11-30-04
Death of a Salesman: the American Way
Arthur Miller, who wrote Death of a Salesman in 1949, amongst many others might not have had a true intention or meaning. After reading this tragedy, no single meaning can be derived, as Arthur Miller has said himself, yet the reader or watcher can see numerous possible objectives by analyzing the play. The author poses the question, who is ultimately responsible for the death of Willy Loman? According to Rex Curry “Miller intended the play as anti-capitalist propaganda, but failed”. Curry believes that Arthur Miller wrote this play to demean capitalism, and that Willy himself wasn’t responsible. The author on the other hand, denies this claim, saying that people who read so deep into his literature aren’t understanding the play’s intention. The salesman role of the protagonist, Willy Loman, and the title, show the American Dream causes pain. Willy’s illusionary nature, and the lying and deceit that occurs within the Loman family, could be partially responsible for the outcome, yet can also be seen as results of the system. I feel that the author dislikes America’s capitalist beliefs, and plays on the reader’s emotions in an attempt to sway opinion. I also feel that the author’s intent was to show the immorality and lack of values some people possess. The characters assume an important role in mediation throughout the play.
In the introduction, Willy’s mental condition is immediately introduced. He has lost his mind in the past, and is totally confused as to how to raise a family, how the real world works, or how to succeed in life. His house and yard are small, and crowded by the neighbors, yet he claims he’s a big salesman. Speaking of the company he works for “If old man Wagner was alive I’d a been in charge of New York now! But that boy of his, that Howard, he don’t appreciate. When I went north the first time, the Wagner company didn’t know where New England was!”. Willy means that he would have been the most successful person, had his former boss and friend still been alive, even though he isn’t. He is disillusioned. Willy’s romantisicm with being well liked negatively affects how he raises his children. Willy “loved his sons too indulgently to impose any discipline on them”, according to Ronald Hayman. This is shown during one of Willy’s numerous flashbacks, where Biff and Happy are high schoolers. When his older and admirable son Biff steals a football from his coach and Willy jokes “Coach’ll probably contgratulate you on our initiative!”. Moments later, he tells Biff “It’s because he likes you”, which increases Willy’s self worth since he feels well liked and respected. Unfortunately when Bernard, the young over-achiever who lives next door, informs Willy that Biff is failing school and that Biff needs to study to avoid forfeiting scholarships, Biff imposes little directive. In fact, Willy is so off-beat with reality that he says “Bernard can get the best marks in school, but when he gets out in the business world, you are going to be five times ahead of him.” Willy continues on about the good looks of the kids. Later in Act 1, Willy tells his wife Linda “In the greatest country in the world a young man with such - personal attractiveness gets lost.” Willy refuses to punish or criticize Biff in fears of being not-liked. Willy is so impractical that he is unaware of how he failed to properly guide and father Biff, and ironically, Biff isn’t less successful than his father. Biff learning of Willy’s affair and Willy’s reaction shows immorality. Rather than being responsible and being forthright about his wrong-doing with his wife, Willy eliminates Biff from the environment so that Linda can’t find out. Bernard, who lived next door, is seen later on in the play, and is responsible, well mannered, and moral. Arthur Miller uses Bernard to contrast the values of the Lomans. This is especially apparent when Bernard refers to a Supreme Court case as ‘just a case’. He is very modest individual something the Loman family is not.
He was not an evil person though, and despite having the wrong outlook on life and bad morality, Willy Loman was betrayed. When he was a young child, Willy and his brother Ben were abandoned by their father. They were left with nothing, no money, no support, or family legacy. This could have contributed to Willy’s suicide, as well as his obsession with being well liked. His brother leaving for Alaska and accidentally becoming wealthy definitely adds to Willy’s fear of abandonment. Casey Gray writes “The faith that Willy has in people and has in society brings him down as well. Willy trusts people, and what they say. When Willy goes to Howard and reminds him of the time that he was promised a “New York job” at a Christmas party, Howard for a moment cannot remember. Then he states that he did remember and he could not find anything for him.” Willy Loman was left with commission as his only pay, the company took his salary. People around him, most importantly his favorite child Biff, criticized him for his failures, even though he tried his best. He worked faithfully for a company for more than 30 years and rather than receiving pension, and a retirement check, he was given a pink slip. Howard is a greedy individual, and tells Willy “you gotta admit, business is business." Willy feels betrayed, because he knows that Howard has a maid and just recently purchased a tape player, and that Willy has never asked for a favor before. Even if his work performance had been slipping, and he hadn’t performed as well as others, he should not have been fired. Gray continues “Willy trusts that the insurance company that carries his life insurance will pay his premium is possibly another misplaced trust. We never do find out if Linda, Biff, and Happy receive the full $20,000 that Willy’s thinks his life is worth.”. Judging by the continual lack of failure in the Loman family, it would be safe to guess that the family would not have received the money.
Despite a rough childhood and work situation, Willy Loman was partially responsible for his downfall. One writer put
“But Loman must not be seen as a passive victim of society. First, it must be noticed that he is an active "active collaborator in his own downfall"(Carson,1982:47). He never realizes that all his dreams are part of the base of the system that finally destroys him. Without dreams like those of Willy Loman, a capital system would have never been possible. Second, he had other possibilities than becoming a salesman: He could have accompanied his brother Ben to Alaska. And third, he is given the possibility of another job, offered by Charlie, which he does not accept only because of his pride. In short, Loman is the victim of his own values, which he shares with the society.”
Even though he was taken advantage of and abandoned throughout his lifetime, Willy Loman had some play in his fate. His complete demeanor was not that of a normal person, and even though he meant well, he failed in life. He did have numerous opportunities to other wise prosper in life, but chose not to take them, since he figured success was being a well-liked salesman. Arthur Miller’s true intention is unknown. I think Miller criticizing Capitalist America’s greed and obsession for money. I also believe that the author is trying to relay a message to his readers: no matter how much you are liked or how much money you make, you won’t be successful. Biff thought being successful was being happy with life, and this is one of the messages of this play.
Works Cited
Curry, Rex.
http://www.rexcurry.net . Accessed 11/30/04 internet.
Hayman, Ronald. Arthur Miller. New York: Frederick Ungar Publiching Co. (1956); p
55.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: The Viking Press, 1958.
Unknown Writer-sorry I lost the name