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CHAPTER-4

DEATH OF A SALESMAN

Arthur Miller wrote the play Death of a Salesman in 1949. He was awarded the Pulitzer

Prize and Tony Award for the best play in 1949 for Death of a Salesman. The play ran

for 745 performances. The original production was directed by Elia Kazan with Lee J.

Cobb starring in the leading role of Willy Loman. Death of a Salesman stunned

audiences with its brilliance and was quickly earmarked as a classic of the modern

theatre. It also sparked heated debates over the true nature of tragedy. Some critics

criticized Miller for infusing the play with a deep sense of pity for the commonplace

salesman, Willy Loman. They insisted that Willy was a ‗little man‘ and therefore not

worthy of the pathos reserved for such tragic heroes as Oedipus and Medea. Miller,

however, argued that the tragic feeling is invoked whenever we are in the presence of a

character, any character, who is ready to sacrifice his life, if need be, to secure one

thing—his sense of personal dignity. And the ‗little‘ salesman was determined to do just

that, no matter what the cost. Miller has come to be considered one of the greatest

dramatists in the history of the American Theatre and his plays, a fusion of naturalistic

and expressionistic techniques, continue to be widely produced. In 1951, the play was

adapted by Stanley Roberts into a film and got a grand success.

The play opens with the protagonist, Willy Loman, an elderly failing salesman whose

salary has been taken away and now works on straight commission, returns home from a

sales trip that he could not complete. He is weary and tired of life on the road. His two

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grown up sons, Biff and Hap have returned home to visit. Biff has lost his way in life and

has returned home after 15 years of drifting. Hap who lives in his own apartment is also

at home to visit.

Willy has a conversation with his wife, Linda, as he gets ready for bed. Willy cannot

understand why Biff is lost, with no job and no money to his name. Willy reminisces

about the past and it is seen for the first time that Willy sometimes lapses into another

era, when he talks about opening the windshield on his car. Linda suggests Willy go to

the kitchen have some whipped cheese before coming to bed.

Meanwhile, the boys are having a conversation in their old bedroom. They discuss about

their father and the fact that he is becoming senile in his old age. They have been on a

date and through their conversation we see that Hap holds himself to low moral

standards. They talk about success, their hopes, and all the while Willy is downstairs

having a conversation with no one. Willy is immersed in one of his flashbacks, where he

relives conversations and scenes from the past. The boys are embarrassed for him and the

scene transforms into a fall day, 15 years ago.

Willy standing in the kitchen bestows a flashback which tells about his early days. The

reader is taken back to Biff‘s senior year of high school. Biff is the captain of the football

team and he is full of verve and life, much different from the drained and confused

present day Biff. Biff is in the yard practicing his passing with a new football. Willy asks

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him where he got it and he replies that he borrowed it from the locker room. Willy replies

that coach will probably congratulate you on your initiative. All of the Lomans are good

with their euphemistic view of situations.

Willy and Linda talk. Willy tells Linda that he feels, he is foolish to look at and this is

possibly why he does not sell as much merchandise as he could. During this scene, Willy

has a brief remembrance of a woman he has had an affair with. She is a young woman

who he meets on his sales trips and he gives her Linda‘s stockings as presents.

As Willy comes out of these guilty thoughts, Bernard, the next-door neighbor boy, comes

in and tells Willy that Biff had better start studying for the Regents or he will not

graduate from high school. Willy goes into a rage and begins storming around looking for

Biff. As Willy paces around the house ranting, the scene switches back to present-day

and Hap comes downstairs and discovers his father talking to no one.

Willy is ranting in the kitchen and Hap comes downstairs to quiet him down. Willy‘s

mind returns to the present-day. Willy talks of his failure to make the trip to New

England. He starts talking about his brother, Ben, now dead. Ben is a mysterious, almost

god-like figure whom Willy idolizes. Ben became rich mining diamonds in the jungles of

Africa. Ben had asked Willy to come along but Willy declined.

Willy begins to accuse Hap that he is too free with his money, his women, and his car.

Charley, the next door neighbor, comes over to see what is wrong. They sit down and

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play cards, while Hap goes upstairs. During the course of the game, Willy is cheating and

making fun of Charley. Charley, who owns a sales firm, offers Willy a job and Willy

declines. They talk about Biff and how he wants to go back to Texas. Willy ends up

insulting Charley and begins to talk of his brother Ben. Willy begins to slip into another

flashback and soon, Charley is out the door and the scene is back to Biff‘s senior year in

high school on the day Ben visited the family before leaving on a business trip.

They talk about their father, a man who deserted his family. He sold wooden flutes and

for some reason Willy idolizes his father. Willy believes his father was a rich and

successful man. Ben challenges Biff to a fight and Biff ends up on the ground. Willy tries

to show off the prowess of his sons by asking them to steal some sand from a

construction site to rebuild the front stoop. Ben tells them the simple story of how he

became successful and then is gone. The scene switches back to present-day.

