Schizophrenia In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

Born into a wealthy family in 1915 in New York City, Arthur Miller would become one of America’s finest playwrights. Like many of the families during the Great Depression, Miller’s family suffered financial and social collapse during the 1930s. In order to pay for his education at the University of Michigan, he took on menial jobs that offered him the opportunity to be surrounded by those who had also suffered the same downfall from the Depression. These experiences would shape how and what Miller would write about in the future, including his Pulitzer Prize winning play, Death of a Salesman and the main character of the play, Willy Loman. Narcissism, mental illness, and the downfall of the American dream, define Willy Loman’s character in

Death of a Salesman, which were considered stigmas during the 1940s. These stigmas were not openly written about during that time period, but Arthur Miller defied the norm by doing just that.
The first stigma written about in Miller’s play was about Willy’s narcissistic personality. Narcissism can be defined as persons who are, “[…] arrogant with an inflated view of their self-importance. The individual […] has a need for constant admiration, along with a lack of empathy for others […]” (Halter 460). Throughout Death of a Salesman it is clear that Willy Loman possesses these narcissistic personality traits, something that seems to drive him in the world he created for himself. One example of these traits is Willy’s constant need for admiration which drove him into the arms of another woman, “Cause I get so lonely – especially when business is bad and there’s nobody to talk to” (Miller). Research by Orsolya Hunyady, Lawrence Josephs, and John T. Jost, indicates, “[…] that narcissism was related to infidelity such that individuals who were more focused on themselves and their own needs and desires […]” (280). Unlike today’s society, it is a well-known fact that infidelity was considered taboo to speak about during the 1940s let alone write about. Miller, however, broke the mold when he chose to broach the subject and infidelity would not be the only stigma seen throughout the play.
Next, we come to Miller's second stigma, mental illness. Mental illness was not
spoken about openly during the 1940s.

“The stigma of mental illness, although more often related to context than to a person’s appearance, remains a powerful negative attribute in all social relations” (Byrne 65). It is unclear whether Miller was well versed on the subject of psychology, but in this particular play, his character, Willy, epitomizes someone with a schizophrenic personality. Schizophrenia is characterized by the individual having, “[…] at least one psychotic symptom, such as hallucinations, delusions, and/or disorganized speech. Anxiety, depression, and suicide often co-occur frequently in schizophrenia” (“Schizophrenia” 202). In one scene from the play, Willy is heard talking to himself while in the kitchen and then he experiences a flashback of when his sons, Biff and Happy were younger, which is a sign of a hallucination as seen in individuals with schizophrenia. Willy also suffers from grandiose delusions claiming he was an important businessman and well-liked, “[…] I went north to Providence. Met the Mayor. […] then he had coffee with me” (Miller). One of the pivotal moments in the play comes when Linda, Willy’s wife, reveals to her sons that has been suicidal, “He’s been trying to kill himself. […]The insurance inspector came. He said that they have evidence. That all these accidents in the last year — weren’t — weren’t — accidents” (Miller). Suicidal ideations are another symptom seen in schizophrenics. Willy’s suicide attempts may not have been due to

mental illness by itself, but, rather the downfall of his American Dream.
Finally, we come to Miller's final stigma, the downfall of the American Dream. During the play, Willy's idea of the American Dream took on many forms. First, it was being an important and successful businessman like his late brother, Ben, “[…] when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God I was rich” (Miller). Perhaps it was jealousy that made Willy lie about how successful and important he was compared to his late brother, but lying does come with its consequences. Due to the actuality of being unsuccessful, Willy is dependent upon his successful neighbor, Charley, who is giving him money to live on, something his family knows nothing about. Despite his long years of service with the Wagner Company, he was no longer making money for the company and his boss, Howard fired Willy because he was not “pulling his own weight” (Eisinger 98). Secondly, he forced his dreams of success onto his sons, especially his son, Biff with whom he is estranged. Both sons hold lowly jobs and inflate their importance and success much like their father, “[…] Willy indoctrinated them with dreams of success that they are victims of illusions” (Eisinger 101). Eventually, Biff came to the realization that he could no longer live in the fantasy world his father had created and that he must face reality for what it is. Finally, in his quest for the American Dream, Willy wanted the quintessential home with room for trees and a garden on a quiet street. Instead, he ended up with being boxed in by apartment houses and a, “street [that] is lined with cars. There’s not a breath of fresh air in the neighborhood. The grass don’t grow any more, you can’t raise a carrot in the back yard” (Miller). Lack of success, loss of a job, unproductive sons, and the absence of the perfect house would be the downfall of Willy's American Dream. This downfall would be the momentum that would push Willy to commit suicide, a very stigmatic topic Miller pursued, albeit short, toward the end of the play.