Willy from Death of a Salesman, and Hickey from The Iceman Cometh Essay

Willy from Death of a Salesman, and Hickey from The Iceman Cometh - Essay ExampleWilly becomes entrenched in a quagmire of lies, delusions and self-deception, which ultimately leads him to commit suicide.Theodore Hickman (Hickey), the principal character in Eugene ONeills The Iceman Cometh is a smooth-talking salesman. He comes to Harry Hopes ginmill preaching the gospel of salvation, exhorting his drunken friends to divest themselves of their pipe dreams of tomorrow and make peace with themselves. Hickeys murder of the tomorrow dreams will bring break up to the bar, thus Hickeys advent is the advent of the Iceman or Death. We learn later that Hickey has brought death to his own house, murdering his wife. When he confesses to the murder, Hickeys gospel of salvation reveals itself as its own pipe dream, a delusion that lets him evade his guilt over his crime.While both characters are salesmen, they differ in temperament and outlook. Willy Loman is an insecure, self-deluded salesman who desperately believes in the American Dream but never achieves it. The fact that he uses gardening as a metaphor for success and distress indicates that he subconsciously acknowledges that his chosen profession is a poor choice, given his natural inclinations (Willy tells Stanley in Act II Nothings planted. I mountt have a thing in the ground.). Here, the garden functions as a substitute for his failed career and his son Biffs wayward career.Willy Loman is a dreamer, dreaming of a better life as promised by the American Dream. He dreams about being a super salesman like his hero Dave Singleman, a mythic salesman who achieved great fame and popularity. Willy visualizes having people remember and love him, considering it the ultimate satisfaction (Willy tells Howard Wagner in Act II And when I saw that, I realized that sell was the greatest career a man could want. Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of