Thoughts on Death of a Salesman

Everyone seems to have sympathy for Willy. Poor Willy. The world beat him down and broke his spirit. : (   Nope. I can honestly say I have no sympathy for Willy. He was very cruel to his wife, and cheated on her. He would interrupt her and tell her to be quiet. He seemed to need to be the center of attention. I know he felt like he had to prove himself, but prove himself to who? Linda? Biff? Happy? Charley? I think he was just a whiny, neurotic old man.

The character I felt bad for was Happy. He was so neglected. He never seemed to be taken seriously. He definitely seemed to have a little bit of that youngest child complex. He seemed like he was trying to overshadow Biff, who had always overshadowed him. I honestly wanted Happy to move out and get away from his family. I think that's the only way he will ever be happy (irony). 

I didn't really have any sympathy for Linda. I think she could have been a much better mom to her boys. I agree she had to take a lot of crap from Willy. He wasn't exactly a loving husband to her, but she wasn't exactly a loving mother so I think it balances out. I really wanted her to embrace Biff at the end, or do something to show that she didn't think Willy's death had anything to do with Biff. I think she sort of blamed him for it in the end.