When Willy Loman is heard racing off with his car at the end of Arthur Millers play Death of a Salesman, nobody doubts why he is doing so. He wrecks his car and kills himself to leave his family 20,000 dollars insurance money. Willy Loman is a suicide. And yet every viewer of the play will ask himself1who or what killed this man. What are the forces that pushed him towards this somber end? The fact that Arthur Miller pursues genuine moral education in his plays, which he has repeatedly admitted to (for example in “The Salesman Has a Birthday”) justifies this question. For how one answers it decides what kind of message one distils from the play.
In this paper, I will not focus on a possible moral message of the play. Instead, I will try to collect hints at who or what might be responsible for Willy Loman’s death. As I am not the first to engage in this matter, I will be able to present the viewpoints of different critics, and to compare them. It seems to be a characteristic ofDeath of a Salesmanthat many reasons can be named for its catastrophic ending - its discussion has been very controversial. In consequence, one difficulty of my investigation will be to take into account also the play’s subtleties in order to value each critic’s standpoint properly. It has repeatedly been criticized that Arthur Miller makes use of fuzzy logic in his play. On the one hand, one can see obvious traits of social criticism inDeath of a Salesman,on the other hand Miller presents two characters - Charley and Bernard - that succeed in a capitalistic world without acting unfair. Miller condemns a social order ruled by wealth while approving of the right way to live in it. This conflict demonstrates that Miller’s play is offering explanations of Willy Loman’s failure that are based on social criticism as well as explanations that are psychologically motivated. This division marks the two directions criticism has been following through the years. For that reason, I will divide my inquiry into two sections: Cultural Reasons and Psychological Reasons. Whenever necessary, the two domains will be cross-linked in order to form a synthesis. When verifying quotations fromDeath of a Salesman,I will use plain numbers in brackets, such as (2031).
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Cultural Reasons
2.1 The Economic System
2.2 The Popular Myths of Success
3 Psychological Reasons
3.1 Undeserved Love
3.2 The Irrational Desire for Success
3.3 The Will to Save His Dignity
3.4 Biff
3.5 Linda
4 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to conduct a multi-faceted investigation into the contributing factors behind Willy Loman's suicide in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman," analyzing both sociocultural pressures and individual psychological motives.
- Societal impacts of the capitalist economic system on the individual.
- The influence of popular American myths of success and the "personality cult."
- Psychological evaluation of Willy Loman's obsession with status and dignity.
- Critical examination of the roles played by family members, specifically Biff and Linda Loman.
- Synthesis of disparate scholarly viewpoints regarding Loman's catastrophic end.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 The Irrational Desire for Success
Trough the whole play, one quality accompanies Willy Loman’s actions and statements: They all seem to be born out of his unceasing, bottomless desire for success. His mind seems to be slave to this central obsession.
June Schlueter holds a quite radical view of Willy’s death. She writes:
Ultimately, Willy is victim neither of a society that makes unreasonable demands nor of a wife who encourages illusion; he is victim neither of an insensitive son nor of a worthless one ... Ultimately, Willy Loman, like all men, is a free agent, self-centered, self-deluded, self-destructive – but responsible. As he continues relentlessly to insist upon the single truth that has shaped his life and prescribed his death, an audience loses its capacity for admiration and respect, wanting instead to take this insufferable old man by the sagging shoulders and shake some sense into him ... Willy deserves what he gets ... (Schlueter 66)
Schlueter uses the term “the single truth”. What does she mean by that? In her book, she does not make it explicit. However, the context of her statement supports the conception that she means Willy’s irrational desire for success which is his specific way of being egoistic.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter establishes the research question regarding the causes of Willy Loman’s suicide and defines the dual approach of analyzing both cultural and psychological factors.
2 Cultural Reasons: This section investigates how the capitalist economic system and the pervasive American myths of success contribute to Willy's alienation and failure.
3 Psychological Reasons: This section explores individual psychological triggers, including Loman's need for dignity, his internal struggle regarding Biff’s love, and the enabling behavior of his wife, Linda.
4 Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the various arguments and asserts that Loman's death is a result of both systemic pressure and personal choice, facilitated by his inability to accept reality.
Keywords
Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller, Willy Loman, American Dream, Capitalism, Suicide, Psychological analysis, Cultural criticism, Success myth, Personality cult, Biff Loman, Linda Loman, Modern tragedy, Social alienation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines the various forces—both social and psychological—that drive the character Willy Loman to commit suicide in Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman."
What are the primary thematic areas investigated?
The analysis covers the impacts of the economic environment, the American myth of the self-made man, the importance of personal dignity, and the influence of family relationships on the protagonist.
What is the main research question?
The research seeks to identify who or what is ultimately responsible for Willy Loman's death by comparing and evaluating different critical perspectives on his failure.
Which methodology is applied to the text?
The author uses a comparative analytical approach, categorizing critical theories into "Cultural Reasons" and "Psychological Reasons" and synthesizing these to form a comprehensive conclusion.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main body discusses the economic pressures of capitalism, the influence of Dale Carnegie’s success philosophies, the role of Loman's internal obsessions, and the enabling roles of Biff and Linda.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is defined by terms such as "American Dream," "Capitalism," "Modern Tragedy," "Social Alienation," and "Psychological Obsession."
How does the author evaluate Harold Bloom’s thesis on "undeserved love"?
The author dismisses Bloom's theory, arguing that Loman's suicide is driven more by career-related plans for Biff than by a sudden realization of his son's love.
Does the author agree with June Schlueter's interpretation?
The author views Schlueter’s perspective as too reductive and monistic, noting that it ignores the external socio-economic influences that play a significant part in Loman's downfall.
What role does Linda Loman play in the protagonist's fate according to the author?
The author argues that Linda, despite her "goodness," acts as an enabler who represses the truth, thereby reinforcing Willy's illusions and preventing him from facing reality.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2003, Who Killed Willy Loman? An Investigation into Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/55785
