Death of a Salesman Analysis II

Play: Death of a Salesman
Author: Arthur Miller
Grade: 85%
By: P. Yoon

The American Dream and Willy Loman

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is a play depicting the last twenty-four hours of Willy Loman’s life. Willy Loman, the protagonist, is a sixty-one year old salesman pursuing the American Dream. Over time, he creates and lives by a formula to be successful. In order to obtain wealth and respect, one must look good, be well-liked, and work with perseverance. However, Willy fails to be successful because his dream is built upon illusions and poor virtues. He truly believes that “the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead” (Act 1, Line 272). He fails to realize that integrity and hard work are more important in the “business world.” Thus, Willy declines psychologically as he is unable to accept the realities and hardships of life. Success is not measured by wealth, but the amount of happiness and love in one‘s life. Hard work, humility, morals, and integrity are the true ingredients of the American Dream. Using Willy Loman, Arthur Miller exposes the shortcomings of the American Dream.
A huge shortcoming, Americans believe in the American Dream to obtain wealth. To Americans, the value of a person depends on his possessions. For example, Willy assumes Bernard’s friend “Must be fine people” because he has “His own tennis court” (Act 2, Line 277). Willy makes this assumption, even though he does not know anything else about this friend. Americans believe that the rich are fine and righteous people. However, this is proven untrue during Willy’s encounter with Howard. Howard is a successful man who is the boss of a sales company. Despite his wealth, he is a cruel and shameless capitalist. He fires and deposes Willy, a man who served the company for decades, as if he was “a piece of fruit” (Act 2, Line 144). He does not care if Willy “gotta earn money” (Act 2, Line 163) to support his family. Also, he doesn’t show up at Willy’s funeral. Howard does not show compassion nor respect to people who are not useful to him. Miller states that materials and wealth do not have many benefits. Willy thinks that materials can solve his problems. After cheating on his wife, he wants to buy Linda new stockings even though she is happy with the ones she have. He believes buying new stockings could alleviate his guilt. However, Willy cannot alleviate his guilt through presents or new stockings. The only thing he can do is confess and wait until Linda could forgive him. Another instance, Willy tells Howard that he will buy a wire recorder at a price of “a hundred and a half” (Act 2, Line 103). Even though it’s small-talk, Willy does not need a wire recorder. Because his boss has one, Willy wants this “wonderful machine” (Act 2, Line 100) too. Willy represents everything wrong with materialism. For instance, Willy bought the finest fridge and car advertised, but both broke over time. Miller states that Americans do not need the most advertised equipment to feel important and unique.
Another shortcoming, Willy puts his faith into the American Dream because he desires respect. For instance, Willy idolizes Dave Singleman. Singleman is a eighty-four year old salesman who would “pick up his phone and call the buyers, and without ever leaving his room” (Act 2, Line 138). Singleman’s influence made Willy believe “selling was the greatest” (Act 2, Line 138) because wealth and respect can be amassed easily. He admires how hundreds of people came to Singleman’s funeral. Willy becomes envious of Singleman’s funeral and he wants to have that amount of respect in his life. However, Willy does not realize that Singleman was a lonely man without a family or real friends. In his “green velvet slippers,” Singleman died “going into Boston” (Act 2, Line 138). Pathetic, Singleman was still working at the age of eighty-four. Besides his work, Singleman had nothing else to live and work for. Unhappy and lonely, Singleman was unable to share his greatest accomplishments. Miller states that respect does not bring contentment nor happiness.
