Category: Death Of A Salesman

Introduction

In Fred Ribkoff’s written response to Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, titled Shame, Guilt, Empathy, and the Search for Identity in Arthur Miller’s Death of A Salesman, he goes into how he believes that Willy Loman has identity issues because of his shame and guilt of some of the things that have occurred in his past.

Identity Crisis and the Role of Shame and Guilt

He gives a little insight into what this is based on, talking about another work by Bernard Williams, Shame and Necessity, which is about Greek tragedies and their link to shame and guilt in relation to identity crises. Besides using William’s example, it appears that Ribkoff just uses the play as his source of information. In Death of a Salesman, it becomes apparent that Willy has found himself in this situation. The only thing, though, is that it affects not only him but also his oldest son, Biff, who has had the pressure of what Willy wants him to be on his shoulders his whole life.

However, even with this issue, Biff knows that he doesn’t want to be like his father and, even to a certain extent, his grandfather. He wants to do his own thing and knows who he is deep down inside. Fred Ribkoff also makes a point to point out how Willy continuously looks up to people like his late brother, Ben, who he described as successful before he died. Ribkoff, however, points out that this doesn’t really help Willy because he now has a dream that he cannot make true. The article itself seems mainly to be Ribkoff thoroughly analyzing Willy Loman as a person, as well as Biff Loman, but not as in-depth. The author goes on about how Willy’s thoughts aren’t only affecting him but others, mainly Biff.

It was very disappointing, however, that the text didn’t go more in-depth about the other secondary characters, such as Linda and Happy, who also have experienced the effects of Willy’s thoughts and beliefs. For instance, Willy cheated on Linda with another woman and apparently had no knowledge of it, and Happy played second best to Biff and didn’t get much character development because of it. The article also talks about how Willy is going through several stressful thoughts in his head: he isn’t making enough money, he cheated on his wife, he is not living up to his own expectations, feels his son is a failure at times, and is suicidal because of all of it. Even after Biff spills his heart out to his dad, telling him that he loves him and that he accepts him, Willy refuses to let go of his ideal identity and kills himself to keep it that way. Looking at others’ perceptions of other author’s writings is essential to the world of reading in writing.

Conclusion

Secondary sources like this could be a source of information for other readers to spot something we might have missed or wouldn’t have come up on our own. It is a great way to get a broader understanding of works of literature.

References

1. “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller
2. “Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman” by Harold Bloom

Introduction

There are many important points in this play. One point is that Willy’s home “work” was a symbol of his strong desire to achieve a goal because he had this strong desire to become a successful businessman, but his house structures showed his real desire.

Willy’s Home as a Symbol of Desires and Realities

At present, their house is closed in by apartment units and building structures. Instead of following a dream he could have never achieved, he could have been a successful builder. Another point is that when Biff steals the pen, it functions in the play because when he’s holding the pen, he realizes, “What is he doing?” and “Why is he doing something he doesn’t want to do?”. He looks up and sees the sky when he’s still in the office. Biff wants to make up with his dad to ensure that he doesn’t want to follow Willy’s dream and follow his own dream of living on a ranch. Charley’s statement, “He doesn’t have to—he’s gonna do it,” is central to the theme of the play because, unlike Willy, Charley trusts that his son can do it and he doesn’t have to tell him what to do or how to do it. Willy always tells Biff what to do the way he wants to do it. An argument when Biff is the protagonist of the play is that, when Biff was in high school, he always supported his dad, and he wanted to make his dad proud until he found out that his dad was having an affair.

The Weight of Guilt and Betrayal

When he is in his mid-thirties, he’s an unsuccessful businessman, and Willy gets frustrated and goes crazy. When Biff tries to go to his old boss, he realizes Something when he’s holding a pen that he stole from the office. He realizes that he is living a lie and he doesn’t want to follow his dad’s dreams but his own. The seeds are a symbol of the play because they show that since Willy didn’t do anything successful in his life, he wants to show that he grew the seeds as Something successful. Willy refuses Charley’s job offer even though he is accepting his “loans” because Willy has too much pride, and he doesn’t want anyone to think that he is hopeless and needs help. The meaning of Linda saying “were free…”, the last words of the play, was that they “were free” from Willy’s “memories” or “thoughts,” and Linda apologizes for refusing to cry and intends that Willy is “another trip.”

Conclusion

The underlying meaning was that the insurance money that Willy “gave” to Biff was not fulfilled, so he went on “another trip” to fulfill it. The stockings are a symbol of the play because he had an affair with another woman, and he gave her brand new stockings, but Willy yells at Linda for fixing her old stockings and says not to fix them. He feels guilty for betraying her and Biff. These are all the important points that happened in Death of a Salesman.

References

1. “Death of a Salesman (Penguin Modern Classics)” by Arthur Miller
2. “CliffsNotes on Miller’s Death of a Salesman” by Jennifer L. Scheidt
3. “Death of a Salesman: Text and Criticism” by Arthur Miller and Gerald Weales

Introduction

Whether it is through family, an occupation, or a hobby, everyone desires something that makes them a unique individual. Almost everyone has experienced struggles in giving their best endeavors to achieve a great identity, but then there are those who think it comes without any effort. b. Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Death of a Salesman” (1949) is a modern tragedy that tells the story of the anti-hero Willy Loman, a traveling salesman living in Brooklyn, New York during the 1940s with his family. His world starts falling apart soon after he hears news of his older brother’s death, whom he very much looked up to. Everything around him is changing with the coming times, and he is realizing that he has missed his chance of being the well-liked person he hoped to be. He has two sons with his wife, Linda, and he tries to instill traits in them that he believes to be the secret to success, which are likability and ingenuity.

Willy’s Past and Unrealistic Dreams

The American Dream has always been Willy’s number one drive in life, and he is in complete denial about how it might have come about unethically. Willy might be a character that the audience can sympathize with, but Willy creates his own future and, in the end, dies because of his own actions. In his identity crisis, he starts experiencing hallucinations of past events. c. Thesis: Willy Loman is experiencing hallucinations of his past because of high stress and anxiety regarding his identity crisis. His hallucinations are his mind subconsciously trying to cope with the current situation and to figure out why everything around him is falling apart. II. Willy’s past a. Between his father being a successful flute salesman and his brother finding a diamond mine in Africa, Willy Loman has been raised to believe that wealth should come easy and that all he needs to do is to be well-liked to become successful. b.

The fact that we know that the action of the play happens during the 1940s, we can assume that Willy has lived through World War I as well as the stock market crash of 1929, which resulted in the Great Depression, which is something the author of the play can relate to. His father was an owner of a women’s fashion store, which went out of business during the economic crash of 1929, which caused great poverty for the Miller family (Ascherson). III. Willy’s hallucinations a. It has been established that Willy’s life has not gone as he planned. His lovely neighborhood is changing into an apartment complex lot, his sons are not the famous, wealthy men he hoped they would be, and he is failing in his job as a salesman.

What might have been Willy’s tipping point is his brother’s passing a few weeks earlier, a man he adored dearly. All of these traumatizing circumstances could bring up terrible anxiety and stress, which could be the reason that he is now hallucinating past events. b. In a case report written by Dr. Ankur Sachdeva on visual hallucinations associated with anxiety, he writes about a 36-year-old male who suffered from extreme anxiety, which had been ongoing for almost eight years. He goes on to say that “the patient also reported seeing images of a lady that no one else could see during the last two months.

Confrontation and Catharsis

These clear and distinct images occurred when he was awake and fully conscious and appeared real. He reported seeing them five to ten times a day, for 5 minutes at a time”. Proving that one does not need to suffer from a mental illness to experience hallucinations, but can be caused by c. He lived so long in his false reality that soon, the walls around him began to crumble, and he had to face reality. IV. Willy and Biff a. Many times, parents who have missed out on their dreams will try and push their children to pursue whatever they missed out on. Willy has pushed his dreams onto his sons, but they have no idea how to achieve them. Willy had high expectations from his oldest son, Biff. He was supposed to be just like his own older brother, get rich and famous with only charm as his tool.

Except that did not happen. Willy has brought up Biff and Happy that it is okay to steal. In one of Willy’s journeys to the past, Willy congratulates Biff on stealing a football for practice by exclaiming, “Sure, he’s gotta practice with a regulation ball, doesn’t he? Coach’ll probably congratulate you on your initiative!” (18). Yet, later, he contradicts himself by saying, “Why is he stealing? What did I tell him? I never in my life told him anything but decent things” (27). Not realizing that it was he himself who molded Biff into doing such a thing. As a result, Biff goes through his life stealing and being dishonest, never holding down a job, and torturing himself mentally for disappointing his father. b. After Biff goes to his big meeting and steals a pen, he has an epiphany. He is not who his father raised him to be, and he does not want to be.