Willy is yelling, ―I was right! I was right!‖ as the present-day Linda comes down and

finds him in the kitchen. Willy decides to go for a walk and leaves the house. He

continues yelling as he walks down the street, lost in the past. Biff comes downstairs and

talks to Linda. He wants to know how long Willy has been acting strangely. Linda

accuses Biff of not being home enough or at least in contact with Willy. Linda says that

Willy is all smiles and perfectly fine when Biff writes. It seems that just thinking about a

happy future is all it takes for Willy to be content.

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Through Linda‘s dialogue it is found that Willy and Biff have been at odds since the

summer after Biff graduated from high school. Biff has no respect for his father anymore,

although he used to do in high school. Happy comes downstairs and joins the

conversation.

Linda accuses Biff and Happy of deserting the family. She tells them that Willy is

exhausted. He has worked all his life for his boys and now his sons have turned their

backs. Linda shows the boys that Willy has been trying to kill himself. Willy‘s car

accidents are no accidents and he has fixed a hose up to the water heater in the cellar to

suck gas.

Biff tells Linda that he will try his best to please Willy. Hap and Biff begin arguing about

why Biff has always failed in the business world. During this argument, Willy walks in

the door. Biff and Willy begin arguing. As the tension increases, Hap tries to smooth

things over by telling Willy that Biff is going to see Bill Oliver, Biff‘s previous

employer, to see if he will loan them money to start a sporting goods business. Hap

comes up with a fantastic plan to make money and Willy immediately becomes all

smiles. Biff is being pushed into something he does not want to do, but goes along with it

for now just to please his father. But after sometimes, they begin fighting again and Willy

goes up to bed upset. The boys go up and try to cheer him up.

It is the morning of the next day. Willy is very happy knowing that his sons are going to

see Bill Oliver and become successes. Nothing can ruin this. The boys have left the house

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and Willy is preparing to go see his own boss, Howard, to tell him that he does not want

to travel anymore and wishes to have a job on the sales floor in New York. As he leaves,

Linda tells him that the boys are going to treat him to a big dinner that night at Frank‘s

Chop House.

Willy has a long discussion with Howard and finally Howard tells Willy that the firm is

firing him. Willy is shocked. Howard is the son of the previous owner, who Willy was

good friends with. Willy delivers a long monologue about sales, and eventually Howard

leaves the office for a few minutes. Ben appears and Willy is transported back to Biff‘s

senior year again. It is the day of the big football game. Biff has been asked to attend

three Universities. Willy refuses Ben‘s business offer once more, and tries to defend his

position as a ―lowly‖ salesman. Still immersed in this fantasy, Willy leaves Howard‘s

office ranting as he walks down the street to Charley‘s office.

At Charley‘s office Willy runs into Bernard and they talk for a bit. Willy is almost in

tears and asks Bernard what happened to Biff after his senior year. Biff had flunked math

and was ready to complete the credit in summer school but he did not and became a

drifter. Bernard tells Willy that after Biff went to see Willy on a business trip, he came

back changed. Willy refuses to talk about what happened on the trip to Bernard.

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Willy and Charley talk for a little while. Charley gives Willy fifty dollars so that he can

go home to Linda and pretend that it is his pay. Willy leaves the office almost in tears and

we are then taken to Frank‘s Chop House where the boys are waiting for Willy.

It is now the same evening and Hap has arrived at Frank‘s Chop House where he and Biff

and Willy are going to meet for dinner. Happy starts hitting on a woman at the next table

and Biff comes in, distraught. Biff did not land the deal with Bill Oliver that day and now

he has to somehow tell the bad news to Willy. Hap tells Biff that it would be best if they

simply lie to Willy and make up a story about how Bill Oliver is going to think it over.

Biff does not want to do this. Biff‘s experience that day with Oliver made him realize

everything that is wrong in his life and how to fix it, but he knows Willy will not be

pleased.

Willy arrives and Biff begins telling his story. Biff did not actually even see Oliver, in

fact he accidentally stole Oliver‘s fountain pen. As Biff tries to tell the truth, Hap keeps

interrupting, trying to turn the story around so Willy will not be upset. Willy ends up

leaving the table and goes to the restroom where he lapses into another flashback. Biff

and Happy leave the restaurant with a couple of women.

The story goes back to the summer after Biff flunked math his senior year. Willy is in a

hotel room on a business trip with a woman he has been having an affair with. Biff has

decided to visit his father to talk to him about flunking the math class and ends up

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discovering his father‘s infidelity. We are then transported back to Frank‘s Chop House,

present day. Willy leaves the restaurant in a daze.

