The Irony of Life

"He was so wonderful with his hands."
"He had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong."
Requiem. 1629

     The Requiem of the play draws a conclusion that may have otherwise been overlooked had it not been in context of the passing of Willy. Biff, Charley, and Linda realize how well Willy completed manual tasks such as repairing a ceiling or pouring cement. The irony that Willy could have found his financial stability and importance in a job he never considered makes me consider what caused Willy to favor business life over manual labor. Because he was greatly affected by the notion that notoriety in life stems from a great reputation, he never considered a job in which the socialization is minimal. This also made me think that maybe the world was smarter than Willy and saw right through him, which is another irony. Willy was obvioiusly caught up with the task of building rapport among his clients. However, maybe this society-wide notion was far too immature for his buyers, who realized his self-seeking nature and found it hard to come to like Willy despite his jokes. I also found it ironic when Biff comes home to find Willy planting the seeds in the small garden he has plotted beside the house. There is some allusion in this scene, because earlier in the play, Willy explains to Linda how he has tried to grow plants in this area and nothing will grow. Now, Willy is desperate to create something that will provide for his family. The dramatic irony in this occurence is that the reader can sense earlier in the play that none of Willy's ambitions will come to fruition, but he himself does not come to this conclusion until the end of the play.