Conclusion

During the catharsis of the play, where Biff confronts his father on his upbringing and begs him to accept the reality of him being a non-successful, ordinary man, Willy realizes that Biff actually adores and loves him and only wants his acceptance. As he comes to the conclusion that his dream of being well-liked has come true, he immediately decides that he must die to preserve it. “He might not have won their respect, but he is definitely loved – and perhaps that is all that Willy ever really hoped to achieve” (Centola 33).

References

1. “Death of a Salesman: Text and Criticism” by Arthur Miller and Gerald Weales
2. “Miller: Death of a Salesman” by J. C. Trewin

The American Dream: the belief that, despite surrounding circumstances, and no matter where they were born or what social class they are in, anyone can achieve their very own version of success within society. However Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” shows Willy Loman’s determination to put his children’s success before his own and his beliefs that the American Dream should be to have a simplistic lifestyle that has less of a focus on materialistic items yet still fulfills their desires. The events that occur throughout the play show Willy that these things don’t always turn out the way they have been planned and that often people lose sight of the things they should hold most dear to them.’We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This extract from the Declaration of Independence sums up what Willy Loman believes the American Dream is. However, in Arthur Miller’s play ‘All My Sons’ the lead protagonist has a different view of what the American Dream is and what it means to him. Joe Keller highlights the darker sides of the American Dream and goes against his better morals to achieve his version of the American Dream. We see him lie to cover his own back and blame his business partner Steve Deever for selling faulty plane parts that caused several planes crashes killing 21 pilots.

Joe Keller in “All my Sons” is at the head of the Keller family. He owns a successful business that supplies the military with parts for World War Two planes. He values his family greatly and is relatively hard working. He carries this image proudly. However, he soon makes a tragic mistake and blames it on someone else, and begins to spiral out of control. The audience gets to see two sides of Joe’s personality. We see him as an honest, family man yet in contrast to this we also see a dishonest, selfish, and manipulative man who isn’t willing to risk losing his respectable reputation and puts his business on the line when he loses his morals in order to succeed. Keller is described in the play as: “A heavy man of stolid mind and build, a businessman these many years, but with the imprint of the machine-shop worker and Boss still upon him….A man among men.”

His “stolid mind” emphasizes how strong-minded he is, suggesting he lacks emotion and is very calm, highlighting he is a good family man and his family is able to depend on him to be the lead man in the family. It is stressed here that he is a respectable and ‘normal’ man and his only goal is to give his family the best future possible. Always having a concern with money, his main ambition has always been to be successful both in his business and financially. His business and financial ambitions haven’t only been for him but also for his family but have a poor perception of what he needs to do to succeed and we see this when he sends a shipment of faulty plane parts to the US military. “A man among men” suggests that he would do the same as anyone else would do to succeed, highlighting he is no different from anyone else.

Willy Loman, in “Death of a Salesman,” is similar to Joe Keller in “All My Sons.” He in some ways values his business and stays loyal to his beliefs surrounding the American Dream. He also fails to see his mental health as a priority when it comes to making a decision between his business and his well-being. In his own “perfect” world, he is a very successful salesman. He uses his work to hide from his mental health struggles and cannot come to terms with the anxiety and self-doubt he experiences. He hides this well with his extremely arrogant personality, however struggles to keep this perfect picture of strength from shattering. He clings to the idea of the American Dream that anyone can make it if they are viewed as attractive and popular, but even this, in the end, does not prove to be enough for him when it becomes clear that he isn’t actually popular, well-liked or good at his job.

This level of arrogance comes from Willy’s career, He believes that he is vital to the company and it would crumble to the ground without him. But realistically it’s the company that’s vital to him. When he discovers he’s not really needed anywhere, his self-worth is no longer. He finds himself facing a sharp downwards spiral and making poor life choices after he loses grip of all reality and time. This attitude is almost the same as Joe Keller’s approach to his mental health as just like Joe, he notices his problems yet still fails to make a change in his life to improve his well-being.

Another thing both Joe Keller and Willy Loman have in common is their regrets throughout the play, which inevitably lead them to the same dreadful fate. In All My Sons, Joe Keller finds himself regretting the fact that he knowingly sold faulty plane parts to the military leading to the untimely death of his son Larry and another twenty pilots who were flying the faulty World War Two planes. This led to him being seen as a let-down by both his friends and family due to his lack of commitment as a parent as well as his lack of empathy. This, in turn, destroyed his life and his reputation, as well as that of his family and friends. Despite his wealth and success as a businessman, he is still viewed as a failure by many. Despite Joe being at the forefront of the decision to sell faulty plane parts to the military that resulted in the deaths of 21 airmen, Joe blamed this decision on Steve Deever, his business partner: “So he takes out his tools and he… covers over the cracks. All right… that’s bad, it’s wrong, but that’s what a little man does. If I could have gone in that day and told him – junk ‘em, Steve, we can afford it.“

Despite this being the opposite of what actually happened, to hide his guilt and regret Joe recruited Steve to help cover his tracks, perhaps highlighting that he is even beginning to believe his own story, He lies to both his son Chris and Ann, Larry’s fiancée easily now that he has had to cover the truth with this story for so long. He then feels guilt and regret that comes from knowingly selling faulty plane parts which end up killing not only his own son but 21 other American Pilots. The lies and deceit he tells his business partner to fill him with regret in the end when he finds that there is no other way out from his guilt than to commit suicide when he finds he has to chose between going to jail and committing suicide, highlighting the true extent of his guilt and regret, although he refuses to fully admit it.

Death of a Salesman’s Willy Loman also finds himself with regrets, which leads him to a world of delusion and depression. Willy finds his life is further complicated by his life choices. A moment he particularly regrets is when Biff discovered him with another woman, who he was having an affair in a hotel room. He finds that this incident has an undeniable effect on him. He realizes here that he cannot be honest and face up to what he has done, nor can he forgive himself and break from the torture and restraints of the regrets he is wrapped up in. This regret, like Joe, leads him to the dreadful decision where he chooses to kill himself for what he believed to be the greater good as this action is taken to hopefully redirect his son Biff onto a path where he can finally find greatness “Biff Loman is lost. In the greatest country in the world, a young man with such – personal attractiveness, gets lost. And such a hard worker. There’s one thing about Biff – he’s not lazy.”

Both Willy and his wife Linda describe their son as having a distinct inability to “find himself”. Willy reveals his true interpretation of the American Dream within these lines. He shows here that he believes that the American Dream rewards those who have a certain personal attractiveness, as well as the success that comes with hard work. Entirely dependant on his business and salesmanship, Willy relies on his personal attractiveness and believes that being “well-liked” throughout society is important in finding the key to success. We see Willy deny reality in order to achieve his own version of the American Dream. Willy decides to relive the past, revisiting his memories and events in a series of flashbacks which he is seen to be the successful businessman he desperately wants to be.

Despite his family is desperate to create a life for their children built around the American dream, Chris, in All My Sons, is desperate to break free from the life his parents created for him, based on good intentions and what they think he would’ve wanted. However, he finds that he wants to discover his own path in life. He wants his own life and not just the one that his parents want for him. This is to his father’s disappointment as everything he has worked for has been for Chris “I want a family, I want some kids, I want to build something I can give myself to.”

Americans value their right to freedom, a right that many other countries are not fortunate enough to have. However, even this right to freedom has its restrictions. Chris believes that his family is holding him back from his own desires as they are so focused on the ‘perfect life’ the American Dream offers. His own dream is being able to support himself and his own family with the skills and qualities he has developed throughout his life on his own. He longs for the day he can follow his own American Dream and marry Ann and have children with her. Chris finds that he is very passionate about doing things himself and in his own way without interference from his family. This highlights here the desperation of Joe to succeed as he even tries to succeed through his son and finds himself trying to live his own version of the American Dream through his family.

Biff, in Death of a Salesman, highlights his desperate desire to impress and prove himself to his dad. Despite his best efforts to make Willy proud he only finds that Willy himself is flawed and is so caught up in his materialistic dreams that Willy fails to realize that they are too far from Biff’s grasp, proving that Willy is not able to cope with the truth. Biff finds that he is no longer able to have an open conversation with his father as he can no longer accept the harsh reality of life “Sure, maybe we could buy a ranch. Raise cattle, use or muscles. Men built like we are should be working out in the open.”

This scene shows that Biff and Happy, the two grown sons of Willy and Linda. Biff is sharing his version of the American Dream. Happy replies to Biff’s comment, saying; “The Loman Brothers, eh?” This suggests that Biff’s version of the American Dream is owning a home in Western America, Happy’s comment referring to “The Loman Brothers” shows that his dream of owning a ranch is far from realistic and is perhaps a reference to older Western movies. It is highlighted here that Willy has passed his optimism surrounding the American Dream onto his sons. This hinders their future as they focus their sights upon unrealistic dreams and expectations. Biff symbolizes throughout the play that the American Dream is not the same for everyone and it is not what every man wants for himself and his family. Biff wants his dad to stop focussing on such unrealistic dreams. Willy dreams of money and success, but Biff’s dreams are far more simplistic, and he dreams of being loved for who he is.