Biff and Hap return home late that evening, after Willy. Linda is awake still, and none

too happy that her sons abandoned Willy in the restaurant. She admonishes the boys

about their behavior and Biff insists on seeing Willy. Linda will not permit it, knowing

that an argument will ensue. Meanwhile, Willy is outside planting the garden and talking

to Uncle Ben.

He talks to Ben about how his life insurance money will give Biff the start he needs to be

successful. They discuss this for a while and Biff comes out to talk to Willy. Biff has

decided to simply leave the house and never come back or have any contact with his

parents again.

Biff pulls Willy inside so he can say goodbye to both of them. A huge argument occurs.

Biff pulls out the rubber hose that Willy has been sucking gas from the furnace with. The

climax of the play occurs during this argument and Biff goes to his room promising to

leave in the morning.

As the house settles down and Linda and the boys get ready for bed, Willy is in the

kitchen. Ben appears again and tells Willy that his plan is sound. Willy tells Ben that Biff

will finally realize how much he (Willy) is loved when Biff sees all of the hundreds of

people that show up to his funeral. Ben leaves and Willy follows him out the door. Willy

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gets in his car and drives to his death. The next is at the grave site after Willy‘s funeral.

Only Biff, Hap, Linda, Charley and Bernard are present. The play closes with just Linda

onstage talking to Willy.

Death of a Salesman is centered on one man trying to reach the American dream and

taking his family along for the ride. The Lomans live from beginning to end is a troubling

story based on trying to become successful. Throughout their lives they encounter many

problems and the end result is a tragic death caused by stupidity and the need to succeed.

During his life, Willy Loman caused his wife great pain by living a life not realizing what

he could and could not do. Linda, his wife lived sad and pathetic days supporting Willy‘s

unreachable goals. Willy being brought up in this world caused his children to lose their

identity and put their futures in jeopardy.

The ‗American Dream‘ is based on the ‗Declaration of Independence‘: ―We believe that

all men are born with these inalienable rights - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.‖

(Thomas Jefferson, 1776). This ‗dream‘ consists of a genuine and determined belief that

in America, all things are possible to all men, regardless of birth or wealth. If you work

hard enough you will achieve anything. However, Miller believes that people have been

‗ultimately misguided‘ and Miller‘s play, Death of a Salesman, is a moving destruction

of the whole myth.

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The origins of the ‗American Dream‘ seem to have been rooted in the pioneering

mentality of the 18th and 19th century immigrants, most of whom came to America

because of a promise of a new and better life. In particular, the opportunity is to own

one‘s land. But land ‗ran out‘ and so cities developed and massive variations arose in

wealth, which meant that this ‗American Dream‘ changed from being a potential reality,

into being a dream, like the name implies. Most of Miller‘s plays are directly or indirectly

about the ‗American Dream‘, because ultimately this dream wasn‘t going to succeed as

lots of people wished. To be hard working, honest and have ambitions were the ways of

the ‗American Dream‘. This leads to success, wealth and in due time, power. But this

dream for everyone developed and encouraged greed, selfish behavior, pride and rivalry

between one another.

Willy Loman was bogged down with this ‗American Dream‘. It causes business to

develop in the world. Capitalism, the profit motive and competitive instinct makes Willy

have a weakness in his personality. This weakness was caused by a combination of

business pressures. Willy wants to prove himself through success but as he fails, his own

life has been destroyed. Thomas E. Porter in his book, Myth and Modern American

Drama, regards the play as ―the story of failure of success myth.‖ (131)

Willy lived everyday of his life trying to become successful, well-off salesman. His self-

image that he portrayed to others was a lie and he was even able to deceive himself with

it. He traveled around the country selling his merchandise and maybe when he was

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younger, he was able to sell a lot, but Willy was still stuck with this image in his head

and it was the image he let everyone else know about. In truth, Willy was a senile

salesman who was no longer able to work doing what he has done for a lifetime. When he

reaches the point where he can no longer handle working, he does not realize it. He puts

his life in danger because he is pig-headed and does not understand that he has to give up

his dream. He complains about a lot of things that occur in everyday life and usually he

has the cause of the problems. When he has to pay for the repair bills on the fridge, he

bitches a lot and bad mouths Charley for buying the one he should not buy. The car

having to be repaired is only because he crashes it and he does not pay attention and is

trying to commit suicide. Willy should have settled with what he had and made the best

of things. He should not have tied to compete with everyone and just made the best

decision for him using intelligence and practicality. Many of Willy‘s problems were self-

inflicted because he wanted to live with the American dream. If he had changed his

standards or just have been content with his life, his life problems would have been

limited in amount and proportion. Harold Clurman in his book, Lies Like Truth, says

about the death of Miller‘s salesman is: ―Symbolic of the breakdown of the whole

concept of salesmanship inherent in our society.‖ (213)

From the very beginning of the play, Willy is found anxious about his family. He does

not understand why it is happening to them. They have almost paid for the house and

when the house is with them, nobody will be there to live. Willy is worried about the

insecurity of his family. His longing for a united family where they will live together is

the ultimate demand. Through his conversation it is clearly found. He says to Linda:

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Willy: All the cement, the lumber, the reconstruction I put in this house!

