want. His death made sure that his family would be able to live a better life financially because he thought he was worth more to them financially if he was dead rather than alive.
Yes, a man's possessions does not equal his worth. To be happy, value relationships among family and friends. It does not matter what you have, if there is no one to share it with. Willy did not realize how much he meant to his family even though the bond with his sons was not the strongest.
To Willy the insurance money was his way of supporting his family. The only thing that he could still do to provide for them and to ease some of their worries. He could not stand not being able to work and bring money home to his family and over the years as he started to make less and less money, he felt less and less useful. His legacy is that one must be successful in order to mean anything in life, and that they must be able to provide for their families or they have nothing else to live for.
I love how you took Willy's final act to be of supporting his family. I definitely agree that Willy had more and more self-doubts about his usefulness to his family as he grew older. He definitely cared about his family, which is one reason why I don't think he killed himself outright without any gain for his family.
Willy’s suicide was seen throughout the entire play. Slowly but surely we knew it was coming. This might be a reason why you could say it was symptomatic of his life. Throughout all of his failures, Willy kept pushing closer and closer to the brink. Willy’s goal was also to leave a legacy for his family, which he ended up doing with his suicide. He knew they would get quite a bit of life insurance money if he was to somehow end up dead. That is why he ended up finally killing himself. After all of his attempts, he knew that this was the only possible thing to do. He needed to make sure his family got the money that he believed they deserved, and he thought there was only one way possible to make sure that happened. Now, in his opinion, his family will always remember him as a sacrifice for the money they received. The truth is though, they will remember him for all of the love he gave to his family, and the sorrow they felt when they found out what really happened.
Willy had one goal in life, and that was to achieve the American dream and make money because he had achieved that dream. He constantly chases after something that he is never able to achieve. Every time he fails, he feels like he fails himself and his family. His lack of control of his achievement may have caused him to have the affair in Boston. His whole life is a downward spiral of trying to achieve and not achieving. This is why Willy killing himself may be symptomatic of the way he has lived. He shows his lack of control of his whole life bursting. Although he thinks killing himself will give his family a better life, his legacy is not one to be proud of. The way he finally got the money he was longing for his whole life was through killing himself. His family will be sad that he thought that was the only way out and does not set a good example for his sons.
Willy’s reason for living was to make money. Killing himself for the insurance money was a way he planned to support his family. He did not do very well at his job and then he was fired, so he needed another way to bring home money. His legacy failed in a way and it was not exactly a good legacy to leave anyway. Willy lived for money and in his mind having money was success. He was not a very good role model for his family to look up to.
Willy died for money just like he lived for money. Greed completely took over his life. He was never with his family because he was always working to make money and instead of enjoying them finally starting to be close, he kills himself to leave them money. Maybe Willy thought so low of himself that he thought his family would rather have a little cash than his presence. The only legacy leaves behind is that insurance money. I do not think he left behind good memories or happiness.
Willy had one goal in life: to make money. As a salesman, he strived to be at the top of the game - well liked and one of the most successful. In the end of the play, he was still striving to make money by killing himself. Willy leaves a legacy of failure. He was never able to supply the success and wealth for his family, though he died trying.
ReplyDeleteWilly killing himself for the insurance money supported the way he lived because he always strove to make enough money to not have to worry through his life. He always talked up his sales to his kids and Linda almost as if to reassure himself more than anything. Willy's legacy left behind is one of defeat, yet success as well. With Willy's one final act, he supports his family and earns the last bit of money needed to make sure his family did not have to worry. His legacy lives on through his kids and through Linda.
ReplyDeleteI agree and disagree with your statement. Willy's legacy was of defeat but not also success. He failed in being able to support his family. However, the insurance money collected from the suicide was not needed as Linda had made the last payment to the bill on the day of his death.
DeleteWilly's suicide was symptomatic of the way he lived. In killing himself, he reinforces the idea of providing for his family. Throughout Biff's and Happy's lives, Willy always praised them and expected the best out of them. He did everything to keep them happy and successful- even behave differently around them. Up until the end, Willy thought the boys did not see through his act. When Willy realized the boys were also acting and not as successful as they said, he does one last effort to help them: killing himself. With Biff never coming back and Happy in a low wage job, Willy's negative income would do nothing.
ReplyDeleteFor legacies, Biff, Happy, and Linda each have their own interpretations of Willy. All agree that his death was untimely; however, the family differs on Willy's impact.
