ically, Willy is boxed in (a coffin), hoping to give his sons an opportunity with the insurance money.Willy Loman commits suicide in order to provide financially for his family. His suicide can be interrupted as a sacrifice, driven by the belief that his son, Biff, could go into business using the proceeds of the twenty thousand dollar life insurance policy. Willy tells Ben that at his funeral they will come from Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New HampshireRhode Island, New York, New Jersey (Miller 126). In actuality, only his family and Charley attend the funeral. This proves that being well liked and popular are not what matters. The death of [Willy Loman] is symbolic of the breakdown of the whole concept of salesmanship inherent in our society (Clurman, Success 213).Ironically, at the end of the play, Linda pays the last mortgage payment, and for the first time in their lives the Lomans have a financial sense of security. Willy tells Linda, Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and theres nobody to live in it (Miller 15). Willy works for thirty-six years in order to build this sense of security, yet commits suicide before he can enjoy the outcome of his hard work. Tragically, he feels that he must trade his own life for his familys well being.Death of a Salesman dramatizes the failure of a dream. Willy Loman is a failure as a family man and never achieves the American Dream. His life is an example of true downfall, which affects all of those close to him. By living in an illusion, Willy guarantees that he will never achieve everything that he should have. As a result, Willys death is the final endorsement of his failed life.Willy Loman articulates through the way he lives and dies the latent self-destructiveness of society in which the false promises of advertising corrode not only the business lives but our personal relationships. (Hayman 37-38) Even if Willy had made a great deal of sales, success cou...
