Introduction
Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman is a masterpiece that has remained relevant for many decades. Like other literary works of this great dramatist the concern is with the anxiety and uncertainty that characterized the middle class of his time. This award-winning play is an illustration of the influence of a writer’s life experiences on thematic considerations in a work of art especially in relation to success and family life.
Arthur Miller – A Background
Arthur Miller was born in 1915 in a relatively rich Jewish family. During the Great Depression of the 1930s the his family’s business collapsed and this exposed Arthur to an uncertain life in which he had to do odd jobs to finance his studies. He would eventually graduate from the University of Michigan in 1938. These were the experiences that inculcated in the playwright a sense of responsibility and the belief that one has to actively and diligently pursue a dream instead of expecting it to simply materialize without any conscious effort. Although he began writing plays in the 1930s it was not until 1949 when Death of a Salesman was staged that he began his journey into the hall of fame of American literature.
Death of a Salesman bears clear indications of the influence of Arthur Miller’s life and experiences on the themes he chose to address. For example, Mr. Willy, the main character, is responsible for ruining the lives of his children because he encourages them to live a vain life premised on the notion that success comes effortlessly for those blessed with physical beauty and impressive physique. That is in contrast to Miller who had to work his way through university in spite of coming from a rich family. In essence, the major themes of success and family life are embedded in the values that Miller held dear to his life.
Major Themes
- Success
For the time it has been around, America has been regarded as the land where dreams come true. The allure of America has resulted in massive movements of populations, families and individuals into the country in search of this dream. Irrespective of their motivation, many of those who immigrate into America expect that their lives will be significantly better and more enjoyable in America than in their previous residences. But is this dream always easily attainable?
It seems this was a concern even in the 1930s and 1940s as evidenced by Arthur Miller in Death of a Salesman. A number of characters achieve this ideal in the play. For example, Willy’s brother, Ben, ventures out at seventeen years of age into Africa where he invests in the diamond business. He also invests in the timber industry in Alaska. Both businesses make him a lot of profits and he becomes the envy and admiration of his brother and other characters in the play. During his visit, Willy wants him to talk to Happy and Biff because Ben is perceived as an epitome of success (Miller 32). Ben is also fond of reminding his listeners that he went into business at seventeen years of age and emerged at twenty one as a rich man. He even at one time offers his brother a job in Alaska when Willy loses his. In essence, he is financially and materially enjoying his life and therefore living his dream life. However, it costs him time and effort to attain that status.
Another person who lives the success dream is Howard Wagner. Howard owns the company that Willy works for. He has inherited it from his late father who was the first employer of Willy (Miller 4). Incidentally, it was Willy who had given that name to young Howard when the latter was born. Significantly though, the Howards have built a company that is stable and have a family that enjoys life unlike Willy who is a simple employee who can be sacked any time by young Howard.
Bernard is also a successful character in the play. From the moment one encounters this young man there is a feeling that he is focused on his studies. He keeps on insisting that Biff should study math diligently and ensures he is in the good books of his teacher. Willy, however, considers the boy as being nosy and intrusive (Miller 34). It is only later when Bernard becomes successful that Willy realizes he should have brought up his children the way Bernard was nurtured by Charley. In essence, Bernard is a diligent student who works hard and rises up the ladder of success. His path to success is one of conscious effort and not wishful thinking.
In contrast, Willy and his sons fall short of the dream. They are fond of dreaming about success but not working towards it. For example, while the other characters like Ben and Charley’s family are busy working towards success, Willy wants his children to concentrate on become masculine and attractive to women (Miller 15). He believes this is the way to success. At the end of the play it is clear that Willy’s approach has failed and that is why he commits suicide. Even his son, Biff, accuses him of being the reason the young man has become a failure considering that Willy did not bother about his son’s grades but his performance in sports. Moreover, while characters who have attained the dream have their families intact, Willy neglects his wife and children in pursuit of money, he loses both.
It is clear from this analysis that the American Dream does not come easily or through wishful thinking. As a person who has experienced struggle in pursuit of success, Arthur Miller creates characters who exemplify these ideals. The tragic end of Willy illustrates the author’s lesson to the audience to understand that success is superseded by diligent effort.
- Family Life
This theme is illustrated in the experiences of Willy’s family and also in juxtaposition with the other families in the play. A family is the basic unit of any nation because successful families create prosperous nations. However, whether a family succeeds or fails is largely dependent on the efforts and philosophy of the husband and wife. Willy is a salesman while Linda is a housewife. They have to sons, Biff and Happy.
Biff, the eldest, is old enough to have his own family but is actually, by his own admission, a failure (Miller 8). During his school days, the boy was an accomplished athlete but also a womanizer. His truancy and mischievousness cost him a place at the university. He then starts a life of aimless adventure, moving from job to job and losing employment easily because of larceny. His relationship with Willy is problematic and both quarrel at the slightest provocation. He blames his father for his predicament because the old man taught him and his brother to expect cheap success. Happy, the younger son, is not a happy man too. Although he has a better job, he is also a womanizer who offers very little, if any assistance to his parents. Although he is more focused than his brother, all he thinks and talks about is alcohol and women. Both are a disappointment to their parents.
The blame can be pointed to the old man. Willy ruins his sons by spoiling them with all they need without teaching them how to fend for themselves. He fails to instill discipline in them and actually encourages them to drink and move around with women. He is a bad example to them especially when Biff catches him with a woman in a hotel room – an event that forever ruins his relationship with his son (Miller 9). During the same time one realizes that Willy is comfortable with Biff mimicking his teacher at school – the same instructor who fails the boy and eventually ruins her university dream.
In contrast, Charley and Wagner families are largely successful and have stable families (Miller 4). Their children appear to enjoy love and attention from their parents. For example, Bernard is very successful in his education and career and is close to his father. Wagner is also portrayed happily chatting with his children and wife using the wire recorder.
The play reveals constant quarreling and squabbles in the Willy family. Willy is also unable to meet his bills, becomes mentally unstable and after several attempts, manages to commit suicide in order to get insurance compensation for his family. In essence, the family is unstable because the father of the house, unlike the mother, is not only busy looking for money but also philandering. Moreover, he inculcates a fallacious philosophy concerning life in his children and ends up ruining their lives.
Conclusion
Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman is a classic work of literature that illustrates how an author’s life experiences can significantly contribute to thematic concerns. The playwright’s experience of losing his family’s business and performing odd jobs to finance his studies is evident in the emphasis on success and family life as major themes in the play. It is clear that lasting financial and familial success can only be attained through diligent efforts and not wishful thinking. Similarly, exemplary leadership and sound philosophy, especially by the head of the family, are important if the family is to remain stable and become successful.
Works Cited
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 1949. Print.
