Death Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller

In Arthur Miller’s play, “Death of a Salesman,” there are many themes present throughout, most notably the theme of the American Dream. Readers are introduced to the American Dream most importantly through Willy, the main character. The power of the American Dream over society begs readers to ask the question, how has the American Dream influenced Willy Loman’s life and death as a salesman? While the American Dream may be a great desire in life for Loman, it creates a product out of a human and thereby turns Loman’s economic wealth into the only significant aspect of his life. Before examining Willy Loman as a character, it is important to consider where the inspiration for this character came from. Arthur Miller grew up during the Great
“His tragedy is not that he can’t make money as a salesman any longer, or that his eldest son thinks he’s a fake, but that he has thoroughly accepted, even in his dreams, the ideology of a way of life that is killing him and the rest of his family. His tragedy is that he lies to himself until the end of his life.” (Walsh) These themes reflect back to Miller’s personal life growing up during the Great Depression and the hardships his family faced during this time. (Walsh) In Death of a Salesman, Miller’s contempt for American capitalism is also seen within consumerism by the idea that Willy’s job is to sell himself. Miller said that, “[e]verybody is selling and everything is for sale” including the character of Willy (Kullman). By sleeping with secretaries in order to increase his sales, Loman rationalizes this behavior by claiming that it will make him a better father and husband in the long
Miller is criticizing people who “[buy] into values of a group when they conflict with their [own] personal values” (Walsh). From the play, we can infer that Willy, although he may have wanted to be a salesman, never should have been one because of his interest in working with his hands (Miller). He complains about the suffocation he feels “with not a breath of fresh air in the neighborhood” but enjoys looking at the scenery on his way to work and letting “the warm air bathe over [him],” demonstrating the underlying fact that Willy is more of a rural laborer than a city businessman (Miller 3-6). Because he is trying to follow the common idea of the American Dream, Willy feels that he must succeed in business to be great. In order to do this, Willy cheats on Linda and betrays his family’s trust. He also lies about how well-liked he is and how much money he makes. Miller is showing the ludicrous ideals that American society has instilled in Willy, which created his skewed perception of success. Miller believes success is only accomplished by an honest day’s work. Before attending the University of Michigan, he worked for two years in order to pay for his tuition (Bigsby). This fueled Miller’s belief that the common man in the United States is exploited by the capitalist business world that surrounds