The Shame

Reading this play had an impact on my life because my Aunt and Grandfather are both currently very sick, and seeing someone throw away their life because of shame over making a mistake is very hard for me to sympathize with. It shows me that no matter how many mistakes you make, nothing is worth taking your own life. Also, you should never keep big secrets from your loved ones because they will haunt you until they lead to self-destruction. If you make a mistake it is best to own up to it. Willy’s mistake of sleeping with another woman not only affected Willy’s life, but shattered Biff’s future as well. If Willy had told Linda it may still have impacted the family, but at least Willy would have taught his son to be a man and own up to his mistakes. Instead, Biff chooses to give up on his plan for his future when he is faced with failure. Biff fears the shame that he will feel if he cannot finish high school and attend university. Willy felt it was necessary to lie about his job and the way he was treated by his customers because he was attempting to maintain the image him sons had of him. If Willy worked as hard at selling cars as he did trying to impress the boys and get their respect, he could have achieved everything he told them. I learned that it is not always necessary to be, the biggest man, as Willy describes himself constantly throughout the text, but to put in the hard work and to be humble about your successes. Otherwise, if you spend too much time boasting, when you fail you will not be able to handle the shame.