Comments on: Lessons in Unmanliness: Willy Loman

By: Losing Dad: How a Man Responds to the Death of His Father « flakes of nuisance

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 05:29:39 +0000

[...] Lessons in Unmanliness: Willy Loman [...]

By: Gedrick

Gedrick — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:54:45 +0000

Writing a paper about a related topic for school; this is a great article! Not just because of the topic being DoaS, but the points you outlined are excellent. Was just looking for a reference, ended up getting much more :)

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:50:17 +0000

There were two works of art that were allowed into China during the Cultural Revolution from the West: ‘The Sound of Music”, to show what beauty our culture could develop, and “Death of a Salesman”, to show what dogs we capitalists really were.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:15:35 +0000

I feel sympathy for Willy but also a bit of disgust. Who was the male figure in Willy’s life to teach him the right way. He has memories of Ben and Ben’s success but who was there for Willy. He could not even remember his father. That’s why I feel sympathy. I feel a bit annoyed because he never owned up to his actions and took responsibility for them. He tries to make things right with the hope of his family getting the insurance money from his suicide. His family had to endure so much. For the sake of his mother Biff tried to make his relationship with is father work. Happy felt like he had to impress his father to get his attention … It’s just real messed up.

By: sam

sam — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:59:55 +0000

willy loman is a man who hoped to have success but became a victim of fate

By: Rich

Rich — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:51:06 +0000

The man of this day and age is valued and rated by his wallet, and that is, how fat is it, how much money in the bank he has or how much that he makes. Everything else no matter how good or bad, takes a back seat. I am speaking about the United States; though it is sadly spreading. It may not be 100% of woman, but I do think it is pretty darn close. Hard work won’t do me much good, as my health was taken from me by some other person’s wrong illegal doing and it is nothing Doctors can fix, nor can they stop the constant pain it causes. My rating does not even hit the scale. I can dream and hope all I want, but that is where the story ends. Just a fact of this day and age.

By: Barrie O'Leary

Barrie O'Leary — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:39:41 +0000

I have neither seen the play or the movie. Now I must. I can associate with poor Willy. Suicide is not an option, though. Nobod has even mentioned the oh, so obvious, lack of cash experience in all of this. No mon.’, no fun! It is wonderful to be cashed up. It is a slog if not. “What do you us to fuel the car?” you might ask.
What car?” I can respond. Willy was reduced to believing through his crcumstances that he was worth more dead to his family than alive. I can’t understnd how he maintained a mistress in is situation, but a good story does not have to be bogged down with facts, does it? The bible isn’t, afterall.

From what I understand, Willy had no practical soution to hand. Believe me, his homelife was intolerable with woman descended into a scold. she must hae been. Don’t blame will for being unmanly. He was a victim of marriage. Thank goodness for the gay movement and the pill. Sexuality can be seen as one of life’s essentials and can be, handled responsibly, cost free, without the insufferable tolls of being hitched.

Thank goodness that marriage along with religion are now concepts of the past. That does not make a de facto relationship foolproof because it is fools only who participate. Things can go swimmingly well and much better if a man meets a woman by stealth for coitus. I don’t deny Willy his one remaining chance of pleasure with his mistress. She obviously had had to have loved him and that was all he wanted and needed.

By: Joseph

Joseph — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:30:18 +0000

Ha, good luck with that, Mr. Jones.

Have you guys seen the play or just read the book? Seeing it on stage changes the perspective a lot. Willy is a broken man by the beginning of the play, he is becoming senile. He imagines and talks to his dead brother. That is proof positive that he is mentally unstable. He was just a victim of the times, and yet he tried to the last. He was misguided but a man nonetheless.

And he didn’t take the easy way out when he committed suicide. It wasn’t an act of passion but a resolution to help his family. He couldn’t take his neighbor’s offer for help not because of pride. He didn’t know why he couldn’t but he just couldn’t.

By: Mr. Jones

Mr. Jones — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:47:20 +0000

This whole thing is pretty damned depressing.

To perk up, I’m checking out The Crucible. That should lift my spirits.

By: Jack

Jack — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:34:13 +0000

RE: Suicide

I’ve been wondering, what this blog’s stance on suicide is. Pro or anti suicide, I’ve observed, usually comes from the difference in western and eastern philosophies or belief systems about the subject. I hope to see some posts on it in the future.

Eastern thinking usually is okay with suicide, while western thinking generally is not.

Now, in my opinion Mr. Loman’s suicide was avoidable and not exactly necessary. Leaving behind children that need a parent I don’t think was worth his death.

Now, that I think about it , I should probably search to see if you guy’s have written anything about the subject…