Vulnerability is a feeling that plagues us all throughout our lives. In the play Death Of A Salesman by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman is a man who is burdened with vulnerability. Though Willy attempts to work his way through his vulnerable state to a set of goals in his life, he ultimately fails. His journey to satisfy his own set of life goals is littered with experiences of vulnerability while in pursuit of these goals, partly because of the external environment he is surrounded by, and partly because of his own personality. However, despite his vulnerable state, Willy fights to overcome his vulnerability to attain his own goals.
The external environment in which Willy Loman lives adds to his feeling of vulnerability. When Willy goes to Howard for an improvement in his job description, he instead gets fired:
Willy: All right, I’ll go to Boston tomorrow then. ...
Willy: I can’t throw myself on my sons! ...
The circumstance of Howard firing Willy takes a strong toll on Willy’s pride, and that carries through to the addition of vulnerability in Willy’s life. Willy can no longer financially support himself, and this leaves him weak and defenseless, because be has nothing left to stand on. More is added to Willy’s vulnerability when the meeting between Biff and Bill Oliver does not go well. ... ” and Willy replies: “You didn’t see him, did you? ... At this point, Willy’s hopes of Biff becoming successful are dashed because he knows that Biff’s meeting with Bill Oliver didn’t go all that well, and this adds to Willy’s vulnerability because he begins to see that his beloved son is not becoming the successful man Willy had hoped he would one day be. Though his feeling of vulnerability is nearly at it’s peak at this point based on the things that have already happened to Willy, his feelings of vulnerability continues intensify when his sons leave him at dinner, when they were supposed to eat with him.
To link to this page, copy the following code to your site:
All Papers Are For Research And Reference Purposes Only!
You may not turn these papers in as your own! You must cite our web site as your source!
