I need to describe "Willy’s relationship with his two sons and decide whether or not he is a good father." Anybody have an idea for a thesis?

akannan's comments are very good. I want to add that, if I were assigning or grading this essay, I would want to see what is usually called a stipulative or operational defnition. By this, I mean that I would want to see you -- at some point in the essay, probably near the beginning -- define or characterize the term "good father." You might even want to go so far as to incorporate one or more formal definitions. such as Donald Winnicott's concept of the "good enough parent." You may want to argue, for example, that Willy Loman is not only not a good father but also not even a "good enough" father.

Addition: You may want to structure your essay as a syllogism, a three-part argument. Here's an example:

1. A good father is a father who takes an active but not overly controlling interest in his children's development as individuals.


2. Willy does not take an active but not overly controlling interest in his children's development as individuals. (Think of the instances in the play in which he only hears what he wants to hear, forces his sons to do things that only benefit him by sustaining his fantasy world, etc.)


3. Therefore, Willy is not a good father.

You can boil all this content down into one ssntence, of coure. Here's an example, although it's a little clumsily phrased: "Willy Loman is not a good father because he does not take an active but not overly controlling interest in his children's development as individuals."

akannan is right, too, to enourage you to anchor your argument in textual evidence. Show specific instances in the play in which the father does (or does not) embody good parenting skills.