Similarities Between Death Of A Salesman And American Beauty

Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman (1949) and Sam Mendes film American Beauty (1999) both draw on the American Dream as the quintessential aspiration of Americans, and the consequences arising from this pursuit of human values. Both texts explore the foolish ignorance of materialistic values as well as its corruptive influence as a reflection of contemporary social attitudes; they also demonstrate the ramifications of individual values and morals to achieve the societal expectations of both contexts. Through commentary of these concerns, Death of a Salesman and American Beauty enable modern audiences to develop their own moral rectitude a!nd viewpoint of themselves and others.!

In Miller’s play Death of a Salesman, he reveals the ignorance

Accordingly, in his film American Beauty, Mendes confronts the consumerist values held by American society through his portrayal of the protagonist, Lester Burnham. In the opening scene, viewers are introduced to Lester’s affluence in the wide- angle shot of his picturesque suburban neighbourhood; Mendes attempts to depict a family trapped by the capitalist ideology of the American Dream. Lester’s moment of realisation of the American Dream’s material façade is made evident through his change in set of values when smoking with Ricky behind the restaurant, recognising the freedom that Ricky has and establishes a new sense of self through working at fast food chains and the pursuit of fitness, no longer chasing commercial success but rather personal happiness. Carolyn, Lester’s wife, is a metaphoric representation of the consequences of the obsession with materialism and prosperity “It’s not just a couch! It cost $4,000 and is upholstered in Italian silk.” accentuating that accumulation of goods is what she perceives as a means to being happy and enhances the fracture within the family. The elaborate dining table mise en scene and classical diegetic music provides insight into the 20th century concept of material and substance-obsessed character

Miller connotes the 20th century increasing concerns of the American Dream with the moral implications of becoming free from debt, being looked down upon if they could not self-sustain. The firing of Willy “I think you need a good long rest” emphasises the fleeting nature of materialism if Willy is not an invaluable component of the business he is dismissed thus objectified as a commodity, asserting pressures upon Willy to perform to society’s expectations, particularly Ben whom “walked out (of the jungle)... and by God, I was rich!” Through repetition of “I’m the New England man. I’m vital in New England.” Willy falsely insists that he is a critical player in his business in order to bolster his sense of self worth and desire to satisfy his family’s expectations, associated with the false projection of the American Dream. The imagery of “Sometimes I wanna just rip my clothes off in the middle of the store...I can’t stand it anymore.” accentuates Happy’s compulsion to tear off his clothes and attack his co-workers which afflicts society’s standards, and thus reinforces the frustration with the importance of appearances. Willy attempts to fabricate the image of a “self made man” acting as the major breadwinner, conversely the reality remains in the metaphor of Willy as a “small, fragile- seeming home”, highlighted further by the