How does Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman reflect society at the time? Essay

Death of a Salesman by Arthur moth miller deals with one mans struggle in achieving success and how foreign influences much(prenominal) as money, family and even confederation influence an individual. Willy Lomans sad grapheme has a lot of depth to it, and to therefore understand such depth we must look in to the society that is around him and therefore the playwright Arthur milling machine. Willy Loman is set apart from the rest of society as he relies upon a different set of values and motivations e genuinelyone else rests on.From the time, that Death of a Salesman was write there were many a(prenominal) accounts on how America was going through a post war social and economic upheaval. It was not and Arthur Miller but also Tennessee Williams who began creating a series of protest plays whilst working with root word theatre companies. The history that had gone before them formed many of the major(ip) themes that defined their characters along with the explanation of the so cial pressure that is exerted on them. gravitas loss and self-assurance that Miller saw as one legacy of the social crash that without a doubt left a trail on Miller, which can be seen in his creation of the character Willy Loman. This include the sense that promises made by a society that seemed so see to it were betrayed. The barrier that prevented the world from decent chaotic became fragile with the betrayal of the promises that were made. avaritia for success has eaten in to the minds of countless individuals especially those who fled to America in entrap to grasp The American fancy. People in this civilisation argon desperate to climb and do whatever it takes to achieve success no matter which they hurt in the process, this is particularly evident in the character of Willy Loman as his want of money consumes him up until the point he unashamedly commits suicide. It can be argued that Willy Loman does not choose this destructive envisage because it is obligate upon hi m by society.The ideas that epitomize the American Dream are that which Willy Loman constantly tries to achieve wealth, fame and overall success. The play of Death of a Salesman on the surface appears to be about one mans quest in becoming a well-liked salesman. On some levels, Willy feels as if he is obligated to do this moon that society has inflicted, however looking at his character in depth it is Willy who feels trapped by this dream. The American dream is presented as the dream to have with no other been being acceptable.Willys true dream resurfaces at certain points within the play, the dream that has been forced in to his just about subconscious mind living on his receive in the dry land were he can raise his family and live off the land. This dream only resurfaces when the dream he is trying to achieve (The American Dream) does not go according to plan, for instance when Willy plants seeds in his garden. Willys true dream is the analogous dream that his son Biff wishe s to achieve in the climax of the play. It is Willy that makes this dream seem impossible for Biff to achieve as he is forcing him in to the false dream of the well liked salesman. Willys death at the end of the play appears to be out of love for his family.He does this so that his family can have his life insurance thus completing the dream of being wealthy, he continues to have the hope that he will effect the false dream that he is living. Another prime reason for Willy Loman to canalize out his own death is that he will free his sons of the hinderance to finish the unfulfilled dream, therefore setting them free to create his own dreams. This reflects society again as in the time that parents have endlessly been pressured in to encouraging their child to succeed in life. Mike Lesage makes the very powerful statement it was society who stripped him of his dignity, piece by piece. It was society who stripped him of his lifestyle, and his own sons who stripped him of hope.The wa y Willy treats his wife Linda is a direct reflection of the way in which women in society at the time would have been treated. In the United states women were not given pit rights until around the early 1970s. At this point, they were given the simple pleasure of a credit card however they had to possess their husbands signalise on it. However, during the time Death of a Salesman was written women were still in the battle for fair treatment and equal rights. The way in which Miller displays this is by not including any strong female figures in the play. The repression of women in society at the time just caused them to be held back, something that a disruptive developing country such as America could not present to do.Eliza Kazan once said, Willy is one vast contradiction, and this contradiction is his downfall This reflects Willys subject attitudes on pride, success and his affair, which therefore portrays Willy Loman as a casualty of the individualistic concept. It becomes e vident from this play how society can be very judgemental on the people within it. The protagonist, Willy Loman is used by Miller to portray the disadvantage a society has on a person. Willy Loman becomes alienated in many different ways, for instance being fired from his job and the feeling that he has been segregated from his own family. All of the actions that alienate him validate the discrimination of a biased world.