1. A life lived through the lens of materialistic success: the American Dream
Is Willy refashioning and recreating the dream in an elusive and personal way?
Or is he simply responding to the social, political and cultural myths circulating in the 1940s?
Willy views life through the lens of material success as shaped by the search for the American dream. He believes that through hard work one can improve one’s status, gain wealth and become popular. Accordingly, he judges “success” according to his brother’s, Ben’s, successful adventure in Alaska. He wants to believe that he could have made a fortune in the “diamond mines” (32) Ben chases opportunity in Alaska and comes back rich (35): he “knew the answers”; Willy wants the boys to be like Ben: “rugged, well liked, all round” (38) Willy also takes as his role model, Dave Singleman. Both Dave and Ben captured the spirit of the times. It was about making your fortune and becoming popular. “Attractiveness and likeability” are the keys to success as far as Willy is concerned. Likewise, Willy refers to his hard work to justify his yearnings for fame and popularity but knows that he is dogged by comparative failure.
Neither Ben or Dave Singleman appear on stage. Miller asks us to consider whether they are figments of Willy’s imagination. Is the myth of the self-made man a convenient reinterpretation of Willy’s to suit his yearnings? Are such figures typical of the social and cultural content of the times that is stimulating Willy’s dreams, or is Willy creating them?
Willy exaggerates his reputation, status and popularity. He boasts to Biff that he is greeted by mayors in the major cities such as Providence and that he is well known, “they know me up and down New England” (24). As a measure of his status and reputation, he can park “my car in any street in New England and the cops protect it like their own” (24). He imagines that his funeral will be massive. “they’ll come from maine, Mas, Vermont New Hampshire”. (100) He wants to be bigger than Uncle Charley – because he is not “well liked” (23). Willy “met the mayor”.
(Is there a parallel here to the great Australian Dream of owning one’s house or the Anzac myth of national identity; the GFC global financial crisis?)
2. The cracks in his armour reveal the problems associated with his (personal) dream.
Miller depicts Willy Loman as some one who is fundamentally flawed, both dependent on and defeated by his illusion. The contradictory nature of Willy’s dreams is theatrically represented by the play of light and dark; of the collapsing of boundaries between the past and the present. Desperately, Willy is a character who relies on the myth of his own self-importance in order to bolster his standing both within and without the family. As a measure of his status and worth he can “park my car in any street in New England and the cops protect it like their own”. However, the more he seeks to escape into the delusory world of illusions and myths and parting waves and celebrity funerals, the greater the cracks in his psychological armour.
In his autobiography Timebends, Miller comments that the name “Loh-mann” refers to a character he had become obsessed with from a film (The Testament of Dr Mabuse) about a terror-stricken man calling out into the darkness; he is overwhelmed by an existential void.) Indeed, As Willy suffers setback after setback he cannot conceal the fact that he is a failure. He laments the fact, that, as Macbeth would say, “nothing is but what is not”.
Sigmund Freud sheds light on the nature of Willy’s contradictory desires when he says that “repression is often achieved by means of an excessive reinforcement of the thought contrary to the one which is to be repressed.”
Whilst Willy is determined to repress the idea of failure, he cannot suppress his anxiety. He is constantly gripped by a form of existential angst and acutely feels the “temporary” nature of his existence. “I still feel kind of temporary about myself” (40). A life lived on higher purchase leaves him feeling resentful; you can’t “peel a man like a piece of fruit”. And for some reason “people don’t seem to take to me” (28) Angrily, Willy castigates Biff for “spiting” him because he turns his back on the “Loman brand”, but at the same time he is literally and metaphorically heading for the biggest crash of his career. In this case, the gap between his experiences and his expectations becomes suicidally large. Eventually, death becomes his only option to protect his integrity.
Furthermore, seeing things as “we” are is not only potentially dangerous for our own sanity. It can also harm those around us and damage our relationships. The larger the gap between illusion and “reality”, then the greater the problems for our relationships. After all it becomes difficult to constantly deceive others and encourage them to share in our self-deceptions.
