Introduction
Arthur Miller was a famous American dramatist, and Death of a Salesman was among his best works. The play is highly acknowledged because it shows that a person’s inability to accept internal and external changes can lead to a loss of identity. This topic was significant in the United States following World War II, and the tragedy discusses this period.
The author comments on various themes in the play, including love, alienation, the quest for identity, and conformity. However, it seems that the American Dream plays a central role in the play. The thematic approach reveals that Willy Loman is overwhelmed by a desire to achieve the American Dream. This character is controversial, and the play can be compared to The Great Gatsby.
The American Dream in Death of a Salesman
To begin with, one should demonstrate that the American Dream is explicitly discussed in the tragedy. In Act One, the protagonist says, “Someday I’ll have my own business, and I’ll never have to leave home anymore” (Miller 19). This quotation demonstrates that Willy firmly believed that he would succeed irrespective of the financial struggles he and his family had. The protagonist is additionally aware of famous entrepreneurs, including Thomas Edison and B. F. Goodrich, who have achieved their dreams (Miller 9). Furthermore, Willy was sure that America was full of opportunity in the late 1940s (Miller 30).
Scholarly evidence is appropriate here to support the information above. Thus, Zuraikat et al. stipulate that the search for fortune, fame, and admiration was central to Willy’s identity (461). That is why there is no doubt that the topic of the American Dream is central to the play.
The author made the tragedy more realistic because he demonstrated that achieving success was not easy. Irrespective of the specific expectations and dreams that the Lomans had, they experienced many failures. In particular, Willy says, “I was fired,” while Biff, his son, fails to get a loan (Miller 78).
When Willy learned this information, he understood that his dreams were unachievable. At that moment, the American Dream turned into a nightmare, which made the protagonist commit suicide (Miller 101). This information demonstrates that the conflict between dreams and reality was the most challenging for the protagonist.
The author focused on the given theme to depict the life of Americans in the late 1940s. According to Zuraikat et al., it was impossible to achieve unrealistic goals (461). The United States was competitive and crowded, making it challenging for ordinary people to enter the world. However, numerous people ignored the real affairs and kept building false dreams. That is why Miller mocked this phenomenon to warn readers that living in dreams could have negative and tragic consequences.
The Role of the Protagonist in Revealing the Play’s Theme
In the play, Willy Loman is a central and most informative character. It is evident from the play that the protagonist has many disadvantages. Throughout the play, the readers discover that Willy is not a loyal husband, a supreme father, or a successful salesman because he has poor relationships with his wife, sons, and boss (Miller). However, this state of affairs did not prevent the character from creating dreams about how successful he was and would be (Kute 216). Thus, Willy’s inability to analyze his own position in the family and society resulted in his inadequate actions and attitudes toward his relatives.
The description above refers to Willy because lies play a significant role in his life. This phenomenon is found in Act One when Willy talks to his wife, Linda. Within a single dialogue, the protagonist states that he is “very well-liked in Hartford” and that people “seem to laugh at me” (Miller 23-24). This contradiction denotes that Willy frequently deceives himself about his societal role and position.
As a result, the protagonist is lost in mental torments that manifest themselves in frequent delusions (Kute 220). Throughout the play, Willy suffers from hallucinations and speaks with imaginary people, including The Woman (Miller). His inability to cope with self-determination makes Willy take unreasonable actions.
However, the description above does not imply that Willy lacks any positive features. In particular, his decision to commit suicide was based on a desire to make up for his son. Willy wants to kill himself because the fact will generate a fortune as per his insurance policy (Kute 215).
That is why the protagonist delightfully discusses the outcome of his suicide for Biff: “Can you imagine that magnificence with twenty thousand dollars in his pocket?” (Miller 101). Kute describes that the protagonist makes this tragic action because of his love for his son (219). This information demonstrates that Willy is a good person, misguided by lies and numerous delusions.
The American Dream in The Great Gatsby
The topic of the American Dream is not unique or rare in literature and dramaturgy. Many authors presented their interpretations of the topic, and F. Scott Fitzgerald was among them with The Great Gatsby. There were significant similarities and differences between the novel and the play. On the one hand, the two literary pieces are similar because they focus on the American Dream and demonstrate what tragic consequences can emerge if this target is not achieved. In The Great Gatsby, the protagonist fails to become wealthy and famous and is murdered, highlighting society’s injustice and cruelty (Jiajia 131).
On the other hand, there was a significant difference between the two. While the events of Death of a Salesman belong to the late 1940s, The Great Gatsby describes the Jazz Age in the United States in the 1920s (Jiajia 131). That information demonstrates that the American Dream was prevalent during the early and mid-20th century, which subjected Americans to similar problems over a few decades.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the essay has demonstrated that Death of a Salesman is an informative and meaningful play. The topic of the American Dream is central to this story because it motivates Willy Loman to search for fortune, wealth, and admiration. Since he strongly desires to achieve success for himself and his family, he cannot adequately analyze the situation and environment. As a result, his life is full of lies and hallucinations, which demonstrates that people’s robust desire to get money can make such individuals inane.
Miller made his protagonist controversial because the latter combined negative and positive features. While Willy was disloyal and dishonest, he loved his family and wanted good for them. This desire was unhealthy because he committed suicide to let his son get money from his life insurance. Finally, The Great Gatsby is similar to the play because it highlights the dangers of chasing the American Dream, while the two are different because they take place at different times. In any case, Death of a Salesman is deservedly considered a remarkable play for analyzing an essential topic.
Works Cited
Jiajia, Yuan. “An Analysis of Gatsby’s American Dream in The Great Gatsby from the Perspective of Lukacs.” Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, vol. 4, no. 9, 2021, pp. 131-135.
Kute, Vinayak Tukaram. “Willy Loman as a Tragic Protagonist in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman (1949).” An International Refereed/Peer-Reviewed English e-Journal, vol. 6, no. 5, 2021, pp. 215-221.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman, 1949. Web.
Zuraikat, Malek J., et al. “The Present-Past Interaction in Miller’s Death of a Salesman.” Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, vol. 49, no. 4, 2022, pp. 459-468.