There ain‘t a crack to be found in it any more.

Linda: Well, it served its purpose.

Willy: What purpose? Some stranger‘ll come along, move in, and that‘s

that. If only Biff would take this house, and raise a family….(He starts to

go.) Good-bye, I‘m late.(175)

Willy is also worried about the future of his sons. He thinks that his sons especially Biff

has a good look by which he can get a good position in society. That is why when Biff

comes to visit home without having good news he cannot tolerate him. Willy always tries

to guide his sons saying that one has to have a good appearance. His sons are also fully

depended on him. Linda also supports her husband frequently. They are always directed

by their father even about how to propose girls. Willy always guides his sons through his

idea of getting success. Through his unrealistic approach he tries to boost up them. He

says to his sons: ―Lick the world! You guys together could absolutely lick the civilized

world‖ (168) .When Biff takes a decision to meet Oliver to collect fund Willy gives the

idea of approaching any big man.

When Willy sees that he is unable to get success, he tries to get through his son Biff.

According to him, Biff is well liked and has the ability to succeed in the business world.

He portrays himself to his sons that he is a business giant. He overestimates him as well

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as his son, Biff. Willy appreciates everything of Biff even his wrongdoings. When Biff

steals football he supports it and tells that the coach likes him very much that is why he

will appreciate his attempt.

Willy‘s problems in life were usually caused by his chase towards the American dream.

Every problem he had and every upsetting or hostile moment he experienced was also

inflicted upon Linda, his wife. The hell Linda went through every day was because she

was his wife. Linda took each day which was filled with stressful worrying about Willy.

It was terrible for her when she found out about Willy‘s suicidal tendencies. Linda tried

her level best to help Willy. But Willy did not respect Linda or give her the treatment and

recognition she deserved.

Biff and Happy‘s futures were depended on the way they were brought up. Willy was the

only one who guided the kids to bring up. Linda went along with whatever Willy said.

Willy taught them that if they were handsome and successful, opportunity will come to

them. Happy learned nothing from Willy‘s demise but insists that his father had ―the only

dream you can have to come out number one man.‖ (222) Biff and Happy idolized their

father when they were young. The stories they were told made them picture their father as

a popular, successful, well-known salesman. As Biff grew up, he found himself being

told things about his father like ―A salesman has to dream, it comes with the territory.‖

(222) At the end of the story when Linda says they are free, Biff is free to realize his

dream of owning a ranch in West where he can live close to the natural world. Biff also

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realizes that his father had the wrong dreams and did not know who he was. Biff is sure

he would not make the same mistakes his father did. Meanwhile, Happy is more like his

dad, determined to stay in town and prove himself to everyone. Having Biff acknowledge

the dishonesty of his own life, insists on the end of their phony dream.

The Lomans lives were full of problems. Willy‘s problems, (that usually affected the

whole family) were caused by little decisions made throughout his life. He made the

wrong decision most of the time because he wanted to live with the American dream. The

majority of problems Willy encountered were decided upon with the idea of the

American dream. Willy Loman put his family through endless torture because of his

search for a successful life. He should have settled with what he had and be happy. He

should have learned to be content. He should have realized what he could accomplish and

should have given up the so-called dream.

Willy believes in appearance. He thinks that his son Biff must succeed in the greatest

country of the world because he is ‗a young man with such personal attractiveness‘ (p.

134). Willy has always laid too much score by the appearance which ultimately becomes

the cause of his undoing. S. K. Bhatia in his book, Arthur Miller: Social Drama as

Tragedy remarks:

―Willy Loman, the salesman, is an appropriate image of humanity

retreating from reality and desperately trying to place its faith in

appearances and outworn clichés of Horatio Alger and Dale Carnegie. The

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society portrayed in Death of a Salesman is clearly a visualization of the

American Dream.‖ (47)

Willy is capable of self-deception. It also suggests that the yarning gap between an

ordinary man‘s pipe dreams and the sordid reality; that is, Willy as he would have liked

himself to be and Willy as he is. On the one hand he tries to impress his sons saying his

rapport and contacts with big people; on the other he confesses his heart to Linda: ―You

know, the trouble is, Linda, people don‘t seem to take to me…..They laugh at me‖ (148).