Both Joe and Willy are led to the same dreadful fate. Larry and Chris abandoned Joe. Chris was loyal to Joe before his lies were revealed and his mishandling of business was also uncovered. Chris was then more than willing to leave Joe in prison for the rest of his life. Larry also abandoned Joe. After Larry finds out that his fathers business was responsible for the deaths of his friends in the military, Larry saw no other way out than to kill himself as he couldn’t deal with the news of the involvement of his father’s business in the crashes “Yesterday they flew in a load of papers from the States and I read about Dad and your father being convicted. I can’t express myself. I can’t tell you how I feel… I can’t bear to live anymore. Last night I circled the base for twenty minutes before I could bring myself in. How could he have done that? Every day three or four men never come back and he sits back there doing ‘business’… I don’t know how to tell you what I feel… I can’t face anybody… I’m going out on a mission in a few minutes. They’ll probably report me as missing. If they do, I want you to know that you mustn’t wait for me” Chris reading Harry’s suicide letter to Joe is ultimately seen as Joe’s breaking point where he finally crumbles under the pressure and sees there is no way out, and this event forced him to end his life. Joe’s trail of mistakes was what inevitably led his family to abandon him in his time of need, even though he did everything he could, in the end, to try and keep his loved ones surrounding him. This links both ‘All My Sons’ and ‘Death of a Salesman’ together as Willy has also struggled with abandonment his whole life.

Most difficult of all to deal with, his sons refuse to take any part in his life troubles and worries and seem to be almost embarrassed by him. Willy’s son Happy goes on to openly state that Willy Loman is “not his father” when trying to find and impress a woman to go on a date with. Willy is trying to live in a world of fantasy where he is trying his best to escape his own reality. He wants to be in a world where he is viewed as extraordinary when in fact this is far from reality. Willy is no longer surrounded by his loved ones. This leads him to the dreadful decision he takes to end his life. His boss, Howard, also in a way abandons Willy as he fires him because he is no longer contributing to the business and he can no longer use him to his advantage. In true Willy Loman fashion, even this is his final attempt at achieving the American Dream he has longed after for so long. The life insurance that could be collected from his death should be more than enough to support Biff in opening the doors to a business yet Biff is not willing to take this on.

Both Joe Keller and Willy Loman can be perceived as normal, hard-working American men. However, they both developed flaws, cracking their perfect American Dream. They could no longer distinguish the difference between reality and fantasy as we see that Willy Loman was even almost living in a dream-like state. Their tragic misunderstanding of the American Dream led them to the same tragic fate as well as both protagonists having abandonment issues which also became detrimental to their well-being. Death of a Salesman highlights true issues in today’s society keeping it as relevant as ever, Willy’s self-delusion, and his sense of failure and regret make the play so relatable to the audience as these are feelings many have experienced at one point in their life. It is unfortunate that the mistakes that Willy made were so detrimental to his reputation and relationships yet the situation he found himself in is not uncommon. Willy cannot accept that he is just as ordinary as everyone else. The play’s ability to be relatable to everyone even now, years after it was written, makes so many people admire it so much. We find that Biff’s words “I’m a dime a dozen, and so are you” are true despite Willy’s desperate pleas to change everyone’s mind. All My Sons also highlights flaws throughout our society as Joe Keller’s final statement that the pilots were “All My Sons” shows his sudden realization that he may as well have killed his own son, highlighting that society should have a responsibility to look after everyone equally just as though they were their own.

Introduction: The Illusion of the American Dream in ‘Death of a Salesman’

The American dream is most often defined as being successful and financially stable. To achieve the American dream, one must work hard and sometimes people can be so focused on their goals that they can be causing pain, both emotionally and physically, without noticing. The play, Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller in 1949, presents a family of four that has many conflicts which stem from different views of the American dream. The play, Sweat written by Lynn Nottage in 2015, is about a group of friends who have many disagreements about their goals which eventually leads to the demise of their friendship. The theme of the American dream is also very prevalent in the play, A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry which presents the hardships of achieving the American Dream for the Younger family. The most notable themes, shared by these plays, is the apparent need for the American dream and the authors convey these themes through their use of dialogue and stage direction.

Willy Loman’s Pursuit of Success and Happiness

The authors use arguments between the characters to portray how being fixated on achieving success can blind an individual from the extensive amount of trouble they are causing. Within this the authors are also conveying that each person has their own concept on what they envision for the term “the American dream.” In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is father to Biff and Happy. Willy believes that being a salesman is the definition of the American dream and he has always pushed his belief onto his children. Biff does not want to be a salesman and his dream is to work on a farm which causes an ongoing dispute between the family. Biff feels torn because he cannot be what his father wants without sacrificing his own happiness. Eventually Biff begs his father to let him go by saying, “[crying, broken]: Will you let me go, for Christ’s sake? Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens? [Struggling to contain himself, he pulls away and moves to the stairs.] (106).” This quote depicts the turmoil that Willy Loman had caused his son Biff. Like every parent, Willy had hopes and dreams for his son that he became fixated on. This fixation cause Willy to be harder on Biff and made Biff feel like he was the problem because he couldn’t fulfill his father’s hopes. The play, Sweat, also has many disputes that arise from achieving the American dream. The character Cynthia had just been given a promotion which requires her to betray her friends and her son. Cynthia had to do her job and lock out the workers at the plant and this caused turmoil between their once close-knit group. After doing the task Cynthia said, “I thought they’d take the damn deal. You think I’m happy about this? I locked out my own son. I saw the hurt in his face. But you wanna know the truth, and this is the truth, maybe it’s for the best right? It’ll finally get him out of this sinkhole (91).” This quote shows how Cynthia wants the best for her son like Willy Loman does for Biff. Cynthia had to make a decision and it resulted in her son, Chris, being unemployed. She doesn’t want to feel bad about the things she has done so she is convincing herself that she did what was best for him because Cynthia knows that her son’s dream is attend college and be teacher. She is blinding herself from the reality that she is causing her own son and friends such turmoil. Each play displays how people tend to focus all their attention on the goal, that they do not notice the major issues that begin to arise once the problem is already out of hand.

Impact of Unrealistic Expectations and Societal Pressures

Each play illustrates the difficult decisions that must be made and the amount of effort that it takes to achieve the American. In the play, Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman has been a salesman for almost thirty-six years and his commitment has taken a toll on his mental health. Willy has been struggling and says, “I was driving along, you understand? And I was fine. I was even observing the scenery… And then all of a sudden I’m goin’ off the road! I’m tellin’ ya, I absolutely forgot I was driving. If I’d’ve gone the other way over the white line I might’ve killed somebody… I have such thoughts, I have such strange thoughts (4).” His family has had a hard time dealing with his health issues, especially his wife Linda. She says, “A small man can be just as exhausted as a great man. He works for a company thirty-six years this March, opens up unheard-of territories to their trademark, and now in his old age they take his salary away (40).” These two quotes show the reality of achieving the success of the American Dream. Willy Loman has been working for the same company for almost thirty-six years and it shows the commitment and exhaustion he has endured over the years. The first quote displays the effect that Willy’s exhaustion has had on his mental health. He has been working to the point that his mind and body are overworked and tired. In Sweat, there was a discussion between Cynthia and Tracey. After Cynthia had to lock out her friends from the plant, they had run into one another at their favorite bar. They tried to talk about the events that had happened, and Cynthia said, “I thought they’d take the damn deal. You think I’m happy about this? I locked out my own son. I saw the hurt in his face… and Tracey replied “I looked for your eyes. Just gimme something. Cynth. A little look, to let know it’s okay, but you wouldn’t even fucking look at me. (91-93). This quote shows the reality that of choosing the American Dream over the ones that you love. She had been committed to the company since she was out of high school and has never left since. She chose her own success over her friends/family and this dialogue shows how she had to choose to abandon them to be successful. A Raisin in the Sun also depicts the years of hard work that is needed to achieve one’s goals. In a scene, Walter list the jobs that his family has worked to be able to earn the money for house that they have bought. He says, “ I mean—I have worked as a chauffeur most of my life—and my wife here, she does domestic work in people’s kitchens. So does my mother. I mean—we are plain people … (Really like a small boy, looking down at his shoes and then up at the man) And—uh—well, my father, well, he was a laborer most of his life… (146-147).” This quote shows the amount of work that each person in the Younger family had to contribute to make their dream of owning that home, into a reality. Generations of the Younger family have had to endure backbreaking work in order to become closer and closer to achieving their American Dream.

