Jealousy in "Death of a Salesman"
Jealousy in "Death of a Salesman"
People lie out of jealousy, and when they cannot face the truth about their actual life style. In Death Of A Salesman Willy Loman made people believe that he achieved success by lying. Willy is jealous of people who have better things and people who have reached success. Willy’s jealousy and his need to lie cause him to be unsuccessful and become distant from his family.
To be jealous is to dislike someone because of everything they have. In the play Willy believes that he has made bad purchases while others have gotten the best; “I told you we should’ve bought a well advertised machine. Charley bought a General Electric and its twenty years old and its still good, that son-of-a-bitch” (Miller 73). Willy thinks that because he didn’t buy a well advertised machine he was cheated out of something good. He feels that everyone gets the good things except him. Willy feels that in life Ben has had a better advantage. For example;
“You’re just what I need Ben, because I-I have a fine position here, but I-well, Dad left when I was such a baby and I never had a chance to talk to him and still feel-kind of temporary about my self.” (Miller 51)
Willy assumes that Ben was successful because he had his father to guide him through everything and Willy had no one in his life to guide him. Willy feels that people are always thinking they are better than him, for instance; “Who the hell do you think you are, better than everybody else? You don’t know everything you big, ignorant stupid...” (Miller 90) Willy gets offended by the littlest things and thinks that he is being made fun of at all times. Willy’s jealousy leads himself to think that he is not good enough. All of Willy’s jealousy towards his friends has resulted in him lying to his friends and family.
When people lie to their family and friends it is because they cannot face the truth about themselves. Willy feels a need to lie to Linda about his work because he does not want her to worry, for instance; “Business is bad, its murderous. But not for me, of course.” (Miller 51) Willy wants Linda to think that no...