Death of Trust Essay - 1235 Words

In the classic American drama â€Å"Death of a Salesman,† Arthur Miller spins a profound and complex narrative around a deluded and shallow shell of a man. In a story overflowing with intimations about the nature and morality of man and the ramifications of mistruths and fantasy, there is one message easily held as predominant: that of Willy Loman’s futile pursuit of the American dream and the reality of its death within him—and the unfortunate sector of humanity that he embodies. This interpretation is so dominant and alluring, in fact, that it neatly obscures a more subtle message seeded patiently by Miller throughout the narrative. While the death of the American dream might be lamentable, it is the death of trust in â€Å"Death of a Salesman†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Though Willy does not know Singleman personally and thus could have no idea of the measure of the man’s amiability, Willy nonetheless considers him the epitome of a â€Å"well -liked† individual. Thus Willy’s fixation with being â€Å"well-liked† throughout the course of the play is not meant to be taken entirely literally—in Willy’s mind, being â€Å"well-liked† is apparently equivalent to being trusted. It is for this reason that he goes to every length to maintain the trust and associated respect his family has for him, going so far as to layer lie over lie until, ironically, neither he nor his family can truly trust themselves to sort fantasy from reality. Despite his arguable hand in these proceedings, the sheer number of betrayals of trust Willy endures is enough to arouse sympathy for the misguided man. Just as with his father, the worst of these betrayals are abandonments. When Howard fires Willy after thirty-four years of working for that company, Willy cries out in anguish that Howard cannot cast him off â€Å"like a piece of fruit.† (Cardullo 583) However, the only argument that he can make to Ho ward is predicated not on his skills as a salesman, but on his (probably imaginary) relationship with Howard’s father—Willy cannot comprehend that a man he supposedly helped name could abandon him like this, caught up as he is with the idea that trust such as that earned from years of faithful work is moreShow MoreRelatedGift Tax Essay1615 Words   |  7 Pages(a) What is included in Decedent’s gross estate? Decedent made a transfer within 3 years of death. Under Section 2035(a), nothing is included in Decedent’s gross estate, because it’s a cash gift. However, under Section 2035(b), the amount of the gross estate shall be increased by the amount of any tax paid on any gift made by the decedent during the 3-year period ending on the date of the decedent’s death. 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