Tragic Flaws and Character Analysis of Willy Loman

These plays outline just how important it was to achieve the American dream and how having barriers from achieving the dream can lead to one’s downfall. Throughout the play, Death of a Salesman, Willy’s mind has been deteriorating to the point that he has considered taking his own life. His wife and son believe that once the boys are successful in their careers, Willy’s health will improve. Until there is a meeting between Willy and Howard, his boss. Willy went to request a change in his location and it ended with Howard firing him. Howard said, “I don’t want you to represent us. I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time now…. I think you need a good long rest, Willy (63).” This made Willy feel like a failure because he was unable to achieve his American Dream. Later on, Biff let him know that he loved him, and Willy was happy for a moment but still felt despair. The play shows how he obstacle between Willy’s dream lead him to his demise. Willy lived for his son’s and to achieve his goal of being a successful salesman. After Willy had been fired and reconciled with his son, he believed that he had nothing left to live for and took his own life. In Sweat, Jason had visited his mother Tracey once he had got out of jail. He needed to borrow some money because he had none himself and he discovers that his mother’s unemployment has caused drastic problems. Tracey gives him money and lets him know that she needs to be paid back right away. He takes the money but ends up giving it back to her because he feels that she does not want to help him. Tracey says, “Fine. Give it here. (She grows antsy. She needs a fix. Jason extends the money, and she snatches it from him desperate.)” Jason replied, “Jesus, look at you…. How the fuck did this happen? (120).” Tracey was on her way to achieving her goals with the help of her continuous commitment and work at the factory. After Tracey was laid-off and unemployed her life took a turn for the worst. Her son was in jail and she was alone. She eventually became an addict because she had nothing else. These situations of these plays are similar to that in A Raisin in the Sun. Mama had given Willy the money to invest in his liquor store business with his friends and the money gets stolen by one of his friends. Once Walter is told the bad news he said, “Turning madly, as though he is looking for WILLY in the very room) Willy! … Willy … don’t do it … Please don’t do it … Man, not with that money … Man, please, not with that money … Oh, God … Don’t let it be true … (He is wandering around, crying out for WILLY and looking for him or perhaps for help from God) Man … I trusted you … Man, I put my life in your hands … (He starts to crumple down on the floor… (He starts to pound the floor with his fists, sobbing wildly) THAT MONEY IS MADE OUT OF MY FATHER’S FLESH— (129). This quote helps to depict the scene where Walter found out that all the money he had put in to his shared liquor business was stolen. Walter shows another example of being fixated on the American dream can lead to their downfall. His mother gave all the money, including the money that was to be put in the bank for Beneatha, and in that one second it is was all gone. All of these plays display how once people have been driven off of the pathway to their American dream it feels as if their whole life has been for nothing and this can lead to their downfall.

Conclusion: The Relevance of Miller’s Critique Today

The American dream is always depicted as this beautiful image but the amount of work behind it is rarely talked about. People tend to focus on the destination and not the journey like they focus on the American dream and not the efforts. From reading these plays, the reader is able to understand the reality of American dream and all that it entails. The authors use of stage direction and dialogue are able to carry their ideas to the reader that the American dream is much more than the ending. With the American dream individuals have to make huge sacrifices and make big decisions. Sometimes it entails choosing between one’s own success and their friend/family relationships. The characters show how people tend to not notice the trouble they are making until it is too late. They try to make excuses to justify their decisions. They also depict how once there are unexpected obstacles put between oneself and their dream, it can lead to their demise. People tend to feel that they have put in all of their efforts in, to only come out with no success. After reading these plays, we are able to see and understand the full journey of achieving the “American Dream.”

Work Cited

1. Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun: a Drama in Three Acts. Random House, 2002
2. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman: Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem. Penguin Books, 2016.
3. Nottage, Lynn. Sweat (TCG Edition). Theatre Communications Group, 2017.

A. Introduction

Arthur Miller was a playwright, essay and book 1915-2005. He was from America. Miller was born with the name Arthur Asher Miller on October 17, 1915 and died on February 10, 2005. Known as author Arthur Miller and his famous works are The Crucibal and Death of Salesman. In addition to being famous for his works, he was also increasingly famous for getting a husband from Marilyn Monroe in 1956 to 1961.

Literature is the study of a text that has certain aims and aims in-depth. Many literary works were created to convey a message to all readers, but in implied language. Literary works are usually presented in the form of short stories, novels, films, songs, poems, drama / theater and so on.

Drama scripts can be analysed using a number of methods, one of which are from the perspective of gender and the author’s biography. This approach uses analysis by analyse the author’s biography and gender. In this way, researchers search from various sources by studying the life of the author of a work. The researcher studies where the author of the poem lives, in the era when the author lived and more specifically the life history of the writer.

Death of Salesman is a literary work in the form of a drama script. This drama is different from other dramas, if other dramas tell great characters, kings, gods, then this drama tells about modern life and the lives of ordinary people who work as sales people in a company.

B. Discussion

Drama is the presentation of a story through a drama in stage that was packaged and delivered with a deep inspiration. Aristoteles revealed that ‘Drama is imitated human actions’. Based on Aristoteles’s statement we know that drama is an imitation of human life. Every part of the drama is watched in great detail, such as expressions, properties, stage settings that fit the story. These details are intended so that the storyline can be well received by the audience.

“Behind the kitchen, on a level raised six and a half feet, is the boys’ bedroom, at present barely visible. Two beds are dimly seen, and at the back of the room a dormer window. (This bedroom is above the unseen living-room.) At the left a stairway curves up to it from the kitchen.”

The above quote is a quote from a drama script about setting the place with high detail. The above quote also explains the room layout / setting of place that will be used before doing the scene.

The world writers who created the drama script, they convey messages and criticism of the social situation in a country through staging drama. Drama is created because of the influence of the environment in which the writer lives and the period when the writer gets an idea to express what the writer feels through the play and then visualized through a performance. Then a message is more easily conveyed to the audience when the characters portray their characters with full sentiments.

In Death of Salesman there is a very clear depiction of gender, although this story does not depict dominantly about gender, but it can be seen the problem of gender roles in the story of Death of Salesman. This story packs about the life of a family that lives with a complete family. A family, a married couple and two children. Willy Loman is a father who works as a salesman and his wife is at home. From their roles and work we can clearly see that gender roles are involved here. Willy is a father who is very responsible for his family and he who makes a living for his family every day. While his wife, Linda was at home to take care of their home.

“From the right, WILLY LOMAN, the Salesman, enters, carrying two large sample cases. The flute plays on. He hears but is not aware of it. He is past sixty years of age, dressed quietly. Even as he crosses the stage to the doorway of the house, his exhaustion is apparent. He unlocks the door, comes into the kitchen, and thankfully lets his burden down, feeling the soreness of his palms. A word-sigh escapes his lips—it might be “Oh, boy, oh, boy.” He closes the door, then carries his cases out into the living-room, through the draped kitchen doorway.”

The above quote has entered Act I and began to introduce one of the characters in this story. In addition, this section also provides an overview and direction for players to prove according to the script so that the intent of this Act is conveyed to the audience. This quote illustrates that Willy Loman’s activities have been carried out routinely. This quote also introduces the main character Willy who works as a salesman. A man is sixty years old, but he still works late.

WILLY: [With wonder.] I was driving along, you understand? And I was fine. I was even observing the scenery. You can imagine, me looking at scenery, on the road every week of my life. But it’s so beautiful up there, Linda, the trees are so thick, and the sun is warm. I opened the windshield and just let the warm air bathe over me. And then all of a sudden I’m goin’ off the road! I’m tellin’ ya, I absolutely forgot I was driving. If I’d’ve gone the other way over the white line I might’ve killed somebody. So I went on again—and five minutes later I’m dreamin’ again, and I nearly—[He presses two fingers against his eyes.] I have such thoughts, I have such strange thoughts.

LINDA: Willy, dear. Talk to them again. There’s no reason why you can’t work in New York.

WILLY: They don’t need me in New York. I’m the New England man. I’m vital in New England.

LINDA: But you’re sixty years old. They can’t expect you to keep traveling every week.

The quote above explains that Willy’s age should be too old for sales who work long distances. However, Willy continued to do it because, he was aware of his role and duties as a man, husband and father for their children.

“LINDA, his wife, has stirred in her bed at the right. She gets out and puts on a robe, listening. Most often jovial, she has developed an iron repression of her exceptions to WILLY’s behavior—she more than loves him, she admires him, as though his mercurial nature, his temper, his massive dreams and little cruelties, served her only as sharp reminders of the turbulent longings within him, longings which she shares but lacks the temperament to utter and follow to their end.”

The quote above is a description of the character of Linda, Willy Loman’s wife. She quickly welcomed the arrival of her husband. Linda is described as a wife and housewife who so attentive to her husband and children. Attention was shown when she realized her husband came, she immediately met her husband.

LINDA: Why? What happened [Slight pause.] Did something happen, Willy? WILLY: No, nothing happened.

