Another person who had betrayed him was his father; he had abandoned him when he was at the age of three. Throughout the play, details of Willy’s childhood and infancy isn’t mentioned apart from when he reminisces with Ben about the past, the audience then learn of his father’s occupation (‘gadget inventor’)and how him and the family had travelled by means of a ‘wagon’ across the country. Willy had a traumatic childhood as he had a difficulty growing up without a father figure or someone who he could admire and have as a role model. This image portrays to the audience a child who had been betrayed and lost all hope of wealth and inheritance of his father’s inventions. Willy had been deprived from all aspect of this therefore has constant flashbacks of his conversation with Ben. He idolises his father and asks of Ben to explain to Biff and Happy about him and his success, ‘No Ben! Please tell about Dad’. On one of the occasions, Ben explains to him how their father played the flute and how he would ‘stop in the towns and sell the flutes’ and also how with ‘one gadget made more in a week, then a man like you could make in a lifetime.’ This further influences Willy wanting to achieve the American Dream; although he never knew much of his father therefore has the urgency to be just like him. When Ben re-appears in the play, the audience is aware of his presence as a sounds of flute is heard, this music symbolises the betrayal of his father it emphasises his insecurities and helplessness, his father’s betrayal has impacted on his life as he too is a poor role model to his children.
Lastly, Willy’s former employer, Howard betrays his loyalty towards Willy as he terminates his employment contract even though Willy has been loyal and a dedicated employee for over thirty years. The quote, ‘…I was with the firm when your father used to carry you in his arms’ shows how loyal he was when Howard was young and he attempts to contradict his decision in firing him, he also says that Frank, his late father ‘promised’ Willy that someday Willy will be a member of the firm, Howard refuses to listen to Willy and leaves. Willy’s termination is one of the most obvious betrayals in this play; Howard is an obstacle which has overcome Willy being partially successful and achieving his dream.
On the other hand, Willy betrays his eldest son Biff as he has been raised based on Willy’s American Dream. Willy believes that being successful is only achieved by an individual’s personal gain and quality, ‘...be well liked and you shall never want’, this quotation emphasises that success will give you everything that one needs and that they shall never have this need ever again. Willy leads Biffs’ life to astray as whilst during one of his flashbacks, he brings to Biffs attention that he can be better and more successful than Bernard, ‘you are going to be five times ahead of him’, which proves to be ironically wrong as Bernard becomes a successful lawyer whereas Biff is stuck working at a ranch or being unemployed. Willy persuades both of his sons to conform to the ‘dream’ by speaking of his brother’s wealthy achievement, the quote ‘there was a man who started out with the clothes on his back and he ended up with diamond mines’, outlines to Biff and Happy a role model for them to pursue and follow. Biff in his own way had achieved the American Dream as he was happy, popular and settled his life whereas in Willy’s perspective his wasn’t financial stable which is the main basis of the dream. Willy betrayed Biff as he never let him explore his life and be in command, Biff ‘never got anywhere because he blew me so full of hot air and I could never stand taking orders from anybody’.
Willy mainly betrayed his loyalty towards his wife Linda as he had an affair with another woman (‘the woman’); his mistress is never identified by name but is exposed in his flashbacks whilst on stage. The woman flaunts herself at Willy; she sweet-talks him with flattering compliments which makes him feel desired and the person he sees himself as. The woman does betray Willy to some extent as she reassures him that when Willy does visit for business purposes, she will make sure he is seen as soon as, ‘...whenever you come to the office, I’ll see that you go right through to the buyers’. This leads to Willy keeping her ‘sweet’ by complimenting her with stockings, this represents his sexual infidelity as well as his utmost disloyalty to his family. She uses this motivation to her advantage which ensures that she keeps getting stocking’s, ‘...you promised me stockings Willy!’.
The affair not only ruined Linda’s life it also ruined Biffs’, when Willy had a flashback about his affair with the women; we learn that Biff was a bystander in this event. Since then Biff has lost all his trust and confidence within his father, the quote ‘...phoney little fake!’ emphasises how he had once worshipped him and now he has lost traces of this, the word ‘fake’ gives the impression that he had idolised him and now he knows the real ‘Willy Loman’. This betrayal was the breaking point of Willy and Biffs’ relationship this has ultimately led to the current issues regarding the family’s problems. The family ties had gradually declined from then right to the climax of the play, the Loman’s are disputing about Biff accusing his father of lying throughout the years to the family, the audience are aware of Willy’s betrayal, during this pinnacle moment Biff states that ‘...Pop, I’m a dime a dozen and so are you’, he argues that Willy and him aren’t capable of achieving ‘his’ dream and that they are the alike. Willy rejects the truth and refuses Biffs’ ultimatum, ‘...I’m not a dime a dozen, I’m Willy Loman and your Biff Loman!’, throughout the play Willy rejects all attempts of hearing Biffs’ claims. For example, before he commits suicide he justifies himself to Ben by claiming Biff will become ‘magnificent with twenty thousand dollars’, he still is assuming that his life insurance will cover his death and still has the same belief that Biff will live out his dream.
Another aspect of his betrayal would be when, Willy lies to Linda about how much he is really earning on a weekly basis,‘...I was selling thousands and thousands...I did five hundred gross in Providence...seven hundred gross in Boston’, Linda makes her calculations of Willy’s commission assuming everything Willy is saying is true, Willy contradicts her estimation by saying, ‘...no, it came to roughly two hundred gross on the whole trip’, this shows his betrayal towards his family he still refuses to face his ultimate fear of not providing enough for his family. He also lied to his boss, Howard about his children’s success; he brag’s to him about well they are doing and that ‘...they’re working on a very big deal’. Willy also had betrayed Bernard in a similar to deceiving Howard; he lies to him by stating a ‘big sporting’ company wishes to recruit Biff, ‘...Bill Oliver...wants Biff very badly, called him in from the west’.
Willy betrayed his wife Linda, his sons Biff and Happy and most of all especially himself as he did not achieve his ultimate goal, by not accomplishing the American Dream. Although, he still believes that he can achieve it as he envisions that his son’s will achieve great fortune and that his family will eventually have acceptance of the dream. There is one significant aspect which mainly contributes to the downfall of Willy himself, he continuously lives from the past tense as he cannot move on this is very detrimental to the present. Willy’s stubbornness to not accept that society is continuously changing has had great affect on him, when speaking to Howard of his inspiration behind him being a salesman he states, ‘...in those days there was personality in it...respect, comradeship...gratitude’. He doesn’t seem to alter his perception of the dream; he doesn’t believe that the business of selling changes, the audience are although aware that his distorted version of American Dream is probably the ultimate betrayer. His core belief that America is a ‘land of opportunity’ perceives himself as weak, as he struggles to come to terms with being unsuccessful and a failure in life. However, he may have not been able to face facts as he knew that he would be completely excluded from all the success around him, Bernard being one of them.
To conclude from this, overall I consider Willy to be the main betrayer as he has been the most influential character in the play. He had an impact on his son’s lives he deprived them from achieving success, i.e. Biff from working with Bernard, a successful lawyer who had idolised Biffs’ popularity when they were children. The play can be depicted as an explanation of the American system, a true understanding of what it is like to be an American citizen. The characters knowingly differentiate between success and failure as the system is not the one responsible. Willy can only be at fault for not becoming what he wanted to be.