Charlie: a character study and literary analysis

¶ … decent man in Death of a Salesman is a capitalist (Charley), whose aims are not different from Willy Loman's" (Brandt 112)

Although consequent to seeing or reading Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" the audience is likely to focus on Willy Loman's character and consider that he was dedicated to his cause; like Miller, some might feel like Willy's best friend, Charley, is actually the one who was determined to achieve his goals. Charley is virtually Willy's opposite when concerning the latter's strategy in life, given that he has a different perspective regarding happiness and is unwilling to ignore some of the simple pleasures in life just with the purpose of reaching perfection. In contrast to Willy, Charley actually cares about his friend and appreciates his values.

Most people might initially think that Willy and Charley are very different when it comes to each character's expectations from life. However, the two are actually the same, with the only difference being that Charley acknowledges all the factors related to doing business and does not want to rush into things, since he knows such a behavior can ruin everything. Through his actions, Charley puts across sincerity, openly showing that he does not want to seem something he is not. The scene showing him in nothing but a robe and his pajamas demonstrates that he does not care for appearances, or at least that he especially doesn't care for facade as much as Willy does.

Whereas Willy's determination is wild and the character is constantly unhesitant about making sacrifices in order to achieve his goals, Charley learnt to control his weaknesses and does not yield to his aspirations. Charley would rather appreciate life instead of living it at a fast pace, considering that he is aware that such behavior would only make things worse.

Charley's character stands as proof that Miller did not actually want this play to be a reference to how business men all end up bad because of their thirst for success. The writer's intention was most probably to emphasize how certain behavior can lead to a terrible outcome. This is obvious through Charley, considering that he too is a business man, but that his self-control assistes him in understanding the difference between right or wrong. Surely, it would be absurd to claim that Charley is not interested in becoming more successful than he is. However, this does not mean that he is willing to risk everything he has in order to have that happen. The fact that Charley was satisfied with his position whereas Willy considered his best friend's success to be nothing in comparison to Dave Singleman's illustrates what each of the characters wanted from life. Through giving J.P. Morgan as an example, Charley actually demonstrates that one does not necessary has to be well-liked in order for the whole world to appreciate him.