Willy and Biff share an antagonistic relationship precisely because both are captured by their own personal perspectives. Willy, in particularly, is unable to negotiate his personal and professional problems, and as he projects these onto Biff, he sours their relationship and even damages Biff’s personal security. From his perspective, Willy constantly and unreasonably believes that Biff is “spiting” him, because biff rejects his dream and ideals of a salesman.
His desire to inflate his own importance and that of the family also affects his relationship with his family – esp. Biff… wants to see Biff as a ‘young god – Hercules’ – a shining star, who adores him and knows that Loman is also a star that is worshipped as well – 54 – play of darkness and light – darkened kitchen – horror memories and the sun – unrealistic dreams
A life torn in two: Biff Loman
The recognition that Willy is a fraud rocks the foundations of Biff’s reality. Biff rejects the American dream of opportunity and wealth (cult of personality) that consumes Willy. He rejects materialistic false competitive values that judge a man according to his status, reputation and the brand of his car and size of his house. He rejects a system where people feel a need to “get ahead of the next fella”. All he wants to do is “be outdoors, with your shirt off”. (16) He enjoys herding cattle in Nebraska. He states there is “nothing more inspiring – or beautiful than the sight of a mare and a new colt” (16). And yet his tragedy is that he cannot be fulfilled or feel satisfied because he has been pumped full of “false pride” and false ideals and false values. He feels a failure because he is not participating in the materialistic rat race.
Biff is trying to live according to the Shakespearean maxim “unto thine own self be true”.
Biff is torn between living up to the father’s ideals about status, wealth and personality. But he also wants to be ordinary. Bernard reveals the problems with Biff. He is too rough with girls; drives without licence and fails his maths tests. Willy wants to believe that he has “got spirit, personality”. Some men just take longer to get “solidified” 55 Willy can’t understand that in the greatest country in the world a young man with such “personal attractiveness, gets lost” (11) – hard worker – not lazy. It is clear that Will is living in his own impression of Biff.
- Existential angst: Biff reveals his anxieties to Happy (17) – “can’t take hold of some kind of life” (42)
- Always recognises another’s misgivings – “builds an estate and then hasn’t the peace of mind to live in it” (17)
- Tries to participate in their dreams (knowing that there is a problem) – “i could buy a beautiful ranch” (19)
- Hints at a shady past when he was “fired” – 20 – possibly taking something – “stole that carton of basketballs”
- He knows that he recognises that Willy is a fake – and knows that Willy doesn’t like it – (45) Linda takes offence. She wants him to make a good impression (59). She places enormous responsibility on Biff – ‘his life is in your hands’ (47, 58)
- Angry at the “business world ‘ – screw them – doesn’t always play by the rules (hence conflict with Happy) (48)
- Willy wants to believe that Bill Oliver wants Biff “very badly” – the typical American success story (72)
The harsh reality
Turning point: visited Willy after he flunked maths expecting some help. Discovered the woman. Deflated his ideals and bitter disappointment at father – 75
- Deflates the father’s dreams and boasts (cf Ben – never mentioned his work at the Supreme Court – “don’t have to … he’s gonna do it” (75)
- Always thought that a man “has got to add up to something” – 99 – always looking for a better deal elsewhere
- Realised what a “ridiculous lie my whole life has been” (82)
- I was a ‘shipping clerk” – was never anyone prestigious – did not fulfil Willy’s exorbitant dreams of a successful, well-liked, personality
- “today i realised something about myself and i tried to explain it to you”… harsh reality of truth – no one’s fault – 101 – recognises “i’m a bum” (once again Willy interprets this as “spite” – as a projection of his own shortcomings and deceit) / 105 “spiteful mut”
- You “blew me so full of hot air” – 104. Could never take orders from anybody. Was always chasing a useless dream and ideal. 105 Never really followed his heart’s desires 105