A reader does not have to look very hard to find examples of
Willy Loman's lack of success. If you examine Willy's roles as a father, husband, and provider,
you will find him lacking. First of all, we know that he has failed as father. He and Biff are
estranged at the beginning of the play. Biff is a drifter, who at thirty, is still trying to find
himself. Happy is only an assistant to the merchandise manager, who finds himself having sex with
women who belong to other men. Neither son seems to have much self respect or a firm grip on who
they are as individuals. At the end of the play, we see that Willy deeply disappointed the young
Biff with his philandering, and that Biff never recovered from the shock of discovering that his
father was having an affair with another woman.
Of course, this
affair is what makes Willy a failure as a husband. Throughout the play, we hear the woman's
laughter--the woman who was Willy's mistress. In the present, we see Willy's irritation with
Linda, his constant refusal to allow her to express her opinion or to partake in a conversation
with her sons and her husband. At the end of the play, we know why: Willy's affair makes hims
feel guilty whenever he is around his wife.
As a provider, Willy
never was very successful. Even though he bragged about being a great salesman, we learn through
his flashback with Linda that Willy never made very much money. He barely made enough to cover
the bills. In the present, he is reduced to working for straight commission and borrowing from
Charlie to make ends meet. He dreamed of making it big, like his brother Ben, but he never really
did. So, he transferred all his ambitions to Biff, who only disappointed him, as he disappointed
Biff.
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