An Analysis Of Willy Loman's Death Of A Salesman

America is a country built on the idea of The American dream; an idea that any person, white, black, brown, or even purple can achieve economic freedom and upward social mobility through hard work and determination. There are few men who hold this idea more dear than Willy Loman. Mistakenly, Willy focuses more on the ideals of wealth than the laborious journey it takes to become a successful business man. The American capitalistic society is competitive and people like Willy, who do not understand the environment they are in, will habitually have problems climbing the economic totem pole. Death of Salesman admits to a flaw in the American system, not everybody will be successful, but through characters, flashbacks, and the resolution it is clear that Willy’s lack of success is result of his own choices, and not society.

If society was the cause for Willy’s struggles, then it only makes sense that other characters in the story would be having similar problems, but this is certainly not the case. Starting with Dave Singleman, the man who inspired Willy to become a career

Willy never accomplished his dream of becoming a first-rate salesmen. Even his funeral which he had hoped would be filled with people coming from far and wide was a handful away from being empty. The book is titled Death of a Salesman which is literal as well as a parallel to his career that died. Not only is the outcome the same in his career as in his life, but so is the method. Willy Loman killed himself, but he also killed his career. Throughout the story it is mentioned that Willy was a skilled builder, “He was so wonderful with his hands”(138) not only was he talented, but “he was a happy man with a batch of cement”(138). His family make it clear that Willy would have been more suited for a job in construction than sales. Willy chose the wrong career, and it is not society's fault that he chose a life he was not suited to