Dec 25, 2023
Plagiarism Scan Report
Characters:5805 Words:977
8% 92%
Plagiarized Unique Speak Time:
Sentences:49
8 Min
Excluded URL None
Content Checked for Plagiarism
Marx's concept of labor alienation is expanded in Willy Loman. According to
Marx, the modern wage worker's labor was alienated in the sense that it was
repetitive, routine, fragmented, and dull, that the worker was merely "an
appendage to the machine," that work was for someone else and under
someone else's jurisdiction, not one's own; and that in his work, the worker
became detached or alienated from the ownership of the factory, the tools
with which he worked, the product of his labor, and so on. But, at the very
least, the modern wage worker kept spiritual autonomy from the system, the
ability to despise it while refusing to commit to it. Willy Loman, as the
prototype of the alienated white collar employee, however, throws both body
and spirit into the industrial fire and consumes both. Willy, a pitiful victim of a
single-minded devotion to false and empty material success values, allows
what is most uniquely his, his personality, to be sculpted, altered, and
vulgarized in conformity with what he believes others expect of him. Worse,
the self-hatred eating away at his soul as a result of his failure to fulfill these
ambitions causes him to damage his treasured and once loving relationship
with his boys, eventually leading to his own self-destruction. Willy's self-
hatred has pushed him to spiritual suicide long before his physical suicide,
and he is only temporarily supported in his growing madness by his
transparent self-deception and delusions of previous accomplishments and
false illusions of future successes. Willy Loman is, in a nutshell, the tragic
incarnation of the other-directed, success-seeking new middle-class man of
corporate America in the mid-twentieth century. The extraordinary impact of
this play on American audiences, as well as its reception and accolades, attest
to Miller's ability to reflect the rising social character of the American new
middle class. Biff, Loman's older son, was another alienated character in
Death of a Salesman. Biff, a 34-year-old man, finds his entire life has been a lie
and that he has been alienated from his entire family. Biff has been working
out west and spent a while in jail before returning home to see his parents.
Biff has conflicting thoughts about Willy, claiming that he is not all evil and
that he is insane at sometimes. Biff recognizes that his father is to blame for
his failure in life. "And he came back after that month and took his sneakers-
remember those sneakers with University of Virginia' printed on them? He
was so proud of those, wore them everyday. And he took them down in the
cellar, and burned them up in the furnace." (Miller 94) When Biff was
seventeen, he went to see Willy in Boston and discovered that his father was
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having an affair on Linda. Biff immediately recognized that his entire
existence had been a lie, as had everything he had been taught by his father.
Biff realized he had given up his life when he returned home and burned his
sneakers, which caused him to fail in the future. Linda, Biff's mother, believes
that her son is unconcerned about his father. "Don't you care whether he lives
or dies?" (Miller 123) Biff has been estranged from his own mom because she
thinks he dislikes Willy, although knowing Willy is dishonest and cheated on
Linda. Because of Willy's unreasonable behavior, Biff is alienated from his
family for the rest of his life. Willy's alienation could be mirrored by the garden
he wants to develop in his back yard. His rear yard is small, fenced in, and
incapable of supporting a productive garden. Similarly, Willy Loman's position
in the working world is restricted, separate from everyone else, and will not
allow him to succeed. Willy was his own worst enemy, an insecure individual
who couldn't accept himself. Society fueled the fire by refusing to accept him
as well. It is human tendency to pass judgment on things, especially on
individuals. Willy Loman was hardly an exception. Willy, on the other hand,
was already down, and society kept him there. He was fired from his position
of thirty-four years because the younger boss couldn't stand having an older,
less profitable salesman represent the company. Willy is cut off from his
family, particularly his sons, due to an unknown force that prevents him from
communicating. In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman's younger son is an
excellent representation of alienation. Willy's younger son, Happy, has
become more successful in business than his father but remains socially
secluded. Happy is more successful than his father and older brother, yet he
still aspires to greater things in life. He is attempting to realize the
unattainable American Dream, which his father also desired. Happy's
ambition is to become a successful and prosperous businessman, but he will
not achieve this. "I gotta show some of those pompous, self-important
executives over there that Hap Loman can make the grade." (Miller 24) Happy
is separated from society and from his coworkers since they believe he is
unworthy of a promotion. At work, happy is not very social. He avoids
interacting with his coworkers since he is egotistical and a womanizer. Happy
sleeps with a variety of women, including the wives of his coworkers. "I don't
know what gets into me, maybe I just have an overdeveloped sense of
competition or something, but I went and ruined her, and furthermore I can't
get rid of her. And he's the third executive I've done that to." (Miller 25) Happy
is aware that what he is doing is wrong, but he is also aware of the
consequences. This causes him to become estranged from his coworkers
since he refuses to speak with the man whose wife he had an affair with.
Happy is the most prosperous of his father and brother, yet he remains
isolated from society due to his unusual ambitions.
Sources
2% Plagiarized
Death of a salesman by Jonathan Estela
https://prezi.com/qpql_qw3aeps/death-of-a-salesman/
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2% Plagiarized
The Importance Of Cheating In Death Of A Salesman By...
https://www.123helpme.com/essay/The-Importance-Of-Cheating-In-Death-
Of-FCHA7GD2R
2% Plagiarized
Web · HAPPY: I gotta show some of those pompous, self-important executives
over there that Hap Loman can make the grade. No, for some, a salary is not
for …
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6e961918145c59beJmltdHM9MTcwMzM3
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2% Plagiarized
I don’t know what gets into me, maybe I just have an overdeveloped sense of
competition or something, but I went and ruined her, and furthermore I can’t
get rid of her. And he’s the third ...
https://genius.com/Arthur-miller-death-of-a-salesman-act-1-annotated
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