Death of a salesman is a play where Willy Lowman spends most of his time on the road as a salesman. He did his job as directed, and manages to purchase mortgage from his sales. He is also trying to raise his two kids and a wife, as he struggles to attain The American Dream. A raisin in the sun portrays a few weeks of an African -American family, the Youngers in the 1950’s and live in the Southside of Chicago.
In Death of a salesman the character Willy shows money is everything, because everything that is happening around him revolves around money. Similarly in Rasin the sun, in Act II scene II, mama asks Walter why he is always talks about money, and he responds that money is life. The reality of this phrase is demonstrated throughout the play. Walter asserts that the success of a person is defined by the amount of money one has. This conversation reveals Walter’s struggles as well as how money play a major role in Walter’s life; hence to him, money is everything
Money is seen to make people free; Willy feels free when finally the debt is paid by his wife. However, despite solving this one problem, Willy feels that nothing is enough because there is always something to be paid, and only money could solve this problem. Similarly, in rasin the sun, Walter believes that money enables one to live a carefree life and comfortable. He feels like a slave because only money can define the true freedom. Walter’s dream throughout the play is seen to be more centered to material things.
Additionally, Willy feels that he is finally achieving the American dream by taking his insurance policy. In this scenario money is seen to buy happiness and even dreams to other people. He sees an insurance policy as richness, and to him it means everything impliedly, as he says to ‘’to have it or have nothing at all’’. Additionally, Willy is seen to be trapped in the pursuit of American dream, and the idea is measured with financial achievements and success.
Accordingly, Willy attempts suicide for the Life insurance money. This shows how the desire to achieve financial success can be improperly guided, and shows how the desire for economic success can lead to extreme measures to making people even end their life. This is even stupid to some extent because Willy thinks of killing himself as a way to acquire wealth; this demonstrates how the desire to achieve more money can turn out disastrous, especially to people who have extreme value for money.
Willy also considers himself successful or a failure based on how much money he is making. This is seen when his sales declined, and he has to borrow money to pay his bills. He reassures his family that all is well and internalizes on how much he is a failure. He is seen to live a fantasy of a life by showing his family that all is okay; it is not okay per say. This is because he might be fired soon because of the money he has been borrowing from his boss. Consequently, he tries to kill himself a couple of times to prevent his family from finding out about his failures. Comparatively, Walter also measures his success depending on the money he has and the ability to provide for his family. He tries different methods to provide for his family, but his ideas do not work out and he is very frustrated because he cannot make as much money as he wants.
In the same note, money can be seen as a booster to self-esteem. Walter is dissatisfied and disgusted about his life, working for a white man as a chauffeur without any room for advancement. This dissatisfaction majorly stems from the fact that he is not getting enough money; he even feels less of a man. Eventually, Walter realizes that money will not make him happy and starts to focus on the care for his family.
Conclusion
Both novels depict characters that show that money is everything. Most of the things in their life revolve around money, and their success or failures depend on how much money they make. At the end of both, however, there is realization that money is not everything, and Walter decides to take care of his wife.
Works cited
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Eds. Natsuo Shumuta, and Teiji Kitagawa. Educational
Dimensions, 1973.
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New American Library, 1959.