LINDA: You didn’t smash the car, did you?

WILLY: [With casual irritation.] I said nothing happened. Didn’t you hear me?

LINDA: Don’t you feel well?

WILLY: I’m tired to the death. [The flute has faded away. He sits on the bed beside her, a little numb.] I couldn’t make it. I just couldn’t make it, Linda.

The conversation above shows the attention of a wife to her husband. Linda asks about her husband’s condition because she is worried that something will happen to her husband.

The Death of Salesman illustrates how meaningful gender roles are in their lives, where men are tasked with earning money to support their families and collect it retirement. When men are not able to carry out their duties properly, the social community will punish him and assume the man fails to be a man.

‘From the right, WILLY LOMAN, the Salesman, enters, carrying two large sample cases.’ Based on the citation, we can see Willy Loman has just come from the office with a suitcase, illustrated that Willy is a father who works to do his job as a man.

‘She gets out and puts on a robe, listening.’ The description in the quote shows that Linda’s attitude as a wife welcomed her husband’s arrival from work. He described his attitude as a housewife and did a good job.

But if we look at it from another side, feminists see it as an unfair treatment for women. They considered the treatment that Linda obtained was very degrading to women.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries women were not permitted to leave the house for any reason. Women at that time must always be at home while their husbands go to work, do whatever they want outside of the house and go wherever they want. Women have to do housework, cook, take care of the house, take care of children and are treated as if they are helpers.

In the 1940s, women were considered as unimportant as men. They were treated as if they were not human. They should not talk much, in Death of Salesman can be seen when Linda welcomes Willy home from work.

“LINDA: [Hearing WILLY outside the bedroom, calls with some trepidation.] Willy!

WILLY: It’s all right. I came back. LINDA: Why? What happened? [Slight pause.] Did something happen, Willy?

WILLY: No, nothing happened.

LINDA: You didn’t smash the car, did you?

WILLY: [With casual irritation.] I said nothing happened. Didn’t you hear me?”

Based on the dialogue above, Willy always interrupted Linda’s words, Willy always responded with sentences that tended to snap. Linda’s attitude showed a woman’s natural attitude, they were full of worry and of course she was very fond and worried about Willy.

Happy Loman, he’s the youngest son of Willy Loman and Linda. His attitude towards women also strongly considers that women are considered as objects, he likes to play with women. He knows what they want, he knows they really like compliments. He said, ‘Would you object to a compliment from a stranger? You ought to be on a magazine cover” (Act II). Happy giving such praise doesn’t really want to say it, it’s just that he wants to sleep with the woman he seduced. With those sweet words Happy always thinks that women are easy to be fooled.

The woman who is considered as the object in this story besides Linda is Willy’s mother. Loman’s family has a history of treating Willy’s mother and her story is told through a conversation between Willy and Ben. Willy’s father was Father Loman who worked as a flute maker and peddled him around Alaska and left his wife to raise his own two sons. The two boys are Ben and Willy.

After Ben was seventeen years old and Willy was not even four years old, Ben left home, leaving his mother and Willy. His father’s treatment caused Willy to provoke Ben to do the same and exceed their father’s treatment of their mother. They assume their father is a great man, adventurous man because he surrounds Alaska. Willy and Ben’s perspective on their father, made Willy and Ben underestimate the role of their mother who since childhood always caring for them without a husband who accompanied at home. His mother’s demeaning attitude was shown by Ben through his conversation with Willy.

“Ben: That’s too bad. Fine specimen of a lady, Mother.

Willy: [To Charley] Heh?

Ben: I’d hope to see the old girl.”

From this quote, Ben clearly demeaned his mother, even he called his mother ‘old girl’ not what else the name ‘mother’.

Inappropriate treatment of women is when Willy pushes The Woman, her affair. He treats The Woman like an object that only he needs to fulfill his sexual desires. But in this scene even Linda was not named, only called ‘The Woman’.

THE WOMAN: But my clothes, I can’t go out naked in the hall!

WILLY: [Pushing her offstage.] Get outa here! Go back, go back!

The quote above shows Willy often uses words and intonation that tends to snap and even physically encourages The Women.

Women in Death of Salesmen always get unfavourable treatment, they are considered as objects. How their opinions are never valued. How Willy always interrupted when Linda was talking, and Willy discarded ‘The Woman’ when he was no longer needed by Willy.

C. Conclusion

The issue about gender is a problem that from the past until now is still a perpetual institution that has not been resolved. In social life also everything that exists always involves gender. The gender role in life regulates all behaviour between men and women. Gender also imposes limits on men and women.

In Death of Salesman, the gender role is very clear in the plot. This story also illustrates how the role and treatment obtained by men to women. Women in Death of Salesmen always get unfavourable treatment, they are considered as objects. How their opinions are never valued. Even when they want to talk, men will immediately cut it.

D. References

1. https://literarydevices.net/death-of-a-salesman-characters/
2. https://www.gradesaver.com/death-of-a-salesman/study-guide/summary
3. https://studydriver.com/women-in-death-of-a-salesman-novel/

Arthur Miller’s The Death of a Salesman is story of the American Dream and how it is a prime example humanity misinterpreting what a perfect life is. Miller uses Willy as an example of a tragic hero doesn’t have to be perfect or the good life, when in fact it can be just a common man trying to make a living. This makes the story of Willy and his sad downfall more real towards the viewer, when they could almost compare the job and the sort of lifestyle to that era in the United States. Often People cover up their mistakes with lies and deceit yet expect to achieve their goals without any problems. Throughout the story the reader can follow the unfortunate demise of both the salesman and his son. These two characters exhibit flaws that become apparent throughout the play as Biff grows into an adult. Whether his personality traits developed as a result of his own nature or as a product of Willy’s parenting has been a point of contention for many audiences.

It is crucial to understand Arthur Miller Life and upbringing to clearly view his perspective in his plays. Born in 1915 in New York City, as a child Miller knew not that much about delinquency. In the streets of New York in 1957 would spend his time talking to sociologist, and psychiatrists hoping to write about juvenile delinquency as he states in an interview done with Richard Evans (Evans 92). Millers research on Juvenile delinquency can pay a great role in his creation of the character Biff, who is a delinquent himself as a child. It can also be mentioned that Miller had a son with down syndrome, this can be a connection to willy that Miller had. His understanding of parenting an autistic child gave him an understanding on parenting, and a perspective on mental health. The Death of a Salesman is a story that splices the play in the present and past, focusing on main character Willy Loman. Willy Loman, a salesman who just returned from a business trip is surprised to see that his sons came to visit him from out of town. It is very important to note that Willy has been having trouble with driving correctly and is starting to talk to himself more often than usual. Willy recently was just demoted from his job, with all the stress he begins to hallucinate, about his past. In the hallucination he talks to his deceased brother Ben, about how he got his fortune in the diamond mining industry. Throughout the story Biff can be seen looking distraught about his father ending up the way he did. While Happy, Biffs brother, always knew that his father talked to himself but not to an extent that willy has taken it. By the end of the story the two sons leave their father at the restaurant by himself.

A careful reading can show that it is the one part of Willy, Biff’s father, and his poor parenting that leads to Biff’s poor character traits as shown in his Flashbacks depicted throughout the play. Miller’s purpose for including the flashbacks were to show that his family meant a lot to him, also using the flashbacks for character development. It added towards representing Willy’s sanity and showing the overall disillusionment he was going through. One of Willie’s flashbacks in Scene three act two is very important because it takes place in the past completely. This scene pays homage to the overall theme of pride with his children absolutely worshiping him, the viewer can tell that Willie holds this memory close to his heart. Willy believes in this memory that he is living the American Dream, everything he says in this memory is perfect. In his Biff and Happy’s eyes hero, Biff says towards the end of the scene “This Saturday, Pop, this Saturday -just for you, I’m going to breakthrough a touchdown.” (I.iii.1) This type of behavior of constantly having constant episodes in him reliving his past, or his rapid outbursts that randomly happen.

An important scene to note in this play can be seen during an incident that happens in one of Willy’s flashbacks. (II.x) Scene ten begins in a hotel room and Willy can be seen with another woman and is caught by Biff, who calls Willy a “liar” and “phony little fake”. (II.x.1-3). This event can be considered the moment that Biff loses all respect for his father, all of Biffs thought of his father being perfect is sent right downhill. This plays a major role in the hatred that Biff holds against his father, who throughout the play constantly uses his wife as a sort of punching bag. It should be known that Arthur Miller left his first wife whom he had two children with, this could play a role in his character development for Willy.