At one place he tells his sons: ―I never wait in line to see a buyer, ―Willy Loman is here:

That‘s all they have to know, and I go right through‖ (146); at another he is discovered

flirting with a woman who says, ―I‘ll put you right through to the buyers.‖ (150)

Willy Loman always portrays himself to his sons as big shots but cannot retain it for long

time. His trouble is that he can never live with reality. The gap between his hopes and

reality is found clearly. He dreams the same for his son Biff also. He mentions about Biff:

―Like a young god, Hercules— something like that. And the sun, the sun around him.‖

(171). But the reality turns out to be the opposite of his dreams. Biff proves an utter

failure.

The pressure of Willy‘s failure is so great that he is bound to destroy himself. Loman is

not victimized or killed by a hostile society alone (that might have made him a pathetic

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little innocent victim); the pressure of his own failure is so great upon his mind that it

erupts like a volcano and propels him towards suicide. The critic, Dan Vogel in his book,

The Three Masks of American Tragedy remarks:

―It is not what the society demands that makes the action, it is what Willy

thinks it demands, and that is the unpreventable element that is the all-

powerful motivation of his tragedy, as it was for Oedipus in his situation.‖

(93)

When the play opens we see that Willy Loman is in trouble. His dreams have been

already shattered. He cannot drive steadily. He stops at green light and goes at red. He

seems exhausted and fatigued. He tells his wife: ―I‘m tired to the death….I couldn‘t make

it. I just couldn‘t make it, Linda‖. (131). But Willy does not disclose it to his sons.

The conflict of the play Death of a Salesman is found in two ways— social and

individual level which are interrelated. On the level of society, Willy is struggling as a

salesman and is trying to regain his image. The crucial scene with Howard epitomizes his

whole struggle on this level. He tells his employer: ―I put thirty years into this firm,

Howard, and now I can‘t pay my insurance: You can‘t eat the orange and throw the peel

away— a man is not a piece of fruit:‖ (181). In this scene, it is found Willy, the salesman

selling himself, rather underselling himself. He starts with ―sixty dollars a week‖, then

lowers it to ―fifty dollars a week‖ and finally comes down to ―forty dollars a week‖ (179-

181). The critic, Clinton W. Trowbridge raises the basic question through one of his

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essays on Miller is: ―how can a person keep his sense of right and wrong while grappling

for a living in a business world which recognizes only the principle of the survival of the

fittest‖ (Modern Drama 10, No. 3 December 1967, 224)

The other level of conflict in the play is apparently personal and domestic. On this level,

the conflict takes place between the father and the son. But even this familial struggle

between the two has larger social implications. Willy represents the cultures of the

business world. He constantly tries to inject the same into his sons‘ mind as well. Happy

does in fact turn out to be a carbon copy of his father. But Biff, who has been a football

player, represents a more athletic, healthy and primitive culture. He finds life in a farm

more attractive. He likes to whistle in the elevator or take his shirt off and swim in the

middle of the day. In other words, Biff likes everything opposite to Dale Carnegie‘s

doctrine of keeping up appearances which Willy practices. The conflict, thus, between

Willy and Biff is not merely a conflict between two cultures— the urban and commercial

culture on the one hand, the pastoral and agrarian on the other. The hollowness and

falsehood of the former is revealed to Biff when he discovers his father, when he always

looked upon as an ideal, with a half-naked woman in a room of the Boston hotel. Willy

says to Biff:

Willy: …. Now stop crying and do as I say. I gave you an order. Biff, I

gave you an order! Is that what you do when I give an order? How dare

you cry? (Putting his arm around Biff.) Now look, Biff, when you grow up

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you‘ll understand about these things. You mustn‘t – you mustn‘t over-

emphasize a thing like this… (208)

Biff loses faith in his father. He comes back to his room the same day and burns his

sneakers. He puts an end of his bright career in sports. Thereafter, they are never able to

trust each other. Biff knows the reality about his father. Willy also knows that Biff knows

his secret. Willy feels guilty and thinks that Biff hates him for it. As a result of all this, a

latent hostility develops between them, which springs to surface whenever they confront

each other. Even Linda refers to it without knowing its background when she asks Biff:

―When you write you‘re coming, he‘s all smiles and talks about the future,

and— he‘s just so wonderful. And then the closer you seem to come, the

more shaky he gets, and then, by the time you get here, he‘s arguing and

he seems angry at you… Why are you so hateful to each other? Why is

that? (161)

In the last scene of the play Biff takes a determined attempt to make his father face the

facts or reality. He tells Willy: ―We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house‖

(216). Still further he says, ―Pop! I‘m a dime a dozen, and so are you!...I am not a leader

of men, Willy, and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working

drummer who landed in the ashcan like the rest of them.‖ (217). Tempers pick up high

between them and finally Biff breaks down crying. The revelation then downs upon

Willy. He feels astonished and elevated.

