In the play, " Death of a Salesman" , Arthur Miller depicts a typical dysfunctional family. This is Arthur Miller's best-known and most important problem play. It is a symbolic and in part expressionistic, and it challenges the American values concerning success. Willy Loman is a salesman who after thirty-four years of being on the road, is slowly starting to deteriorate physically as well as mentally. Upon his being fired, Willy tries to understand why he has failed as a salesman, a father, and as a husband. The word "dysfunction" defined according to The American Heritage Dictionary is "abnormal or impaired functioning". This definition paints a perfect picture of the daily goings on in the Loman household. It can be said that the Lomans are a dysfunctional family due to the lack of communication, respect, and values. The basis for a good relationship is constant communication. Communication was something the Lomans did not practice often, and when they did, it usually ended in a shouting match. Willy has extremely poor listening skills, which is the key component in communication. He constatnly talks over people, and always interrupts whoever is speaking. When Willy went to talk to Howard about getting a job in New York, and not traveling anymore was a perfect example of Willy's poor communication skills. Whenever Howard would start to say anything that Willy didn't think was in his favor, Willy would talk over Howard. Page 2 When Howard left Willy alone in the office to greet other people outside, Willy acknowledged this to himself, saying "What the hell did I say to him? My God, I was yelling at him! How could I" ( Miller 1285). This is a perfect example of Willy's lack of communication skills. It's well known that parents' behavior influences their children. So it's no surprise that Biff lacks communication skills also. Everyone in the family has a habit of interrupting one another as evidenced in this exchange between Biff and Linda talking about Willy's car accidents: Biff: What woman? Linda(simultaneously with Biff).
