The dynamic
of the play is driven by the emotional and psychological disintegration of Willy Loman. As the
story develops, Loman's interior life becomes more chaotic and his behavior becomes more bizarre
as he breaks apart under stress. His career as a salesman is over. He has little to show for a
lifetime of hard work. He cannot support himself and his wife Linda. His two sons are failures
in every sense of the word, men of no character or accomplishment.
The idea
that Loman is suicidal is introduced into the plot specifically when Linda Loman discovers by
accident that her husband is making plans to kill himself. Overwhelmed with pain and fear, she
shares this news with her sons. Her intervention, however, and her appeal to her sons for help
do not even slow this plot development. Events happen rapidly that push Loman finally to commit
suicide.
The finalof Loman's life is that through the life insurance Linda
Loman collects, he is worth more financially to his family by dying rather than by living. Willy
Loman's suicide at the conclusion of the play resolves the plot. It is far too late for him or
his sons to be saved from the lives they have created and the flawed characters they have
become. Linda, the loving wife and mother, is left amid the wreckage.
No comments:
Post a Comment