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Willy (after a long pause, astonished, elevated): Isn‘t that— isn‘t that

remarkable? Biff— he likes me!....He cried! Cried to me. (He is choking

with his love, and now cries out his promise): That boy— that boy is

going to be magnificent! (218)

Atma Ram in his introduction to Perspectives on Arthur Miller mentions:

―Death of a Salesman (1949) is drama of life, of American life, of the

deficient American dream of money success. The theme of the collapse of

the Great American Dream is presented through the tragedy of Willy

Loman. Willy‘s dreams are illusory just as the dream is vacuous. The

whole of Willy‘s family lives under the spell of his dream which casts a

sinister long shadow over their destinies. Driven by the images of the

tensile success made manifest in Ben and Dave Singleman, he spoils his

sons, overlooks their petty dishonesties and tortures them with his

ambitions for them. They start despising him and ultimately Biff, buffeted

by the storms of existence, asserts his right to be failure. At long last Willy

Loman drives out to commit suicide so that his sons should realize his

unfulfilled ambitions of success…‖ (5)

The whole story of the play is in itself a satire on the ‗American Dream‘. Willy Loman is

a weary 63 years old man who wants nothing more than to reach the American Dream,

but in reality he fails. He is no longer a good salesman. He does not earn enough money

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and he does not manage to communicate with his family. His sons‘ lives are a

disappointment to him and he disrespects his own family by having a mistress. The

parody lies in the gap between Willy‘s wishes and his actual accomplishments. Willy

does not have a healthy ideal self, compared to his real self. The rift is too deep for two

feasible reasons. Firstly, it is not possible for Willy to achieve all of his goals due to

external circumstances such as a changed labor market and the free will of his sons.

Secondly, it is not possible for Willy to achieve all of his goals due to internal

circumstances such as a decreasing capacity to master social situations and a consciously

made choice to commit adultery.

Willy Loman, in his naive world between determined hope and painful awareness,

represents a parody of the ‗American Dream‘. But at the same time, he represents a

memorable saying by George Bernard Shaw: ―You see things as they are and ask,

‗Why?‘ I dream things as they never were and ask ‗why not?‘‖ (Dukore 29) In the play,

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, the main character, Willy Loman is a complex

character who confuses illusion with reality. In a way, Willy has two personalities in this

play. The one we see in the present action is a tired man in his sixties. The other Willy is

the one we see in flashbacks. He is young and confident.

Willy thinks a lot about Biff and how he was a great football player. This shows that

Willy still thinks of Biff as a football hero, which is one of the reasons he considers Biff

is so magnificent. As Willy is finishing up his thoughts, his wife, Linda, is calling him to

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come up to bed. After this happens, the sound of a speeding car is heard driving off into

the night. In the same scene, Willy‘s wife Linda has come to make a peace with their two

sons, Biff and Happy. Linda also suspects that Willy may kill himself. She made a big

mistake by leaving the disturbed Willy alone. The rubber tubing that Linda found on the

heater foreshadows Willy‘s suicide. Linda does not want Willy to kill himself, but

believes that she cannot interfere with his business. As a matter of fact, Willy‘s suicide

was an escape from shame. He could not keep living his life as a lie. Willy did not face

the reality. When people talked to him, he only heard what he wanted to hear. He was a

very distracted and disturbed man. After losing his job, he felt he was too unsuccessful to

go on living. His principles in life were based on being popular. He believed that if you

were popular, you would be successful. Eventually, he faced reality and realized that he

was not popular. A combination of his shame and his unpopularity is what killed Willy

Loman. He felt like a failure.

From Willy‘s point of view, the suicide was an act of love. He believed that by killing

himself, Biff would be much more successful. Willy thinks that Biff is magnificent and

wants to show it to him by giving him twenty thousand dollars as insurance money. Willy

does not give up dreaming even before committing suicide. His discussion with Ben and

Linda proves it clearly:

Willy: Loves me. (Wonderingly.) Always loved me. Isn‘t that a

remarkable thing? Ben, he‘ll worship me for it!

Ben (with promise): It‘s dark there; but full of diamonds. (219)

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From the point of view of the family, the suicide was very confusing. Each member of

the family had a different idea of why Willy killed himself. Linda was wondering why no

one had come to the funeral. This shows that Linda had always trusted Willy and had

believed all of the phony dreams that Willy had told her. Linda had reason to believe that

Willy killed himself because of the mortgage payments. This is very ironic because after

Willy killed himself, the house was paid off and they were free and clear of any more

payments. Biff comes to realize that Willy had ‗the wrong dreams‘. Biff mentions ―He

had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong.‖ (221). Biff is still going to go out west to fulfill

his own dreams instead of making himself big in New York which is something he hates.

Happy believes that his father was a great man. He wants to prove that Willy did not die

in vain. He will justify Willy‘s dreams by being manager of the store. It seems that

Happy is almost becoming another Willy.

