Death of a Salesman Truth and Lies

¶ … masterful aspects of Death of a Salesman is the extent to which playwright Arthur Miller leaves it ambiguous regarding Willy Loman's culpability for his own condition. On one hand, he is part of a capitalist system which values people solely upon the extent to which they can demonstrate a profit for their superiors and how well-liked they are by their colleagues. Loman is not well-liked enough, and as soon as his sales figures begin to slip he is ostracized by his business colleagues. According to Willy, he has "gotta be at it ten, twelve hours a day. Other men -- I don't know -- they do it easier. I don't know why -- I can't stop myself -- I talk too much" (Miller 24).

Act I makes it clear that Willy's idealistic version of how to achieve success within capitalism involves get-rich-quick schemes rather than actual effort as well as establishes his suicidal ideation, his current career difficulties, and his unraveling psyche. When Biff was young, Willy paid little attention to his academics and instead hoped that his son could go to college based upon his ability to secure a sports scholarship. This was explicitly endorsed by his father who turned a blind eye to his son's foolishness. Now both of his sons seem to be drifting: Happy is dishonest at his workplace and Biff has never held down a steady job. The lack of values amongst his sons underlines how Willy at least in part is responsible for his fate, given that he does not seem to possess a core sense of values but merely changes in response to the world around him. Eventually, however, that world passes him by.

Willy is unable to appreciate what he does have; he is always looking around for more, he even cheated on his wife, as can be seen in his exchange with the 'Woman' for whom he buys silk stockings, though his wife Linda cannot afford new ones. Willy had big dreams, based upon the ideals of capitalism he saw around him but he did not try to achieve them in an effective way.

Q2. Act II of Miller's Death of a Salesman stresses the extent to which the capitalist system has victimized Willy Loman but also emphasizes the fact that Willy was complicit in the effects of the capitalist system upon his fate. Despite the many years he has worked as a salesman, Willy is brutally cast away when his numbers no longer satisfy the company. "I put thirty-four years into this firm, Howard, and now I can't pay my insurance!" he says (Miller 58). Howard tells Willy to ask his sons to give him a hand but his sons are in even more dire financial straits than Willy due to his ineffective parenting of them. The firm is cruel and unfair to Willy on one hand but Willy is also complicit in his own destruction.

This is also exhibited in his attitude to Biff. Biff could have easily gotten a scholarship to a leading college if he had only put in minimal effort in school but he chose not to and instead threw his future away based upon the disgust he felt to learn that his father was cheating on his mother. Willy's actions clearly demonstrate that his own actions have a serious impact upon the lives of others, which in turn impacts his own life and although he is affected by fate in many critical ways, he also has a responsibility for the attitude he has and the way his life negatively shapes the fates of his loved ones. Willy constantly focuses on unimportant things such as the mythical Ben's urging Willy, "There's a new continent at your doorstep, William. You could walk out rich. Rich!" and does not deal with the real problems in his family (Miller 62).

There are many negative aspects of capitalism in America and even if Willy was a good father and salesman it is possible he might have been let go by his firm once he grew old. But the fact that he bought the lies of capitalism and the idea that wealth is possible without integrity or working hard cannot be excused, nor can his failure to parent his sons or to be faithful to Linda.

Q3. The only character who gives complete and unwavering support to Willy throughout the play is his wife Linda. When his sons show disrespect to him or Willy doubts his abilities as a provider and a father, Linda always steps in to protect him. Of course, to some extent she unintentionally acts against him because she enables him in his delusional behaviors and even defends him against his sons: "Get out of here, both of you, and don't come back! I don't want you tormenting him anymore. Go on now, get your things together!" (Miller 90-91).