The dynamic of the play is driven by the emotional and
psychological disintegration of Willy Loman. As the story develops, Loman's interior
life becomes more chaotic and his behavior becomes more bizarre as he breaks apart under
stress. His career as a salesman is over. He has little to show for a lifetime of hard
work. He cannot support himself and his wife Linda. His two sons are failures in every
sense of the word, men of no character or
accomplishment.
The idea that Loman is suicidal is
introduced into the plot specifically when Linda Loman discovers by accident that her
husband is making plans to kill himself. Overwhelmed with pain and fear, she shares this
news with her sons. Her intervention, however, and her appeal to her sons for help do
not even slow this plot development. Events happen rapidly that push Loman finally to
commit suicide.
The final irony of Loman's life is that
through the life insurance Linda Loman collects, he is worth more financially to his
family by dying rather than by living. Willy Loman's suicide at the conclusion of the
play resolves the plot. It is far too late for him or his sons to be saved from the
lives they have created and the flawed characters they have become. Linda, the loving
wife and mother, is left amid the wreckage.
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