Linda is sad about Willy being gone. Linda says she is "keeps expecting him" to return from his trips. Linda always waited and got along with Willy. Throughout her marriage, she expected Willy to succeed... maybe not majorly, but enough to keep the family happy. The final payment on the house represents Linda's dream of seeing Willy accomplish something, Linda was hoping that Willy would finally "settle down" after his years of work and on the road.
Biff had a great impression of his father until the incident in Boston his viewed changed. Gone was the dream of success and hard work his father tried to put in Biff. Biff realized that being happy did not mean being successful. Biff did not want Willy's dream to be his own. When Willy killed himself, Biff say it as an attempt by a disillusioned man to set things right. Biff continues in his dream to search out West for happiness.
Happy takes Willy's death as added motivation. Having never personally experienced Willy's actual life, Happy wants to complete his father's dream. To him, Willy was a hard working man who believed success could happen anywhere, including in the city. Happy takes on his father's legacy of doing anything to help the family.
I think the difference in interpretations of Willy's death within the characters is very interesting. Although, i disagree that Biff was just moving west to find happiness. I think Biff went west to run away from his father. After his father died, he was finally free of the guilt he had held onto for abandoning the father who loved him.
DeleteWilly's killing himself for the insurance money reflects his constant obsession. Willy thought that wealthy people, like Ben who struck diamonds, were truly successful. He longed to have expensive appliances, for example when he talks about the refrigerator, because he thought that people would think higher of him if he was wealthy. Willy leaves a legacy that the man needs to provide for his family. He showed his sons that it is not good enough to have just everything you need, but to have everything you need and all of what you want. His death made sure that his family would be able to live a better life financially because he thought he was worth more to them financially if he was dead rather than alive.
ReplyDeleteYes, a man's possessions does not equal his worth. To be happy, value relationships among family and friends. It does not matter what you have, if there is no one to share it with. Willy did not realize how much he meant to his family even though the bond with his sons was not the strongest.
DeleteTo Willy the insurance money was his way of supporting his family. The only thing that he could still do to provide for them and to ease some of their worries. He could not stand not being able to work and bring money home to his family and over the years as he started to make less and less money, he felt less and less useful. His legacy is that one must be successful in order to mean anything in life, and that they must be able to provide for their families or they have nothing else to live for.
ReplyDeleteI love how you took Willy's final act to be of supporting his family. I definitely agree that Willy had more and more self-doubts about his usefulness to his family as he grew older. He definitely cared about his family, which is one reason why I don't think he killed himself outright without any gain for his family.
DeleteWilly’s suicide was seen throughout the entire play. Slowly but surely we knew it was coming. This might be a reason why you could say it was symptomatic of his life. Throughout all of his failures, Willy kept pushing closer and closer to the brink. Willy’s goal was also to leave a legacy for his family, which he ended up doing with his suicide. He knew they would get quite a bit of life insurance money if he was to somehow end up dead. That is why he ended up finally killing himself. After all of his attempts, he knew that this was the only possible thing to do. He needed to make sure his family got the money that he believed they deserved, and he thought there was only one way possible to make sure that happened. Now, in his opinion, his family will always remember him as a sacrifice for the money they received. The truth is though, they will remember him for all of the love he gave to his family, and the sorrow they felt when they found out what really happened.
ReplyDeleteWilly had one goal in life, and that was to achieve the American dream and make money because he had achieved that dream. He constantly chases after something that he is never able to achieve. Every time he fails, he feels like he fails himself and his family. His lack of control of his achievement may have caused him to have the affair in Boston. His whole life is a downward spiral of trying to achieve and not achieving. This is why Willy killing himself may be symptomatic of the way he has lived. He shows his lack of control of his whole life bursting. Although he thinks killing himself will give his family a better life, his legacy is not one to be proud of. The way he finally got the money he was longing for his whole life was through killing himself. His family will be sad that he thought that was the only way out and does not set a good example for his sons.
ReplyDeleteWilly’s reason for living was to make money. Killing himself for the insurance money was a way he planned to support his family. He did not do very well at his job and then he was fired, so he needed another way to bring home money. His legacy failed in a way and it was not exactly a good legacy to leave anyway. Willy lived for money and in his mind having money was success. He was not a very good role model for his family to look up to.
ReplyDeleteWilly died for money just like he lived for money. Greed completely took over his life. He was never with his family because he was always working to make money and instead of enjoying them finally starting to be close, he kills himself to leave them money. Maybe Willy thought so low of himself that he thought his family would rather have a little cash than his presence. The only legacy leaves behind is that insurance money. I do not think he left behind good memories or happiness.
ReplyDelete