Willy Lohman’s Dilemma
Nobody lives an easy going life, everyone has to cope with different challenges as they age. The theory of Maslow’s law has eight different steps ranging from physiological needs to self-transcendence. These different levels can be applied and related to one’s own life. In the play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses Willy Lohman to demonstrate how he did not reach self-actualization because he prevents himself from advancing psychologically by using defense mechanisms against others. Miller attempts to use Willy as a symbol for the average man struggling in American society today because he is not fully understanding what he needs to do in order to live a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle to be happy.
Denial is a common defense mechanism used to deal with conflict, Willy Lohman utilizes this mechanism the most in the play. This is problematic because he is farther away from becoming mentally stable. In the beginning Willy completely denies the fact that he is doing poorly at his job. He tells Linda, “The trouble was that three of the stores were half closed for inventory in Boston. Otherwise I woulda broke records”(35). This quote demonstrates Willy denying the reason why he did not make enough money on his business trip. The excuses and lies that he is telling to his family is unhealthy. The different excuses to explain his shortness of money is easily avoidable if Willy just tells the truth. The problem is that Willy is only lying to himself which is detrimental to his own sanity. He also exemplifies denial later on when he starts to ignore that he is not actually being paid so he borrows money from Charley. Linda starts to tell both Biff and Happy why Willy is in a difficult mental state. She tells the boys, “ Why shouldn’t he talk to himself? Why? When he has to go Charley and borrow fifty dollars a week and pretend to me that it’s his pay?” (57). Clearly this exemplifies that Willy is making no money for his family. Usually a father or a father figure in a family are the main providers for the family. Willy fails to do his part by not earning a steady income. When one is looked down upon from society then their self-esteem drops, they would then be associated with. Maslow’s fourth step which is very low. As the play advances, Willy encounters more situations where he uses denial to avoid conflict. He still thinks that he has his salesman job, but in reality he was fired. Charley knows that Willy is struggling to pay for simple necessities and offers him a job to help him take care of his expenses. Willy assures Charley and says, “ I’ve got a job” (96), he does not want any help from another man. He has too much pride to ask for or receive a job from Charley. Willy is not facing his problems, he is only …show more content…
He applies defense mechanisms to avoid all conflict possible in his life. The nature of human beings has been studied for many years. Everyone has used a defense mechanism at least once in their life. The problem is that some do not know or even recognize when they are using them. Without realizing the prominent issues and conflicts, a person will become just another step farther away from
Nobody lives an easy going life, everyone has to cope with different challenges as they age. The theory of Maslow’s law has eight different steps ranging from physiological needs to self-transcendence. These different levels can be applied and related to one’s own life. In the play Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses Willy Lohman to demonstrate how he did not reach self-actualization because he prevents himself from advancing psychologically by using defense mechanisms against others. Miller attempts to use Willy as a symbol for the average man struggling in American society today because he is not fully understanding what he needs to do in order to live a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle to be happy.
Denial is a common defense mechanism used to deal with conflict, Willy Lohman utilizes this mechanism the most in the play. This is problematic because he is farther away from becoming mentally stable. In the beginning Willy completely denies the fact that he is doing poorly at his job. He tells Linda, “The trouble was that three of the stores were half closed for inventory in Boston. Otherwise I woulda broke records”(35). This quote demonstrates Willy denying the reason why he did not make enough money on his business trip. The excuses and lies that he is telling to his family is unhealthy. The different excuses to explain his shortness of money is easily avoidable if Willy just tells the truth. The problem is that Willy is only lying to himself which is detrimental to his own sanity. He also exemplifies denial later on when he starts to ignore that he is not actually being paid so he borrows money from Charley. Linda starts to tell both Biff and Happy why Willy is in a difficult mental state. She tells the boys, “ Why shouldn’t he talk to himself? Why? When he has to go Charley and borrow fifty dollars a week and pretend to me that it’s his pay?” (57). Clearly this exemplifies that Willy is making no money for his family. Usually a father or a father figure in a family are the main providers for the family. Willy fails to do his part by not earning a steady income. When one is looked down upon from society then their self-esteem drops, they would then be associated with. Maslow’s fourth step which is very low. As the play advances, Willy encounters more situations where he uses denial to avoid conflict. He still thinks that he has his salesman job, but in reality he was fired. Charley knows that Willy is struggling to pay for simple necessities and offers him a job to help him take care of his expenses. Willy assures Charley and says, “ I’ve got a job” (96), he does not want any help from another man. He has too much pride to ask for or receive a job from Charley. Willy is not facing his problems, he is only …show more content…
He applies defense mechanisms to avoid all conflict possible in his life. The nature of human beings has been studied for many years. Everyone has used a defense mechanism at least once in their life. The problem is that some do not know or even recognize when they are using them. Without realizing the prominent issues and conflicts, a person will become just another step farther away from