Death of a Salesman Literary Analysis

Death of a Salesman, published in 1949, is Arthur Miller’s most well known work. With its universal themes of living the American dream, abandonment, and betrayal resonating with American audiences, Death of a Salesman quickly transformed Author Miller into a renowned 20^th century playwright (Bradford). Portraying the main character’s inability to realize the false promises of the American dream and its effect on his family, Miller’s play spoke to working class families around the world.

Death of a Salesman depicts the life of the Loman family, a working class family in which the aging father, Willy Loman, struggles to become a successful salesman. Having spent his early career charming his way with customers in an effort to fulfill the American dream, Willy fails to adapt to the changing business world, in which charm alone with the lack of knowledge has little effect. With his late brother Ben having earned a fortune through his diamond mines in Africa, Willy firmly holds on to the promising American dream, still hoping to somehow make it as a salesman, despite working solely on commission. Although eventually fired by his boss, Willy never seems to give up on the American dream, refusing a job offer in order to retain his pride.

With his firm belief that success can only be achieved through being well liked by others, Willy sees great potential for success in his sons, especially his oldest son Biff. As a high school football star with a scholarship to play football in college, Willy takes great pride in Biff and his athleticism, failing to emphasize the importance of his education; subsequently causing Biff flunk a semester of math. Although having the opportunity to earn his needed math credits for his high school diploma during the summer, Biff decides not to attend summer school after catching Willy cheating on his mother with another woman at a hotel. Feeling betrayed, Biff moves to the West where he works on one farm after the other, unable to keep a job due to his tendency to steal. Although Biff has talent for the outdoor labor, Biff finds himself unable to enjoy his work due to the feeling of letting down his father and his high expectations. When eventually returning home to the East, Biff attempts to help his father understand that his materialistic dreams are flawed, and that Biff has no interest in pursuing those dreams. Despite their disagreements and the incident at the hotel, Willy eventually learns that Biff still loves him, and takes his own life in order for Biff to receive his life insurance money and invest it in his future.

By portraying Willy’s struggle to accept the falsehood of the American dream and his failure to realize that Biff does not wish to pursue this dream, Miller does not only emphasize the flaws of material wealth, but also that each person measures success differently. While Willy interpreted success as being wealthy and well respected, Biff saw success in being content with one’s career and life. Furthermore, through his play, Miller illustrated the fact that material wealth does not guarantee happiness, and that the pursuit of material wealth often leads to the destruction of one’s life, as in the case of Willy. With Death of a Salesman, Miller proved the American dream to be wrong, a dream that falsely told Americans that everyone could live a both happy and successful life through hard work.

Works Cited

Bradford, Wade. "Arthur Miller - Biography of an American Playwright." About.com: Plays & Drama. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. <http://plays.about.com/od/playwrights/p/arthurmiller.htm>.

Death of a Salesman. Digital image. Fashion Dress Pictures. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://www.fashion-dress-pictures.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/10/death-of-a-salesman-american-dreamuv.jpg>.