Another key moment in this play is during thirteen, in an interaction both Willy and Biff break. As an argument commences as Biff attempts to leave his Fathers residence, as Biff leans in for a hand shake Willy refuses and exclaims “May you rot in hell if you leave this house!”, pushing Biff to confront Willy and his attempt at suicide. (II.xiii.1) Biff is worn out from constantly feeding his father’s disorder, bringing out a rubber hose that his father tried using to commit suicide. Biff bring the rubber hose not only faces Willy with reality of his intention that he is hiding but crushing his dream of Willy’s suicide to redeem himself for what he has done. Some of the dialogue from this scene can furtherly prove Willies mentality fully decaying.

BIFF. (crying, broken) Will you let me go for Christ’s sake?

Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something bad happens? (struggling to contain himself, he pulls away and moves to the stairs.) I’ll go in the morning. Put him-put him to bed. (Exhausted, Biff moves up the stairs to his room.)

WILLY. (after a long pause, astonished, elevated) Isn’t that remarkable? Biff-he likes me!

LINDA. He loves you, Willy!

HAPPY. (deeply moved) Always did, Pop.

WILLY. Oh, Biff! (Staring wildly.) He cried! Cried to me! (He is choking with his love, and cries out his promise.) That boy-that boy is going to be magnificent! (II.xiii.1-12)

In conclusion, by finally ending his life Willy faces the truth that all of what he dreamed and hoped for was for nothing. Giving the viewer a scary reality of how following a false hope or an American dream, the outcome may be scarier than the thoughts. During the requiem Willy’s funeral is held, but there is nobody there for him only his wife and sons. It was Willy in the end who found out that not everybody wins in the game of life. Even if all the odds are stacked against you, there is no such thing as hope in reality.

Introduction: The American Dream in ‘Death of a Salesman’

The American Dream has often been linked with the long-lasting belief and philosophy of “Manifest Destiny”, which, while originally the process of civilizing the untamed West U.S. at the time, translated to an overarching ideal of seizing the opportunity for a better life than one currently held. Death of a Salesman is a tragedy that illustrates the “death” of the American Dream, which can be defined as one’s development into the self-made man or woman, successful in fiscal, familial, and personal matters. By using various literary devices such as anachronism, flashbacks, and dramatic irony, Arthur Miller exhibits Willy Loman’s unravelling dream, which, at the end, displays how the dream itself had already crumbled long before the events of the present play ever occurred, giving a dismal outlook on the consequences of aiming for this vision.

Arthur Miller’s Background and Influence on the Play

Author Miller grew up in New York. He was born on October 17, 1915. He began writing the play “A Death of A Salesman” as a short story at the age of 17. Miller grew up in the lower edge of Harlem, he graduated out of Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn. After graduating he started working for over 2 years as a stock clerk in an automobile parts warehouse. Over time working as a stock clerk he saved enough money to attend the University of Michigan. Through the National Youth Administration, he was able to obtain financial aid to help him pay for school. He also worked as a nightly newspaper editor for the Michigan Daily newspaper. Through that job he got the niche of writing plays and ended up achieving awards for his work he had done. Later on, in his life he was married to Marilyn Monrose. He had divorced his first wife for Monrose. They had two kids Jane and Robert Ellen. Shortly after Marilyn Monrose and Miller got married. He had first met the actress at a Hollywood party in 1951.This marriage really put Millers play writes in the spotlight. Monroe died after her and miller divorced in 1964. After her death he moved to another wife and also wrote other works such as A view From the bridge

Anachronism: Willy Loman’s Struggle with Time

Anachronism presents itself most obviously in two places: Willy’s house, and in Willy himself. His house, placed in Brooklyn, New York, remains as the only suburban building in what is now becoming an urban landscape. Apartment buildings surround and tower over the little house, showcasing the anachronistic quality of how the house remains trapped in time, trapped in the past. This exemplifies a reflective quality in its owner as well, as Willy is continuously shown to reminisce on better and more promising times: the majority of his flashbacks display the Loman family back in the boys’ high-school days, with Happy pushed aside, despite his best efforts – overshadowed by Biff’s prowess and achievements, bolstered by both Willy and Linda’s constant praise and projections of his promising future. The essential theme of the tragedy is the American Dream and its effect on those who try to achieve it – it particularly focuses on the effects of the single most important unit of society: the family. Some adjectives used to describe salespeople are deceptive, sneaky, talkative, and knowledgeable. Various techniques are implemented to ensure a sale is closed at the present, or a possibility opened up in the not-too-distant future. Most often, what separates a great salesman from other mediocre or incompetent colleagues is their influence over their clients and the knowledge they have of their wares. Moreover, the actions that great salespeople take to win over their clients is what can garner them more business, more referrals, and hence, more sales. However, Willy has disregarded this notion for his entire time as a salesman, as his conversation with Charley in Act II shows. Charley explains to Willy, “The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell. And the funny thing is that you’re a salesman, and you don’t know that.” To which Willy responds, “I’ve always tried to think otherwise, I guess. I always felt that if a man was impressive, and well liked..” and the implication of personality alone being what defines a successful salesman is put forth (56). While this may be true to a degree, the overwhelming majority of the time, actions are what propel a person to the success they strive for. Having neglected this reality, Willy, in a delusional state, continuously cites his achievements and popularity throughout the play in an attempt to fool others and gain favor, deluding himself more-so than anyone else.

Flashbacks: Willy’s Deluded Nostalgia

Willy consistently has flashbacks through the play, focused on the exaggeration of the Loman family’s successes – the old quote applies here: “Don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched.” Every one of the flashbacks contains this exaggeration or manipulation of success – no matter the situation, whether it be at home with the family, or with his mistress in Boston, Willy always takes the chance to bolster his own self-perceived accomplishments. While these flashbacks exhibit the anachronistic quality of Willy’s psyche, it shows his obsession with a dream, an unattainable dream, at least by his standards, that he still continually strives for in mind, yet not in action. The recollections often have Ben, who is Willy’s dead brother, a successful business-man who set up post in Alaska, and represents Willy’s desire for instant riches and fame. A metaphor often alluded to is the “jungle” that Ben had to go through – the play states that he went into the jungle at eighteen, and came out at twenty-one, rich. That mindset appears to have captivated Willy, simply perceiving the end product as the means. He believes that personality and being well-liked is the key to success in the business world, as that is the end result that he and everyone else sees. Similarly, many people attribute success to being well-liked and simply having connections, when in fact, that was the result of the hard work put into reaching that peak of success. Charley alludes to this, questioning Willy, “Why must everybody like you? Who liked J. P. Morgan? Was he impressive? In a Turkish bath he’d look like a butcher. But with his pockets on he was very well liked” (56). In many senses, Willy’s nostalgia over what could have been and what passed him by are what lead to his eventual death and suicide, as even to the end he deludes himself with the thought of Ben, as Ben said [with promise] “It’s dark there, but full of diamonds,” referring to the metaphorical jungle which a person would have to go through to achieve that American Dream (82). At the end, Willy continues to delude himself, not even facing the reality that Biff would rather be a simple worker than strive for what appears to be an unachievable dream, based on his own surroundings and his own attempts to reach it; consequently, in trying to avoid that reality and keep himself in this hallucinogenic state, he kills himself in his reliable Chevy, his own primary work tool. In summation, these flashbacks serve to metaphorically and literally drive Willy off the road to success, and only to remain there in the jungle without any diamonds to show for it.

Dramatic Irony: The Disjunct Between Perception and Reality

Dramatic irony is by far the most utilized literary and dramatic device throughout the play. As the disjunct between what the character and reader know, its constant use ties back events that happen in the first and second acts, as well as tying together the futility of Willy’s actions and his influence on his two sons, potentially dooming them to a similar lackluster life. One example of this irony comes from a disparaging remark that Willy says to Charley during their game of cards, as Willy talks about how he put up the ceiling in his house. “A man who can’t handle tools is not a man.” The further the play progresses, the more we see that Willy is truly unable to handle these “tools” he speaks of. The primary tool of a salesman is himself, his actions, and his influence over others, and being unable to handle these tools, he proves to many people, especially Biff, that he is the least likely candidate of manhood. With the typical view of a man, he is meant to be the head of the household: the supplier, the leader, the mentor. Linda’s passing line to him near the start of Act I, “You’re too accommodating, dear,” runs more deeply than initially shown (4). One primary trait of a salesperson is that they cannot fold to their client – after all, they are the ones more knowledgeable about their product, and cannot simply accommodate whatever the client wishes; a compromise often must be made. A quote from the movie “Boiler Room” by Jim Young illustrates the attitude a successful salesperson must take: “Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you a reason he can’t.” Lacking this motivation or drive to fulfill this dream of his, Willy is consistently unable to supply for his family fiscally, as is shown at the start of the play with him being unable to pay off the expenses of the house. As a leader, Willy also fails, as his constant praise of Biff and disregard for Happy leads them both down similarly unsuccessful paths: Happy, with his persistent attempts for his father’s appreciation and recognition, ends up blinding himself to his father’s flaws, leading to the end, where he plans to continue this flawed plan of Willy’s; Biff, learning of his father’s infidelity, ruins his drive to achieve anything great in his life, as he drops his pursuit in fixing his math grade or attending university, finding out that this mentorship that his father provided was a lie on many transcendental levels. Various occasions of this dramatic irony are present, all tying together the theme of a failed dream, and its long-lasting ramifications on those involved, whether it be Willy himself or his family, particularly the ones meant to pass on his legacy.

