Dangerous Behavior Exposed in Death of a Salesman Everyone has personal problems that they face. In the play Death of a Salesman, the author, Arthur Miller, explores the ways in which some people deal with these problems. Miller reveals Willy Lowman's tendency to ignore problems for as long as possible. Willy never really does anything to improve his situation; just use flashbacks to escape into the past. Through his flashbacks he returns to happier times, when problems were few and far between. He uses this escape mechanism as if it were a harmless drug that allows him to get through life. As the show progresses, the reader learns that even a harmless drug can be dangerous due to the potential for addiction. The first time Willy is seen slipping into the past is when he meets Biff after arriving home. The conversation between Willy and Linda reflects Willy's disappointment in Biff and what he has become: a bum. After failing to properly manage his feelings, he flees back to a time when things were better for his family. It is not uncommon for someone going through a difficult time in life to remember better times. This allows him to awaken so that he can deal with the problems he encounters in the present. Willy Lowman takes it a step further. His refusal to accept reality is so strong that, in his mind, he is transported back in time to relive the happiest days of his life. It was a time when Willy and Linda were younger, no one argued, the financial situation was less burdensome and Biff and Happy enthusiastically welcomed their father back home after long journeys. After a flashback, Willy's need for the "drug" is satiated and he is reassured that everything will be fine, and... middle of paper ......and disillusioned children.Works CitedField, BS “ Death of a Salesman” Twentieth century literature. January 1972. 19-24. Rpt. in world literary criticism. Ed. Frank Magill. “Arthur Miller” Detroit: Gale Research, 1992. 2366-2368. Hoeveler, DJ “Ben's Influence.” Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman: Modern Critical Interpretations. Ed. Harold Blum. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1988. 72-81. Magill, Frank. “Death of a Salesman”. Master plots. Englewood Cliffs: Salem, 1976. 1365-1368.Miller, Arthur. Death of a salesman. New York: Penguin, 1969.---. Conversations with Arthur Miller. Jackson: Mississippi UP, 1987. Parker, Brian. "Point of View in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman." Arthur Miller: A Collection of Critical Essays.Ed. Robert Corrigan. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1969. 98-107.