The play “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller is a story filled with sadness and despair as well as pity for those, who have lost the understanding of the American’s Dream initial concept. The play also delves into how the Dream is regarded by different generations and how their vision of it changes with times. The tragedy is, naturally, in the incompatibility of the two generations when it comes to the fulfillment of the American Dream. The play shows how the Dream becomes one of the elements that can not only unite a nation but also divide generations by a crevice so wide that any hope for understanding is lost forever.
Willy Loman is the representative of the past generations who already lost relevance for the generation of his son. It is remarkable that he never achieves the realization and knowledge usually gained at the end by a typical tragic hero. He only discovers part of the truth about what is worthy of achievement in life. Loman senior achieved professional understanding of his work as well as the realization of fundamental nature of the sales in general. He is, on the other hand, completely oblivious to the betrayal of his soul and how he hurts his family. Willy has always been focused on finding out the truth about what he does but not about his personality and which consequences various decisions of his have.
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Biff differs fundamentally from his father in this regard. He is determined to see what his life is all about and what should be done. He does not suffer from the reality duplicity. Unlike his father and younger brother, he understands his failure in life. He is able to confront it and accept it. He makes his peace with the fact that he will never satisfy his father’s hopes and visions for his future. Biff strives to stay away from illusions at all times. The son and the father regard each other negatively meaning that Willy believes his son to be an underachiever while Biff considers his father hopelessly lost within grandiose fantasies that could not be further removed from reality. Biff’s breaking point in parting with his Dad’s vision of the American Dream comes with the discovery of adultery. After acquiring this piece of knowledge about his father, he is unable to understand how one could perceive his father as a role model, when he had such low moral values.
The play showcases the corrupted American Dream that became first prominent in the 1920s versus the American Dream that was being developed during the initial stages of the United States. The latter was all about building a home from scratch and starting a new life in the conditions of wilderness, more than far from the rims of civilization. Biff has the same wish as he always strives for this symbolic version of the free West, which is devoid of the material world, the prisoner of which his father became.
So, what is the nature of the corrupted Dream that presided over Willy’s mind? In his belief, it was important to be liked and to have personal attractiveness. Moreover, he believed that a man deserved all material comforts that the modern life in America could offer. Another instance of the corrupted nature of his Dream is attachment to superficial qualities and outer looks. The element he possesses and readily embraces is hard work without complaints, which, in his opinion, key for the success. The problem with his overall approach was inability to face that his vision was not working out. He kept deluding himself until psychological deterioration became inevitable. Another important element to his vision is the necessity of his eldest son continuing his empire, his business. He is willing to ensure it even with the price of life. He is unaware of his son’s wishes, and he is unable even to understand that Biff might not even have the wish in the first place to be involved in his father’s industry. He write it off for Biff’s laziness and lack of responsibility.
Interestingly enough, Biff has certain hints as for the proper idealized American Dream, but throughout the duration of the play, he is still in the search of his own. He clearly knows what he does not want ever. It is following his father in his footsteps and having anything to do with the material world that does not rely on honest moral qualities. He is willing to walk away as soon as possible. A noble thing in its own right – to think of morality and holding money in low regard in the 20th century.
The scariest aspect of Willy’s tragedy is that he kills himself without realizing that it will change nothing. Going away from this world was Willy’s final attempt to make his son set the priorities, which he, as a salesman, deemed important. He does not care what effect his death will have on the family. The thought that he might hurt Biff in such a way even more does not cross his mind. He is fixated on his one last goal – to pass everything he thinks he has achieved onto his first-born son. All other possibilities are beyond his scope of perception and his version of the American Dream.
The play is remarkable due to the way it exposes how a collection of good idea, the American Dream, can be derailed by the changing times and realities that could not have been more different from the times when the Dream was being born. Moreover, it showcases how there is hope with future generations and such people as Biff, who do not let go of moral values and do not fear losing the material aspects of being.