Conclusion: The Illusion of the American Dream

Slated as a tragedy, this play highlights many events and causes that led to this great American Dream being led astray – however, all these literary devices tie together the theme of lies and illusion. The anachronism of Willy and his house, as well as those of Biff and Happy with their idea of selling sporting goods show their deluded thinking that they are ahead of the curve, when in reality, they are much behind this curve. The flashbacks serve a similar purpose, with Willy’s lies to himself not only affecting his mental, physical, and fiscal state, but also his family’s, deluding Linda, Biff, and Happy that they are, in fact, living this fabricated American Dream. The dramatic irony wraps all these elements together, tying together many of the lies and deceitful events, and showcasing the ultimate consequences that many of the characters themselves are unaware of.

“Gee, on the way home tonight I’d like to buy some seeds.” Willy told his wife this line, to which Linda responded “That’d be wonderful. But not enough sun gets back there. Nothing’ll grow any more”(46). Perhaps the most impactful example of dramatic irony, Willy seeks to plant these seeds, metaphorically leaving his legacy in a place and time where he could no longer cultivate anything meaningful. This leaves the tragic ending of this play, a disheartening display that literally and metaphorically, Willy’s time was up, leaving behind the unsuccessful mentality of quick riches and the lack of growth that his seeds, or his two boys, had endured and would continue to experience, failing to convey the message that America is not the land of the spoon-fed.

The Illusion of Success: Willy Loman’s Pursuit of the American Dream

In the play, Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller establishes a variety of themes such as the American Dream and disillusionment. Under a Marxist perspective, Death of a Salesman is a critique of a capitalist American society and materialistic lies that are written deep within the American Dream. Willy Loman, the main character of the play, is a prime example of a hardworking middle-class man striving for the success that comes from the American Dream but is left disillusioned and devastated when he realizes that hard work by itself won’t bring about success. Death of a Salesman highlights the effect that the American Dream and the power of money has on an average American family and brings about important questions that we need to ask ourselves when determining our own success in a capitalistic system. In Death of a Salesman, Miller shows that money holds power and exposes the proletariat’s dependence on the bourgeoisie’s employment and salary, while simultaneously revealing the classist values behind the labor forces.

Death of a Salesman brings about questions that have been dwelling on humanity since the beginning: What’s the meaning of happiness? What defines success and failure? Is the American Dream real? All these questions tie into each other more than one might think. The American Dream is the ideology that if you work hard enough in this country, you will emerge rich and successful. Getting rich quickly is reflected in Miller’s play when Willy’s brother Ben Loman brags to Willy’s sons: “Why, boys when I was seventeen, I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one, I walked out. He laughs. And by God I was rich” (Miller 37) There’s nowhere in the text that says anything about what Ben was specifically doing in the jungle, but he does imply acquiring wealth effortlessly. This creates an almost mocking tone toward Willy and his inefficacious labor of being a travelling salesman and not getting an earned reward quickly, if at all.

The Mirage of Effortless Wealth and the Reality of Exploitation

The American Dream from a Marxist perspective has become more of a shared false belief system rather than a goal to work toward. The American Dream has been misleading to the proletariat. Willy Loman is a symbol of the average American trying to attain The American Dream, while the bourgeoisie benefits from them. The working class is chasing effortless wealth while the upper class sits back and feeds off the hard work from the proletariat. Although Willy never attains the wealth he wanted, his hard work helps those that are already better off. Willy Loman isn’t Miller’s only representative of the failure of The American Dream. Happy and Biff Loman, Willy’s two sons, are struggling with their own version of success. Happy lives a materialistic life, while Biff aims for a more simple, spiritual life (Gailan 4). The Lomans live a happy life on the outside, but on the inside, they’re falling apart as from representing the stark reality of American working-class families: an ambitious work ethic that only leads to a depressing failure.

The Bourgeoisie’s Gain and the Proletariat’s Loss: A Marxist View

The reality of both the bourgeoisie and the proletariat is that the bourgeoisie advances when development strikes, and the proletariat feels the oppression that comes from the development. In Karl Marx and Frederick Engels’ work Manifesto of the Communist Party, they state that, “Each step in the development of the bourgeoisie was accompanied by a corresponding political advance of that class.” (Marx 15) This is expressed in Death of a Salesman when Willy gets fired. Willy expresses to his boss Howard that he’s tired of travelling and would rather take a position in New York. Howard responds back by firing him. Howard states that Willy has never averaged a hundred and seventy dollars a week in commissions. (Miller 62) While Howard benefits from cutting Willy loose, Willy gets laid off simply by asking for an added salary and a work position closer to home.

Contrasting Work Ethics: Biff’s Fulfillment vs. Willy’s Alienation

Willy’s choice of work as a salesman contrasts greatly with his son Biff’s choice of work. Biff has very different dreams from his father and enjoys more manual labor. Willy is displeased by his son’s choice and implies that working on a farm like Biff wants hardly institutes “a life.” The contrast is to be noticed with Biff’s happiness from just the thought of working out in nature. Meanwhile Willy’s job as a salesman results in hollowness and failure for his life. (Holscher 9) Willy has been so caught up in the soul-less procedure of selling, that he’s lost sight of the true happiness that work can provide for an individual, in which Biff seems to find. In Karl Marx terms, this is called alienation. Erich Fromm describes this term in Marx’s Concept of Man. Alienation implies that the individual doesn’t see himself as an agent in the hands of the world, but rather that the world remains alien to him (Fromm 44). In other words, selling has become merely an object to Willy who has no relationship with the product itself. Arthur Miller interestingly shows this by not mentioning the product in which Willy sells. Perhaps by not specifying the product, Miller intends to show that it’s not of importance to Willy, when the product should be an extremely important part of selling.

Willy Loman embodies the average American that’s so caught up in their ineffective attempt of trying to sell without gaining the income necessary to cover the bills and expenses that come from living a middle-class life. While Willy works for riches and comfort, he still doesn’t understand Biff’s desires to be out in nature where he can express his freedoms. Willy is fighting to bring his family happiness, while at the same time forcing Biff into the same kind of alienated labor that he himself is trapped in (Holscher 10). Because of his father’s capitalistic logic, Biff is left insecure with his choice of work, even if it does bring him happiness. When Biff confides in his brother Happy, he says, “What the hell am I doing, playing around with horses, twenty-eight dollars a week! I’m thirty-four years old, I oughta be makin’ my future. That’s when I come running home. And now, I get here and don’t know what to do with myself (Miller 16). Biff is confused and knows of his father’s disappointment. However, he’s also aware of the happiness it brings him and is appreciative of the beauty that comes from the farm; something that his father is unable to see anymore.

The American Dream is a very important theme that’s represented in Death of a Salesman. It may come true if you work hard, but hard work may also lead to someone else’s success. Willy’s work made the owners of Wagner Company successful. So, from a Marxist perspective, Willy had been exploited from his hard work that only benefited a minority of the bourgeoise instead of himself and his family. Though the American Dream describes society as one without classes where your background doesn’t determine your achievements, Death of a Salesman proves this to be false. To see the Lomans and the Wagners as equals would be ridiculous. Willy must work much harder and for much longer than his boss Howard, yet Howard is the one firing Willy and gaining the wealth. If one part of The American Dream is about taking care of people in need, then why is it when Willy comes to Howard about his energy and working skills being exploited, he doesn’t take care of him? (Gailan 17) Howard, the Wagner Company, not even his own sons take care of Willy in the end, which leaves Willy dying with a psychological disorder to give his family one last bit of cash from his health insurance.

Seeds of Legacy: Willy’s Final Act of Protest

Willy’s psychological illness has made itself apparent throughout the entirety of the play but becomes the most harmful nearing the end. When Willy’s two sons leave him drunk and consumed by his delusions in a restaurant, he has a sudden urge to buy seeds. “I’ve got to get some seeds right away. Nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing in the ground.” (Miller 96) Miller’s symbolism of seeds for Willy could mean several things. From a Marxist perspective, seeds could mean a legacy, a thriving business, or fortune. Willy has none of these things. His sons don’t have much to give, and Willy isn’t left with anything that he could show for himself after he’s gone. This foreshadows the end of Willy’s life, as his urge to plant seeds after a failed dinner with his sons was enough to drive Willy off the edge. Willy is left with nothing but to think about his legacy that he’s passing on. When he realizes he doesn’t have much of a legacy at all, even though he’s worked his entire life for one, Willy is left with very limited options. It is only when his brother comes to him in a delusion to tell him of his health insurance funds that Willy finds happiness about his legacy he’ll leave behind. Willy leaves his household with a smile on his face and a façade in his brain that his death will give his family a stroke of wealth and happiness.

