Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is one of the most popular books of the 20th century. The story revolves around a family who is struggling to live to meet their expectations. At its center is Willy Loman, a salesman who believes in his ability to reach the American dream. Willy believes that as long as a man is likable, then success is inevitable. However, Willy’s values and beliefs prove to be incapable of getting him the life he desires, and the truth proves too much for him when he finally realizes that his life has been a failure. The Death of a Salesman shows that in a consumer-driven society such as America, values, dreams, goals, and success can be a source of misery.
The story shows that a person’s values have to be in tune with their reality. Willy Loman held on to a set of values that would ultimately lead to his demise. In the play, Willy believed that men make a fortune by going out into the world and staking their claim (Miller, 1949). According to Miller (1949), he also believed in worldly achievements through sports or business activities. However, Willy’s most detrimental value was that being well-liked was important for a man to succeed (Miller, 1949). Such values were rather outdated and lacked practical application in the modern world. The idea of being well-liked as a determiner of success was not a reflection of society. The principle caused Willy to concentrate all his energy on being ‘well liked’ and, in the end, still could manage to achieve success or being liked.
The death of a salesman also shows how dreams can be a source of misery. Despite his failure to reach his dreams, Willy Loman was a man who had many things for which to be grateful. He had a loving wife dedicated to him and his sons, who were still willing to try in life (Miller, 1949). Despite his other failures, Willy Loman was close to reaching a milestone in his life. After his death, Linda exclaimed why he would kill himself when they were about to make the last payment for the house (Miller, 1949). It shows that Willy’s over-focus on his dreams prevented him from seeing some things for which he should have been thankful. His dream of being a successful salesman blinded him from taking note of other opportunities, such as turning down Charlie’s offer because he wanted to be part of the American business world.
The Death of a Salesman also shows that people do not always achieve their goals, and one has to prepare for such a situation. While it can be argued that Willy Loman failed to do everything possible to achieve his goals, he was not prepared to live in a world where he has not achieved his goals (Miller, 1949). Willy Loman had the goal of reaching the American dream, but he did not think that he could fail. He lived in constant denial of his failures, and when the reality dawned on him, he committed suicide because he could not handle the truth. The story shows that not all goals are achievable, and one has to learn to live in a scenario where they have not achieved their goal. Willy Loman was more useful to his family alive than dead because then he would have remained productive possibly helped his sons achieve their goals.
Finally, the story shows that success in a consumer drive society should be judged based on material wealth. Willy Loman was a man who had bought into the idea of materialism. Willy Loman lives under the illusion that he is successful, and that is why he gets upset whenever he sees Linda mending her stockings (Miller, 1949). It reminds him of his financial position, in that they are not as financially successful as he thinks. He is a proud person who judges his financial success based on the amount of material wealth that he has acquired. However, that view proved costly because human wants are insatiable.
The story shows how the idea of the American dream can be dangerous when taken out of context. Willy was trying to achieve the American dream using outdated techniques. Also, he lacked the proper conception of the meaning of the American dream because he committed suicide a payment away from clearing their house loan. One needs to adapt and modify their aspirations and expectation based on the prevailing conditions to prevent psychological turmoil.
