Death of a Salesman: Tragedy in Prose

Tragedy, can easily lure us into talking nonsense."

Eric Bentley

In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, we are introduced to Willy Loman, who believes wholeheartedly in what he considers the promise of the American Dream -- that a "well liked" and "personally attractive" man in business will unquestionably acquire the material comforts offered by modern American life. Willy's obsession with the superficial qualities of attractiveness and likeability are at odds with a more granular and beneficial understanding of the American Dream that identifies hard work without complaint as the key to success. (Bloom) Willy's interpretation of likeability is perfunctory -- he childishly hates Bernard because he thinks Bernard does not embody the qualities that he admires. Willy's faith in his warped version of the American Dream leads to his psychological decline when he is unable to accept the incongruity between the Dream...
[ View Full Essay]