From a Marxist perspective, Willy’s death is a protest to the dehumanizing system of a capitalist world that dwindles individuals into nothing but a “dime in a dozen”. In committing suicide, Willy hopes to show that he can still make a difference in his family’s lives. Even if his life hasn’t been what he wanted and he wasn’t able to provide what he wanted, he could at the very least ensure that Biff and the rest of his family will get $20,000 from the insurance company. In the end, Willy ends up escaping his mediocre and unsatisfied life by a last-ditch effort to bring fulfillment for his family. Though Willy’s wife Linda doesn’t quite understand why Willy did what he did, she ends the play stating that they’re free and clear. “I made the last payment on the house today. Today, dear. And there’ll be nobody home… We’re free and clear” (Miller 112). Linda doesn’t want Willy’s death to have been for nothing. She knows there must have been a reason, yet she feels he’s just on another business trip. From a Marxist perspective, this confusion could be a correlation. Even after Willy’s death, he’s almost like a hardworking salesman to his family. Almost as if the capitalistic relationship between the bourgeoisie and proletariat has utterly consumed Willy and cut him down to another pawn or piece of fruit.

Money, Power, and Individual Responsibility: Reflecting on Capitalistic Society

Money holds power in Death of a Salesman. The proletariat’s dependence on the bourgeoisie and their toxic relationship of taking without giving is much too apparent and becomes the downfall to the Loman family. However, the negative effects of capitalism and the false American Dream promises shouldn’t take all the blame for the Loman’s demise. The individual must also take responsibility, as simply interfering with the capitalistic nature of business and selling will turn you into a puppet for the bourgeoisie to take advantage of. The classist values behind the labor forces is always to gain money and success, even if it’s at the expense of others below them. From a Marxist perspective, the middle class is no better than the upper class, as they both take advantage of those below them. Willy lives his life to breathe the success that the American Dream has to offer until he realizes that he’s just a piece of fruit tossed out by his employers that don’t give him the compensation that he deserves from being a travelling salesman. When looking at Death of a Salesman as a whole, we must examine the effect that money has on simple families and the measures we’re willing to take to provide for our loved ones. However, we must also realize that it isn’t easy to escape from our capitalistic society. To live outside of it would be to live as an outcast. Miller promotes many messages to the American people, but one of the most important ones is for the audience to think about just how independent our choices really are when living in the false American Dream.

In this paper, I will be discussing the similarities and differences between the themes of the three plays. The three plays I will be discussing are Fences, Sweat, and Death of a Salesman. Throughout each of these plays, different themes are presented to the audience, but the themes have similarities to one another. I will compare each theme from the plays to one another and explain what makes them different and what makes them similar.

The first play that I will discuss is Fences by August Wilson. The play follows Troy Maxson’s life and the people that surround him. One of the themes of the play is on race and how the characters from the play had to deal with it. Most of the play is set in the 1950s and there had been progress made on race relations but there was still a shadow of it in the country. Fences shows what it was like during this time before the Civil Rights Movement. An example of this is from Bono, “Well, as long as you got your complaint filed, they can’t fire you. That’s what one of them white fellows tell me.” (Act 1, scene 1, page 12). Bono’s comment showed the power that white people had in society during that time.

Another theme for the play Fences is on dreams and plans. Troy had his dream of becoming a pro baseball player but was stopped due to racial discrimination. Troy’s son Cory wants to play football but Troy refuses to let him play, which destroys Cory’s chances of going to college. Fences explores the damage that can come from one generation not being able to fulfill their dreams can damage the dreams of the next. Troy Maxson still holds bitterness against white people because he feels as if he was passed over because of segregation and discrimination instead of how good his ability to still play was. The emotions involved with being passed over because of discrimination left Troy Maxson angry which he often displayed towards his family. Troy Maxson’s point of view about things drastically affects those around him. Troy Maxson had reached for his dream and failed and instead of encouraging his son to reach for his dream he demeans his son’s achievements. Despite Troy Maxson’s encouragement his son, Cory succeeds in his dream of being recruited by a college football team. As anticipated his father belittles the accomplishment by saying “it ain’t gonna get him nowhere” crushing the young man’s dreams.

Fences also has a theme of betrayal that is shown throughout the play in different ways. Troy betrays almost everyone in his life: his wife, son, brother and best friend. In Act One, Scene one, page twenty, Bono says “I see where you be eyeing her.” This line indicates Troy’s betrayal to his wife with Alberta that destroys his marriage and causes him to lose his family.

Much like Fences, Death of a Salesman has some of the same themes but the way that the characters fulfill those themes are different. Willy Loman is the main character in the play and is a traveling salesman. If the reader or audience looks past the plot into the theme and symbolism used they can see that the plays are more similar than they are different. Despite the different cultural backgrounds of each protagonist they both are tragic heroes that are trying to achieve the American dream as it relates to each character; both of which fail in drastic yet similar ways. The American dream has always been an important factor in many American’s lives as it is to Troy Maxson the protagonists of Fences and to Willy Loman the protagonist of Death of a Salesman. Willy Loman and Troy Maxson are both hardworking men of different cultural backgrounds, with striking similarities in the way they try and fail to achieve the American dream of their era and die in the end without earning the respect they both feel they should have. All the characters in Death of a Salesman are all trying to reach their dreams in one way or another and are frustrated when they face failure. Willy Loman tried to achieve his dream of becoming a world-class salesman but could not succeed. Willy Loman is an insecure self-deluded salesman who believes that to be hardworking, honest and have ambition were the ways of the American Dream. Willy Loman also believes wholeheartedly in his misguided notion that the key to success is being “well-liked” and making money.

In the play Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman who is unsuccessful in achieving the American dream finds pleasure in the arms of a mistress; his adulteress affair is like that of Troy Maxson in the play Fences where his affair bears a child. Willy Loman’s need for fulfillment came in the arms of a mistress, as he looked at her and asked, “you picked me, heh?” the audience could tell that he was seeking more than a pleasurable experience, he was looking for someone to want him. Through his extramarital affair, Willy Loman had thought he had found satisfaction as well as gratification. Although, Willy Loman thought he could keep his affair to himself he was soon found out otherwise. Willy Loman’s oldest son, Biff, found out that “his father was having an affair with a strange woman” and all respect that Biff had for his father was lost forever. Biff cries, ‘You fake! You phony little fake! You fake!’ as he loses what trust and respect he has for his father.

Like Willy Loman, Troy Maxson also has an extramarital affair. One of the many possible reasons Troy Maxson has an affair maybe because of his “complex side” and he possibly “feels trapped”. Troy Maxson longs for something different than his stagnant marriage. While Troy Maxson is with his mistress he feels as if she gives him “a different understanding” about himself. Unlike Willy Loman’s affair, Troy Maxson’s affair yields a child. Willy Loman and Troy Maxson both were seeking the compassion of another woman to fulfill a nagging need they had inside to feel needed and wanted, in the end, it wasn’t the kind of compassion that served them well.

The play Sweat by Lynn Nottage covers the multiple challenges people face at their place of employment. The play centers around the events in the lives of several people who all work at the same factory in Reading, Pennsylvania. The largest theme of this play is on race and class in the workplace. When Cynthia is promoted from shop floor worker to manager and her co-worker and friend Tracey is not, their friendship suffers, and others start making accusations of racially-based preferences. The play also shows how the plant uses ethnicity to divide the workers. Although we see racism in Fences from Troy not being able to play pro baseball, the theme of racism in Sweat is coming from friends of the characters and their employer.

The other theme of the play is the effect of work-life on the family. The employee’s work lives and decisions about organizing affect their children. Jason and Chris are the sons of Cynthia and Tracey who end up on opposite sides over the strike. The young men are workers at the same factory and try to support the strikers. Eventually, the demonstration leads to an attack on Oscar and Stan, who is severely injured, and Jason and Chris are arrested and incarcerated. The fight over worker’s rights takes over a large part of the characters’ lives and Jason and Chris will have criminal records that will stay with them forever.

Much like the other two plays, Sweat also explores the idea of the American Dream but focuses on what happens when that dream is shattered and how those that are affected act. There is an increasing threat of the plant that the main characters work at will shut down and they will lose their jobs. Both Tracey and Cynthia apply for the supervisor position but when Cynthia gets the position, Tracey’s thoughts of hard work and company loyalty are rewarded and respected are shattered.

Though the three plays were written in different points of time, they still had similar themes that shaped the plays. The plays explore racism, the effects of work-life on family, and the American Dream. Each character from the plays is affected by these themes in different ways and is faced with challenges that affect themselves, their families, and friends.