Death of a Salesman

2. What is the significance of Willy's suicide attempts? Why and how is he trying to kill himself? What does he expect will result from his death? Will that happen?

Willy tries to attempt suicide when he realizes he is hopeless and a complete failure in life. Willy's mind was far too tangled, making it impossible for Willy to know his true identity and what Willy Loman really meant. He knew he cannot be the same person as David Singleman and he knew that the life that he wanted was never going to happen. Feeling no support from his own family and everyone around him, Willy thinks that the only escape rope was death. The significance of Willy's suicide attempts refers back with Dave Singleman's funeral. Even though Willy had the same occupation as a salesman like Dave Singleman, Willy had died with no respect but solitude. It shows how Willy's character was such a cumbersome character that just went too far with his dream, affecting many people around him in many ways. Not knowing that being oblivious with the idea of American Dream can only result nothing but death. But the whole purpose of Willy dying was because he still expected people to be at his funeral. In Willy's mind, he is probably thinking that all of his hard work and dejection from people will all pay off someday when he dies. He thinks people will miss him and that they will mourn in his funeral and will realize that he was the one who was right all along. Ironically, nobody comes to his funeral except his family. In addition, even his own wife says, "We're free." at the end of the play which means that Willy was nothing but a burden in the family. Willy is a character that never got what he wanted and never will.