Ben Loman In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

Sometimes all you need to get stuck in a rut is to interact with one simple person. Occasionally, someone’s sly words and convincing argument is all that is needed to keep a person’s mind on a one way track. One such person is Ben Loman, who despite only appearing within a few sections of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, has a presence that completely defines the Loman family’s goals. With Ben’s influence in Willy Loman’s life, he and his family are pressured into following a pointless dream that ultimately keeps them stuck on a fixed path.

Firstly, let’s take a look at how Ben affects the play’s main character, Willy Loman. Throughout his life, Willy has always been impressed by the success of Ben, since he became a diamond tycoon after a brief detour on a visit in Africa. Even after his death, Ben starts to show up in Willy’s hallucinations, encouraging him to keep striving for a success similar to his own. An example of this can be seen in this quote, which Ben restates throughout the play, “Why, boy, when I was seventeen I

walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God was I rich.” (Miller, 48) When Ben Loman says these words to Willy, he genuinely believes that the search for success is just as simple as Ben says; even though in reality a jungle is not nearly as safe as it seems. Eventually, this causes Willy to get stuck in his own search for his dreams of fortune.
In turn, Willy looks for help in the form of his two sons Biff and Happy, who are then given the same lessons and values Willy learns from Ben. They learn to expect success and that their talent alone will get them good jobs and a lifetime of achievements, just like their father. Willy also occasionally takes this a step further, presenting Ben as another role model for the boys to look up to, “Listen to this. This is your Uncle Ben, a great man! Tell my boys, Ben!” (Miller, 48) This only further entraps them, forcing Ben and Happy to enter the same dangerous jungle.
Finally, Willy’s wife Linda gets dragged into the search too, as she desperately tries to support her husband. Her devotion to him and his wants can be seen in this quote, “I live from day to day, boys. I tell you, I know every thought in his mind. It sounds so old-fashioned and silly, but I tell you he put his whole life into you and you’ve turned your backs on him. Biff, I swear to God! Biff, his life is in your hands!” (Miller, 60) Here Linda admits how depressed and dysfunctional Willy and Ben’s views are, but she still enforces them in order to keep him happy; even if it means pressuring her children into doing what he wants. She also plays along with his delusions, often joining in on Willy’s dream like conversations with his dead brother.
Overall, the presence of Ben Loman in Death of a Salesman is what leads to the Loman family’s neverending search for success.

In spite of the fact that he only shows up for a few key conversations, his philosophy and ideas drive Willy, Linda, Biff, and Happy in many aspects of their lives. Willy continues to search for fame and fortune, Biff and Happy still to try to impress him, and Linda supports Willy’s and Ben’s ideals, even when her husband becomes delusional and her children become stuck in an endless cycle of disappointment. By the end they escape these issues, but it’s important to acknowledge where they went wrong in the process of getting to that point. Often times, the most important thing to remember is that one person shouldn’t govern what someone does with their life, and that the search for one’s own individuality is the most important goal of all. Sometimes the best way to escape the jungle is to not enter it at

all.