The play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller brings to light challenges in materialistic American societies of the 1940s, where people used all means to achieve the historic American Dream. Besides the American Dream, other themes in this literary work are abandonment and betrayal. The storyline or plot of Death of a Salesman features the family of the protagonist character, Willy Loman, and how it attempted to achieve the American Dream. In brief, the play illuminates the difference between the reality of life and the delusion of Willy’s family on how to be successful in a competitive, materialistic society. In the opening scene of the play (stage directions), Miller's description of "the salesman house" and his "Dream" lets the audience know that there was something wrong with Loman. Specifically, the dramatist explained that it was only the blue light of the sky that fell upon the "house and the forestage" (Miller, 1976, p. 11). The house is symbolic, and it represents the desire of ordinary Americans to own decent houses. The lighting directions and set designs, on the other hand, calls for a contrast between Loman's house and other buildings in the surrounding. In Death of a Salesman, it is Loman's mistaken interpretation of the American Dream that caused the tragedy in his life because he believed being well-liked and popular was far much important than working hard in a competitive society.
Hard work and Unrealistic Dream
Willy Loman represents the dark side of the American Dream. While the ideology of this aspiration emphasizes hard work and freedom, Willy does not believe that it is through hard work that one can prosper. Willy believed that he could only achieve the American Dream in two ways: behaving according to other people’s expectations and following specific rules. According to him, being serious and quiet was integral to achieving the Dream (Miller, 1976). Also, this character values personality since he believes it enhances the chances of success in a competitive world. This attitude is evident where he said: "personality always wins the day" (Miller, 1976, p. 65). This thinking shows that Willy Loman was far much from the reality of the American Dream. To him, prosperity and success in the era of the American Dream were entirely based on physical appearances rather than the ideology of hard work. This false thinking made Willy believe that he had attained the historic Dream. His death, which is associated with failure to live by the American Dream, later became a tragedy that burdened the entire family.
Willy Lowman was unrealistic with the Dream. Even at an old age, when he could not work, he believed that he could still achieve a lot. The old man maintained that a time would come when he will own big businesses and will "never leave home anymore" (Miller, 1976, p. 30). Besides his age, Willy has pride, and he is not willing to get any assistance. This man does not have money, yet he thinks he can realize the Dream. He was not even willing to take a job offer from Charley, who had been loaning him money. These instances show that the great American Dream was not under fire but rather one man's misunderstanding of its core ideology.
American Dream and Willy’s Death
The delusion about how to achieve the American Dream made Willy commit suicide. In this regard, Willy believed that killing himself would enable his family to realize the historic Dream as they would get a lot of money from the insurance company. Willy also thought that his death would bring a fortune that he could not get when he was alive. Committing suicide was part of a vision that Willy had created for himself to achieve material success. At first, he had convinced himself that he was famous, and there was no need for him as a salesman to look for customers. He said, "I never have to wait in line to see a buyer" (Miller, 1976, p. 33).
Willy thought the American Dream was all about creating a world that brings happiness without any struggle. However, this false notion ultimately led him to commit suicide. Willy had a romantic affair with another woman as one of the ways to make himself happy. He even gave his stock to another woman to attract her attention. Ironically, Willy did so to please women when his wife was struggling at home. This behavior shows how desperate this man was to sustain his self-esteem and live by his understanding of the American Dream. The dramatist explained to the audience that there was nothing good at Willy’s home that “grass would not grow anymore” (Miller, 1976, p. 17). The idea that there was nothing to smile about at Willy’s home explains why he was focused on creating a happy world for himself.
Willy controlled his sons and always criticized them for not behaving in ways that he believed would allow them to achieve the American Dream. Always, Willy wanted his family to live by the values and believes that he promulgated. While he made his family cherish wealth, he never bothered to explain to them about work the Dream’s ethics of acquiring wealth. This aspect explains why this man lived under pressure throughout his life, fighting to achieve the Dream. Throughout his childhood, Willy believed in the existence of the American Dream but was not interested to know how successful people acquired wealth. He explained that his brother "walked into a jungle and returned rich" (Miller, 1976, p. 41). In the end, he was full of regrets upon realizing that other people had achieved the Dream and were living a happy life. He went to his brother's grave and asked him: "Oh, Ben, how did you do it?” (Miller, 1976, p. 84).
Conclusion
A vast majority of Americans accumulated immense wealth in the era of the American Dream. However, Willy's mistaken interpretation of the historic Dream caused tragedies that had adverse impacts on his family. His American Dream was under fire because he did not cherish hard work, which was a core virtue for one to prosper. Willy promulgated half-truths and false beliefs that were against the ideology of the American Dream, an aspect that led to his failure.
