Death of a Salesman: The Quest for Success

Annamarie Hill

Ms. DiFredirico

AP English, Period 5

17 December 2005

Death of a Salesman

DEATH OF A SALESMAN: THE QUEST FOR SUCCESS

What is the “American Dream?” How does one define success? Many people hold different views on how to obtain true happiness. One common view is the accomplishment of something yearned. A majority of individuals desire love, compassion, and a family. On the other hand, there are those concerned with self-image, material items, and the fact that money can indeed buy true happiness. In Arthur Miller’s play DEATH OF A SALESMAN [published by Ted Buchholz (1993)]--the story of a sixty-three year old man named Willy Loman striving to achieve the “American Dream” and his family who suffer as a cause--contains many examples of trying to achieve material success. Willy’s ultimate dream concerns following in his brother Ben’s footsteps and rising to be a successful salesman. Willy Loman wanted success so badly that he lost a realistic sense of himself. He wished the same for his sons, Happy and Biff. Yet his struggle for popularity, authority, and money for success caused his downfall. Unfortunately for Willy, most of his dreams were illusions. He was unable to come face to face with this fact. Willy Loman’s definition of success warped his view of himself and that of his sons.

Willy Loman’s definition of success pertained to being popular and holding high authority within the business and corporate world. Often lost within his memories the reader gets a glimpse of Willy’s meaning of the “American Dream.” The audience first witnesses this as he speaks with Biff and Happy about their friend Bernard:

Bernard can get the best marks in school...but you are going to be five times ahead of him...Because the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. (1258)

Willy believes education is not important for his son’s future. Although Biff is failing his math course and Bernard is passing Willy still accepts the fact that his son will achieve success. Being handsome, popular, and excellent in sports adds to this belief. Willy does not realize that an individual must work hard to accomplish success. He also feels he is higher in status than Bernard’s father Charley because “Charley is not-liked. He’s liked, but he’s not-well liked.” (1257) Even though he feels this way he is also jealous of Charley’s business success. Willy felt too proud to even accept a paying job from Charley after his boss, Howard Wagner, fired him. The audience can see Willy’s definition of success defined in the conversation he holds with Charley in Act II:

Charley: Howard fired you?

Willy: Imagine that? I named him. I named him Howard

Charley: Willy, when’re you gonna realize that them things don’t mean anything?...

Willy: ...I always felt that if a man was impressive, and well liked, that nothing-

Charley: Why must everybody like you? Who like J.P. Mogan? Was he impressive?... (1293)

Willy thinks being “well-liked” will grant him instant success and will open the doors to whatever he wants. He needs to accept changes within his business. Howard Wagner show no interest about Willy’s status of popularity. Willy must put effort and work into his career to obtain what he wants in life. Willy’s meaning of success is also shown through his false hopes and dreams of being just like his brother Ben. “I was right! I was! What a man! There was a man worth talking to. I was right!” (1269) Willy believes that Ben achieved the most from life and strives to follow the dream of becoming a successful salesman. However, Willy only turned out to be kidding himself and not knowing any difference. Ben states “The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy.” (1313) References to the jungle are brought up throughout the play. Like Ben, Willy wants to get rich in the business world. Yet he wants to achieve success with the wrong motifs, through material desires and failing to follow his dreams as Ben did. Willy never found his diamonds (success) and lived in a world where he believed his dreams and illusions. This ultimately led to his downfall.

Willy Loman’s strive for success led to him to view himself with an unstable mind . He is blinded from following his dreams. A flashback with Ben shows this:

Willy: I am building something