Willy Loman thought his suicide was a courageous act. He thought he was being very

brave by killing himself. He felt that he took the hard way out. Willy may have thought

that he was the only one to suffer. His confusion between illusion and reality was very

strong at the end of the play. He thinks he is going into the jungle to get diamonds but in

reality, he is killing himself to get insurance money.

Biff saw Willy‘s suicide as a cowardly act. He realized that all of Willy‘s dreams were

wrong, and that Willy had the wrong perspective on life. By committing suicide, Willy

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took the easy way out. Biff still will miss his father but he will not let his sorrow

overcome him.

Willy‘s suicide was inevitable. After his termination from the job, he felt that he had no

reason to live. It seemed that the only thing that mattered to Willy was success and

money. When he did not have either of those things, he did the only thing he felt he could

do and that was to take his own life for the sum of twenty thousand dollars. Willy did not

give much thought as to how his family would feel after killing himself. He only thought

about the money they would possibly get from the insurance company. It is understood

that he took the coward‘s way out by killing himself instead of trying to solve his

problems.

Willy Loman was a very confused and disturbed man. He would look into the past to see

where he made his mistakes. He suffered from delusions. By killing himself, he is

portrayed as a coward who certainly had his priorities confused.

The character of Willy Loman seems to be the consummate model to illustrate the

dissension of the American capitalist ideals. For example he is a salesman who dons an

aged suit that is ceaselessly creased during the course of the screen production, moreover

in the script is directed to appear dilapidated. He drives an archaic, run down vehicle on

the brink of extinction. While on the contrary, a proper salesman must appear presentable

and attractive to market his goods. And Willy definitely does not harmonize with the

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ideals of being a salesman, divergently he pains to match it. Moreover that is the reason

why he does not belong inside the world of business.

The play, Death of a Salesman, seems to epitomize the frivolity of agonizing to achieve

something as insignificant as money and power. It definitely makes one question the

social values of the American capitalist system, and why certain individual continues to

pursue the ideals of that system on a daily basis. For the downside to the capitalist dream

is hopelessness. And that downside is more that apparent in the Loman family.

The things that are meant to happen in business are success, wealth and esteem. This is

what Ben has achieved and done. Miller stressed his success and material reward in Ben.

He does this by Ben repeating himself a lot. When Willy is in trouble, he tries to go with

Ben‘s idea of success. Ben‘s assertion is very important and influences Willy to carry the

illusions.

Dave Singleman is the idol of Willy. Dave, a huge icon for Willy, was greatly valued,

whereas Willy is not, nor is he loved as much. This marks Willy‘s failure as a

businessman. He has not realized the demands of the present day business world rather he

inculcates the old way of Dave Singleman‘s time.

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Charley, his friend, has realized that Willy‘s view of success is seriously flawed. Charley

said, ‗‗The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell.‖ (192) And as Willy

cannot sell anything, he has got nothing. Willy has lost all self-respect. Charley, being his

best friend, tries to help him in many ways. But Willy only because of his false pride

does not accept his proposal. Both of them, Willy and Charley, live in the same society.

But Charley is a very practical man. He understands his limit and acts accordingly. He

tries a lot to convince Willy saying that what he is doing is not right. The idea what Willy

belongs is an illusion, but Willy always rejects Charley‘s opinion.

Eliza Kazan, the director of the original Broadway production, said that Willy‘s fatal

error is that he built his life and his sense of worth on something completely false. This is

the error of our whole society. Willy cannot function as a salesman, also a human being,

because he is not liked. ‗Willy‘s liked, but he‘s not well liked‘, is the opinion of other

people. Willy has been a failure in life and still be believes that success in the ‗American

Dream‘ is supposed to be available to anyone. This idea has significantly affected his

family especially his sons. Biff is just as hopeless as Willy in a lot of ways.

The main conflict of the play, Death of a Salesman, is the Loman family‘s inability to

distinguish between reality and illusion. This is particularly evident in the father, Willy

Loman. Willy has created a fantasy world of himself and his family. In this world, he

and his sons are men of greatness that ‗have what it takes‘ to make it in the business

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environment. In reality, none of them can achieve this greatness until they confront and

deal with this illusion.

Willy is convinced that being well liked is the key to success. It is unclear whether

Willy‘s ―flashbacks‖ of past business relationships are remembering when he was once

well liked or simply imagining he was. However simply the fact that, it is no longer true,

reflects upon his inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy. This eventually

brings about Willy‘s death. He has imagined that he is worth more dead than alive and

the insurance can give more to his sons.

