Betrayal can come in many forms. In “Death of a Salesman,” by Arther Miller, disloyalty is a common theme. Main character Willy faces many forms of deception, from his sons leaving him at a restaurant, to refusing to get help from individuals. One may face betrayal from family and self, as well as betray others. Willy is betrayed by his family’s pride and impatience. This is evident where son Biff argues due to impatience in many instances. An examples of this includes when Biff says, “Stop making excuses for him! He always, always wiped the floor with you. Never had an ounce of respect for you.” This shows no proof of Biff caring for the well-being of his father. Linda, Willy’s wife betrays him as she acts as though nothing is wrong with him, when he evidently has a mental disorder. This is shown where Linda states, “No, a lot of people think he’s lost his — balance. But you don’t have to be very smart to know what his trouble is. The…show more content… Throughout the play, it is clearly evident that he has a mental disorder. In many instances, he is caught talking to himself, or performing tasks at irrational times, (planting seeds late in the evening.) There is not one time where Willy admits that he has a problem. Instead, he portrays his normality. This prevents his family from helping him. The ultimate betrayal of his family is at the end of the play, where Willy goes mad and kills himself in a car accident. This is a selfish and spur of the moment act, which has a permanent consequence for his loved ones. His proud mind set allowed zero help from family or himself. The impatient pride of Willy’s family betrays his mental health when they pretend everything is okay. His dignity prevents him from getting help from anyone. When Willy kills himself, it is the utmost form of betrayal to his family. Betrayal may be given, as well as received from family and self. All forms of betrayal are selfish, and benefit no
