Willy Lomans Flashbacks as a Drug

No one has a perfect life. Everyone has conflicts that they must face sooner or later. The

ways in which people deal with these personal conflicts can differ as much as the people

themselves. Some insist on ignoring the problem as long as possible, while some attack

the problem to get it out of the way. Willy Lowman's technique in Arthur Miller's play

Death of a Salesman, leads to very severe consequences. Willy never really does anything

to help the situation, he just escapes into the past, whether intentionally or not, to happier

times were problems were less. He uses this escape as if it were a drug, and as the play

goes on, the reader learns that it can be a dangerous drug, because of it's addictiveness

and it's deadliness.


The first time Willy is seen dazing off into the past is when he encounters Biff after

arriving home. The conversation between Willy and Linda reflects Willy's

disappointment in Biff and what he has become, wh...