Willy Loman's Dream

“One of the finest dramas in the whole range of the American theater,” (Miller, back cover) Death of a Salesman is a play written by Arthur Miller. Set in the late 1940s, the play tells the tale of an aging, defeated travelling salesman move inexorably towards self-destruction, clinging desperately to fantasies. The author cleverly uses motif to show how Willy Loman’s continuous pursuit after his own vision of success leads to his deterioration.

Success due to popularity is an integral part of the dream Willy Loman created for himself. It is based mainly on a deceased salesman, Dave Singleman. Willy’s meeting with “[Dave Singleman] in the Parker House”( ) made Willy “[realize] that selling was the greatest career a man could want.” (

Willy was not as successful as he thought he would be. In one of Willy’s flashbacks, when he was a seller in his prime, he only made “two hundred gross on the whole trip” ( ) to Providence and Boston. Although Willy told Linda that he made “five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston,” ( ) Linda’s inquiry makes Willy tell the truth. Linda responding to Willy “Without hesitation” ( ) when Willy tells her the truth shows that Linda expected Willy to not make much money. Willy had always averaged only “seventy to a hundred dollars a week.” ( ) Earning money from sales is the primary goal of a salesman, and one that cannot do so well is considered an unsuccessful salesman. Willy’s dream did not give him the goods he bargained for, and thus he had to do other things to feel like his dream that he believes so much in got him

Willy could not understand how or why Bernard was able to be so successful. Bernard was always seen as “liked, but … not well liked” ( ) by Willy in the past. According to Willy’s idea of success, both Biff and Happy were supposed “to be five times ahead of [Bernard]” ( ) in the business world, completely due to how well-liked the two boys are. Willy never thought Bernard would amount to much, especially when compared to his boys, who are “both built like Adonises.” ( ) Willy could not understand how Bernard had grown to be successful, even going to “argue a case in front of the Supreme Court” ( ) while Biff was still “finding himself.” ( ) Willy had refused to admit to himself that his path of success may be wrong, and there was more to being successful than being well-liked. Willy had too much