He fails to come up to Wagner’s expectations and has to face sacking. He also knows that he is an experienced salesman, but the desire for more profit forces him to show him cold shoulder due to Willy Loman’s inability to make more sales in the modern period. Howard Wagner knows that Willy Loman has worked for Wagner’s father very diligently.
Theme #10Ĭruelty and inhumanity of the capitalist world is another minor theme of the play. Therefore, instead of accepting reality, he commits suicide. In fact, he is unable to face the reality of his failure, his sons’ possible failure and going against his dream. His dream of amassing wealth and living in luxury is an illusion that he cannot see becoming a reality in his lifetime despite his claims. Willy Loman dreams that he would succeed, or else his sons would do it in case of his failure. The play has presented another minor theme that is reality and illusions. Therefore, this becomes a recurrent theme throughout the play. At the same time, Willy Loman’s affair with the Woman is betrayal toward his wife. In this sense, this betrayal of Biff and his abandonment of the dream that his father has harbored for years leads Willy to frustration. As a salesman, Willy Loman takes this rejection on the part of Biff as an insult. However, Biff constantly dodges his dreams and comes out of the dream circle, declaring that he does not like the office job. Willy Loman constantly hankers after Biff that he would realize his dream. Theme #8Īnother minor theme of the play is the betrayal of relationships and dreams. However, on the other hand, his son Biff talks about working on ranches to find refuge in the natural world. This reflects the harsh artificial world of urban capitalism where a man has no place if he is not beneficial for the business. He is fired from the company by its new owner, Howard Wagner. On the one hand, Willy Loman tries to find a good career amid his failure as a salesman. Theme #7Īrthur Miller has placed the natural and the artificial world side by side. Miller has highlighted this belief of Willy Loman that image creates an economy and that people well-liked become financially successful. Therefore, business and market are based on the idea of the culture of personality. This is his pet word that he uses time and again to reflect a culture where a person well-liked becomes an icon in business and industry. Willy Loman constantly repeats lines and advises his sons that they must be well-liked. Theme #6ĭeveloping a fetish for a figure, or personality cult is another major theme of the play. Therefore, family and relationships is another theme of the play.
Conversely, Willy Loman and his sons have been implicitly presented as a failed family. Charley and Bernard, their neighbors, have been placed by Miller in contrast to them to show a successful family. Biff does not know what to do in life, while Happy does not have any dream. Therefore, he depends on his sons to realize his dreams, but both fail. He knows that he has lost touch with the modern market. Willy Loman, while trying to materialize his American dream, loses his senses. The play, Death of a Salesman, is the tragedy of a family which could not accept the changing times. In fact, Bernard and Biff both have similar opportunities, but one decides to exploit it, while the other does not. In the same way, Happy has found an opportunity, but Biff lacks this acumen to see things. Willy Loman does not see this as an opportunity to improve himself professionally, while for Wagner it is an opportunity to find new hands. That is why he sacks him without feeling any empathy. Howard Wagner knows that Willy Loman is no match to modern marketing and business innovations. Theme #4Īlthough every person tries, material luck comes to those who exploit the opportunities. Interestingly, Linda does not fall victim to this modern thinking, or she does not become a tool to be exploited. Willy Loman’s affair with the attractive anonymous woman of Boston and his son’s womanizing attitude both point to gender relationships in the capitalistic society. With the modernity and materialism taking firm roots in the society, the female seems to replace the patriarchy and become the head of the family. Gender issues and relationships with the opposite gender is another major theme of the play.