Death Of A Salesman Dave Singleman Essay

“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.” (Donald Miller). When unrealistic expectations are placed upon someone including one’s self, the pressure to find success and achievement becomes daunting to many. Certain people who have a negative opinion about themselves, are not able to see the potential which they hold inside of them. The mentality of always expecting the best from one’s self is sometimes a burden, which can control the lives of many. When applying an idea such as assuming impractical success based on the prosperity of others, it can give pressure to one’s self when expecting the best result. In the modern play Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, the character of Willy Loman struggles to

Due to this toxic mindset which thrives inside of him, he is never able to get past his exaggerated aspirations and this is detrimental to both his mental and physical health.

To begin, by basing his life on the business lifestyle of Dave Singleman, which he views as affluential, Willy loses the true meaning of what real happiness is. Willy is constantly comparing his work ethic and success to Dave’s, which causes him to undervalue himself and feel like a failure. The introduction of Dave Singleman is a very brief, but extremely influential point in the plot of the play. Dave is the epitome of what Willy aspires to be his entire life; the success he witnesses from Dave is the main drive and motivation for him to keep going. Willy’s perception of happiness is deceived by the impressionable presentation of Dave’s success; this causes him to have a false grasp of what he thinks he should want in life and what the true necessities are. The perception of monetary success which Dave exhibits, causes Willy to strive to be just like Dave Singleman. While in Howard’s office Willy demonstrates his admiration towards Singleman, “And when I saw that, I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could