Arthur Miller‘s Death of a Salesman was written after the Second World War while

society was becoming very materialistic, and the idea that anyone could ‗make it‘ in

America was popular. These societal beliefs play a large part in Death of a Salesman, a

play in which the main character, Willy Loman, spends a lifetime chasing after the

‗American Dream‘. Willy was nurtured by the wrong dreams. He was enamored with a

myth of American ideals and chose to put aside his real talents in pursuit of a fantasy. In

several instances of the play, we see that Willy is a skilled carpenter. He wants to redo

the front step just to show off to his brother, and he is constantly fixing things around the

house. However, he does not see carpentry as an acceptable occupation. It entails hard

work and there is not any glory in it. Instead, he chooses to follow the dream of being a

successful salesman. The problem is that Willy does not seem to have any of the skills

needed to be a salesman.

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Willy Loman is a man on a mission. His purpose in life is to achieve the so-called

‗American Dream‘ but is this what Willy Loman really wants? In Death of a Salesman,

Arthur Miller analyzes the ‗American Dream‘ by portraying to us a few days in the life of

a washed up salesman named Willy Loman. The ‗American Dream‘ is a definite goal of

many people, meaning something different to everyone. Willy never becomes part of the

‗American Dream‘ because he tries to become successful and wealthy rather than

spending his life doing something that would bring him and his family joy.

‗The American Dream‘ is a term used to summarize the basic ideals held by the

American public. Death of a Salesman focuses on this dream and analyses the dreams

significance in the American social order. The basic principal behind the ‗American

Dream‘ is the belief that if people have an aspiration and they work for it they will

achieve their dreams. Arthur Miller‘s Death of a Salesman is a demonstration of the

affliction with which America has been stricken. It is an affliction of false idealism, but

also a birthing of the consumer. It is this consumer society which is the affliction and the

protagonist of this drama is unable to cure himself and his family. Willy Loman is the

manifestation of the consumerism which is destroying society. He is the corporeal

manifestation of this myth, and the ‗American Dream‘ is the myth itself. This myth can

be broken down into several parts itself. First is the belief that situations, commodities,

etc. improve with time, which is a technological misconception. Second is the

understanding that hard work is necessary to bring about this sort of improvement. And

third, the coming together of these amounts to the belief that commodities brought about

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by hard work will help in the betterment of our lives, and that this never ending

accumulation of wealth will generate a truly happy life.

Pressure to conform to the societal norms of a culture can often be so weighty that those

who balk against it are likely to be crushed. Usually the world wins in a very few cases

though, the individual comes out the victor, beating the odds, a stronger human being as a

result. In the case of Arthur Miller‘s Death of a Salesman, the world devours Willy

Loman in his search for the ‗American Dream‘. It broke him down and eventually

destroyed him. Nora Helmer of Henrik Ibsen‘s A Doll House, was also consumed by the

world. But after being broken, she fought her way free and defeated society‘s

expectations. Both seek fulfillment in their lives, falsely finding it in society‘s

expectations; Nora discovers this dichotomy between what she should be and who she

really is and sets out to amend the problem. Willy on the other hand, cannot handle the

stress of facing his true self and flees. Societal pressures urge Nora and Willy to mold

them into the people they think they should be, ignoring their true selves. There is a wide

range of dreams throughout the play. Every character is living a dream and these dreams

are what affect and change how the play flows. The main dream is the great capitalist

‗American Dream‘. The dreams dramatically affect relationships, jobs and even threatens

lives, and these dreams are usually unachievable so are never going to be reached. This

however does not ever stop the Loman‘s from dreaming and eventually at the end of the

play it gets the better of them.Arthur Miller‘s, Death of a Salesman, is a play to examine

with respect to its reflection of the impact of American values and mores as to what

constitutes ‗success‘ upon individual lives. George Perkins has stated that this play has

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been described as ―possibly the best play ever written by an American.‖ (710) The play

marks a brilliant fusion of the ideas and problems central to Miller‘s artistic and creative

life; among those problems are the relationship of selfishness to altruism and the need to

define an achievable code of morality for oneself. Willy Loman, the dominant central

character of the play, has defined morality in terms of his capacity to provide financially

for his family. Frederick Karl states that Willy Loman is an outgrowth of a ―Depression

ambiance,‖ (329) which suggests that he defines ―success‖ with respect to income,

retaining a job, and fiscal security (all elements of man‘s work that literally disappeared

overnight). Arthur Miller‘s play, Death of a Salesman is about a man, Willy Loman,

whose life is going downhill and coming to an end. Willy Loman was a good salesman

because he cared and was honest and through his personality he sold his goods. Time has

moved on, but Willy has not. The business world has moved ahead and the way of selling

goods had changed, but Willy cannot see this.

Willy Loman has never come to terms with reality. His life is a dream and derives all his

pleasures from the past and he always assures himself that all is well. His problem is that

his role models are out of place in the modern business where heartlessness and hostility

win the battle in business.