Finally, Miller criticizes Americans for corrupting the American Dream. To be successful, people must use hard work and integrity. However, Willy Loman fails to realize this. He places too much importance on appearances. Willy thought his son would go “five times ahead of” (Act 1, Line 272) Bernard because Biff is more handsome and well liked. Willy is proven wrong when Bernard becomes a lawyer as Biff is a “lazy bum” (Act 1, Line 633). Despite “lookin’ so anemic” (Act 1, Line 256), Bernard achieves massive success by working hard at school. Miller states that success does not depend on a person’s appearance. At Willy’s funeral, Miller uses Biff to state that Americans such as Willy have “all the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong” (Requiem, Line 16). Miller criticizes Americans for resorting to malicious behavior to achieve their dreams. Willy’s brother, Ben Loman, achieves success in “the jungle” because he “never fight[s] fair with a stranger” (Act 1, Line 527). Like Ben, Americans treat each other unfairly and malignantly to achieve their dreams. In addition, Willy slept with another woman to go “through to the buyers” (Act 2, Line 348). He used a woman sexually to increase his sales and self-worth. Willy risked his family, job, and reputation by making this choice. Miller states that people should work with virtues and ethics in their endeavor for the American Dream.
Despite Willy’s shortcomings, he is an innocent victim. American capitalism shaped him to the man he became. At Willy’s funeral, Charley says, “He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine” (Requiem, Line 19). As a salesman, Willy task does not involve any equipment, but only a smile and clean appearance. Miller compares Willy to a courageous soldier moving his vessel to discover unknown territory. However capitalists used and destroyed him when buyers “start not smiling back” (Requiem, Line 19). Modern day capitalism is indifferent to the perseverance of salesmen. They do not care if they need money or respect. A salesman is treated like a fruit, businesses “eat the orange and throw the peel away” (Act 2, Line 144). All they want to do is buy their product and get rid of them when they do not need anything. Thus a “salesman is got to dream” (Requiem, Line 19). As a mediocre salesman, Willy had to sell with high and unrealistic ideals. Society did not offer Willy any other choice. Thus, Willy is unable to let go of his American Dream. His Dream provides hope that he will sell better next time. Willy had to be materialistic because he had nothing else to hold onto. His ventures to Americans cities made him envious of the rich. He compared his life with theirs and realized the rich are happier. Thus, he judges people based on possessions. Finally, Willy’s decay derives from his failures as a capitalist. He is unable to have record sales, so he exaggerates his sales to his wife and children. He does not want to be seen as a failure in front of others so he constantly lives in the past. Willy is a broken man with nothing to show off. He does not have a wire recorder like Howard or the massive popularity of Dave Singleman. Without his dream, Willy cannot survive. That is why he defends his dream from the people most closest to him: Biff, Charlie, Happy, and Linda.
Willy’s suicide helped him achieve full redemption. By killing himself, the Lomans would receive a life insurance payment of twenty thousand dollars. Willy does this so Biff can become a success. As Willy finally recognize that he had destroyed Biff’s life by having an affair, this was the best way to redeem himself. Abandoned, Willy did not have a father who helped him during his troubles. Fearful, Willy did not want to make the same cowardly mistakes. Therefore, Willy died nobly so his son would not go through the hardships he had been through. Willy killed himself because he could not escape from the guilt of his affair. He did not want to hurt Linda so he ended his life instead. The insurance money makes up for his affair and helps Linda live comfortably for the rest of her life. He commits suicide to defend his American life. Despite his endeavors for prosperity, Willy’s suicide shows that he truly loves his family. Even though it worked for Willy, Miller states that suicide is not an answer to everything. Committing suicide causes too much pain in others. Linda Loman lost a husband, Happy Loman lost a role model, Biff Loman lost a father, and Charlie lost a good friend. These emotional hardships could’ve been prevented if Willy Loman dealt with his problems in the present. With humility, Willy had to acknowledge his mistakes and ask for help. Thus, Miller declares that a man has “no right to” suicide as there is “no necessity for it” (Requiem, Line 3).
Death of a Salesman depicts the consequences of trusting the corrupted version of the American Dream. It is childish and foolish to pursue the Dream. Despite what his boss, friend, and son tell him, Willy continues to pursue his dream of becoming rich. Willy’s hubris stops him from realizing that he will never achieve his American Dream. Believing in illusions makes it difficult for to grow and mature. Willy has a kid’s name because of his childish beliefs, endeavors, and goals. Instead of prosperity, there are better goals to pursue. As life is precious, Americans should appreciate the finer things in life: love and family.