Open Prompt # 4 Revised

2007. In many works of literature, past events can affect, positively or negatively, the present activities, attitudes, or values of a character. Choose a novel or play in which a character must contend with some aspect of the past, either personal or societal. Then write an essay in which you show how the character's relationship to the past contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

The longevity of human memory is bittersweet; nostalgic memories of the past can bring great pleasure, while terrible experiences can haunt one forever. In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman must deal with the ramifications of his past extramarital affair. Willy's struggle with his past mistake is a vehicle through which Miller explores Willy's role in Biff's failure to succeed and the fallacy of Willy's ideas regarding success, revealing Miller's criticisms of the society responsible for creating Willy.

Miller makes it clear that the discovery of Willy's extramarital affair by Biff is the direct cause of Biff's failure in life, however, Willy initially responds with denial. Bernard notes that after Biff visits Willy in Boston, the drive that Biff had to complete high school vanishes, a comment that angers Willy greatly and that he denies. Biff's discovery of Willy's affair exposes his father as a "fake", and leads him to see through the fallacy of the ideals and dreams that his father has for him. This leads to the disillusionment that haunts him in the years following the incident. Since Biff's confrontation, he fights a constant battle between his own optimistic perceptions and reality. Willy blames Biff's laziness for his failures in life, but eventually, deep down, Willy recognizes that he is to blame. As the plot progresses, Willy realizes, despite his surface pomp and pride, the flaws in his ideals and dreams.

Since Willy is Miller's symbol for the American way and the products of American society, when Willy, the character that embodies American values, finally comes to realize that his own vision is a lie, Miller is displaying his criticism of those values. After Biff's discovery of his affair with The Woman, Willy's optimistic perception of society and its values is shattered, causing him, similarly to Biff, to suffer bouts of disillusionment with the world he lives in. He turns to memories of his brother, Ben, for the "right answer" to the question of how to succeed in the world, yet finds no concrete answer. Through Biff's confrontation about his affair with The Woman, Willy is brought to reality. However, he can not cope with the real world, preferring to hide in the broken shell of his American Dream. Willy, though internally realizing that his American Dream is a lie, perseveres in his quest to realize it, culminating in his death. The death of Willy in his pitiful pursuit of a broken dream is Miller's condemnation of the values and aspirations that Willy represented.

Willy is haunted by the questions and self-realization of the fake life that he leads, after Biff discovers his affair. He is unable to accept what he knows deep down to be true, which leads to his demise. Through this Miller exposes the fallacy of the American way by exposing its product, Willy, as a lie.