Death of a Salesman and Babbitt Compare and Contrast Essay

Willy Low Man and George Babble

Sinclair Lewis' book, Babbitt, and the movie, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman based on Miller's play, both focus on an aspiration to become thriving individuals in middle class America commonly known as "The American Dream." According to Zheng Danqing, "Most Americans are born with the American Dream. They dream of making personal achievement, enjoying popular fame, or getting great wealth through their hard work" (26). Some people may work their whole lives and still remain unsatisfied with where they are in society while others may have an inflated sense of self and believe that they are superior simply because they seem to be favored by the majority. Though Miller's, Willy Loman and Lewis', George Babbitt are both devoted business men who strive after the American dream, because of the way they handle their obsession with appearance, their false view of self, their inability to understand what they already possess, and their relationship with their wives, they end up in drastically different situations.

When it comes to appearance, Willy Loman and George Babbitt both want the same things. To be viewed as successful and to be respected by the people they know is exceedingly important to both men, but each man has his own opinion of how to achieve this goal. According to Willy, a salesman, the key to success is being well-known and liked by an abundance of people. "Salesmen promote the goods of others by commoditizing themselves" (Karim). This quote describes Willy quite accurately. Willy explains this belief to his brother Ben regarding his son Biff,

Without a penny to his name, three great universities are begging for him, and from there the sky’s the limit, because it’s not what you do, Ben. It’s who you know and the smile on your face! It’s contacts, Ben, contacts! (Death of a Salesman)

In Babbitt's case, however, blending in with his fellow middle class business professionals is his idea of success. He puts the highest priority into trying to fit in as well as possible. Having just the same house, suit, job, and family as everyone else is Babbitt's goal. He always has to have the newest shiny toy that his friends have even if it is not practical for him such as when he "rushed into a small news-and-miscellany shop, and bought the electric cigar-lighter which he had coveted for a week" (Lewis 42) even though he repeatedly promises himself that he will quit smoking. Both men have such strong beliefs about putting up appearances to the outside world that they seldom, if ever, see themselves genuinely.

Willy Loman and George Babbitt have very high expectations of themselves, yet they think differently about how close they are to achieving their goals. Willy believes that he is already a well-liked and exceptional salesman, a capable provider, and a good father. By boasting to his wife saying, "I’m tellin’ you, I was sellin’ thousands and thousands" (Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman) when in all actuality he had only sold a little over $100, Willy shows his slightly delusional view of himself. Willy possesses a remarkable capacity for denial. He lives his entire life without ever being able to correctly see himself. Much like Willy, George Babbitt also has trouble being honest with himself. Babbitt is an ever-changing man of shallow values. He does not necessarily think extremely highly of himself in the same way that Willy does, but he is quite impressionable and fully devotes himself to whatever his group of friends believe. Although Babbitt considers himself a strong Republican in support of prohibition, he often drinks without even a second thought. He is a hypocrite always looking for the next big thing. Willy and Babbitt do not see that they have reasons to be proud of what they have achieved.

The two men, Willy and Babbitt, rarely ever stop to realize what great things they already have, but both have decent lives. Gayle Porter explains in Work Ethic And Ethical Work:Distortions In The American Dream, "Even those whose life circumstances would be considered adequate by many standards may feel deprived when surrounded by greater affluence" (540). Willy Loman has a loving wife and two strong sons, he has a friend who will help him when he does not deserve his friend's sympathy or respect, he is a naturally talented and highly skilled carpenter building swings, stoops, and many other items around the house (Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman), and he even pays off his house right before he ends his own life. However, none of these things seem to be of much importance to him. Babbitt also has quite a few things to be proud of, including