Theme Of Materialism In Death Of A Salesman

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At the center of the play “Death of a Salesman” By Arthur Miller is the idea of a classic yet modern tragedy of a stereotypical middle class family. This family struggles to strive in a country run on the basis of capitalism. Psychological and psychoanalytical criticism, investigates the text by looking at the mental or emotional state of the brain and the interaction of conscious and unconscious elements through methods such as daydreaming and free association. The psychology behind the American dream is based on the ideology of becoming successful no matter who you are; after all it is the land of opportunity. With this mindset, Willy bestows himself and his family in to a trap . Willy never dares to percept anything but the misconception of the american dream that he has in mind, he lives in a fictitious life with no realistic end goal. On the other hand, through all the ups and downs; Biff realizes that his life has been a fantasy and that he has to pursue his real dream, the one that makes him happy. Ergo conscious or unconscious the brain is powerful, very powerful, It has the ability to change any individuals destiny.

The benchmark that willy set as success: materialism, if he is well known or loved leads to him living a life of false impression and a tragic death. Willy Loman the central character appears in Howard Wagner’s office in act 2 and poses the question “is there anything better then being a salesman?” He smirks “Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four” the age of eighty-four he said “into twenty or thirty different cities, pick up a phone, and be loved and remembered by so many different people?” Willy fails to see the real meaning of life-happiness and satisfactio...

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... that he lost his whole life in that path. The psychology behind “Death of a salesman” is based on the idea on Willy believing and relying to heavily on the American dream as his fuel to reach his goals; This ideology suffocated Wills dream of being successful however was a lesson for his son to build upon. Using the Psychological and psychoanalytical tools one can investigates the text by looking at the mental or emotional state of the brain and the interaction between conscious and unconscious elements through methods such as daydreaming and free association. “Death of a Salesman” explores the theme of failure within a success oriented society that has a great significance in todays contemporary society. Willy Lowman is accepted as a dire figure of failure, because of society's false value system and because of Willy's own inability to confront life with integrity.

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