Willy Loman and the American Dream in Death of a Salesman

Introduction: Willy Loman as Tragic Hero

In Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, the main character Willy Loman is generally seen as a tragic hero. By the classic definition of the term, he is a man who descends from a great height to meet his ultimate demise. When considering the play, however, one might ask whether there was ever a great height to begin with. Throughout Miller's work, Willy Loman appears to embellish so many details of his former glory that the reader begins to doubt both his credibility and his self-assessed prowess. The reader is left with questions and doubts: Was Willy ever well liked? Was he ever a good salesman at all? Or was his success simply another fantasy, like the often-invoked success of his vanished brother, Ben?

It appears that Willy Loman's definition of success lies in his perception of the American Dream. For Willy and his sons, the American Dream means material success and possessions — success in business and sports. The tragedy is that neither the main character nor his sons ever possessed the necessary skills or drive to achieve what they envisioned as success. Essentially, they overlook the many other dimensions of the American Dream in pursuit of a single, narrow fantasy of what it should be.

Narrative Structure and the Weight of the Past

Krasner (45) points out that the structure of the dramatic action in the play provides the platform for Willy's broken dreams. The narrative is presented in three parts: the present, the past by means of flashbacks, and pure fantasy. The present is grim. Willy is prone to suicidal depression and exhaustion, with sons who are not much more successful in their thirties than he is in his old age. This discrepancy between Willy's definition of success and the reality facing himself and his family drives him to escape — not only through embellished memory, but also through pure fantasy.

In the "glorious" past, Biff was the football hero. Willy's intense focus on Biff's promise is perhaps an early indication that he was, in fact, aware of his own shortcomings — not only as a salesman, but also as a husband and father. Indeed, Willy's tendency to bolster his stories of personal success emphasizes that he cannot face the failure he embodies in reality, both in the present and in the past (Krasner 46). When the past no longer serves as an adequate escape, Willy resorts to complete fantasy in the form of Ben.

Fantasy, Ben, and the Illusion of Success

For Willy, his long-lost brother represents the ultimate realization of the American Dream. Ben left his family to find fortune in Alaska. He represents the adventurer who achieves success through entrepreneurialism and audacity (Krasner 46). Miller, however, indicates that this success is decidedly uncertain, pointing to the wishful fantasy that has completely overridden Willy's ability to handle reality. Throughout the play, this juxtaposition of fantasy and reality serves as a symbol of Willy's inner turmoil. Willy's fantasy is his own material success as a salesman and the hope represented by his family. The fantasy culminates in the success of his brother Ben and in Willy's regular references to himself as being "well liked" (Miller 30).

Conclusion: The Cost of a Narrow Dream

The tragedy lies in the fact that both Willy and his family fail to recognize the many aspects of the American Dream that they forfeit because of their singular pursuit of material success. By defining the Dream so narrowly — in terms of wealth, popularity, and athletic glory — Willy blinds himself and those around him to the genuine possibilities available to them. His death is not a triumphant sacrifice; it is the final consequence of a life lived in willful illusion.

Works Cited

Krasner, David. American Drama 1945–2000. Wiley-Blackwell, 2006.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Penguin, 1996.

Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today. Routledge, 2006.