Miller also shows that society in general had become far too competitive. Willy feels he has to compete with others by buying new goods, even when he cannot really afford them. This competitive spirit manages to seep into the personal lives of some characters. An example of this is when Happy admits to having an affair with a colleague’s fianceé and the only explanation he has for his behaviour is his ‘over-developed sense of competition’. Biff sees that they are pressured to ‘always get ahead of the next fella,’ and Willy believes that the ‘maddening’ competition is ‘what’s ruining this country.’ Miller presents his criticisms on stage well- the stage directions at the beginning of the play emphasise the competition which Willy faces. His small house is ‘frail’ and surrounded, ‘boxed in’ by a solid vault of apartments which tower menacingly over his from all sides. The competition is presented as fierce from the very start- the buildings around the Lomans’ house are described as ‘angular shapes’ which would look particularly threatening on stage and the lighting, an ‘angry glow of orange’ creates the same impression of an impending threat.
The social aspects of American society are also criticised by Miller- mainly the fact that success is only measured in material terms. A man is not valued for what he is, but what he owns. Biff seems to reject this materialistic sense of success. He has been living on a cattle ranch, enjoying a leisurely life (but even so, the sub-conscious drive to become something bigger and better than most men has brought him home, another example of the competitive spirit.) We are shown this when he says, “(When spring comes out West) I suddenly get the feeling, my God, I'm not getting anywhere… I oughta be makin' my future.” Although he enjoyed working on the ranch enormously, he still doesn’t feel he has succeeded. The conflict between what Biff really enjoys and this vision of ‘success’ remains a struggle for him until the end of the play. Biff and Happy have always been shown that a business career is the only way to achieve success, yet Happy has taken this course and it is made obvious that he his neither happy or successful. Biff asks him “You're a success, aren't you? Are you content?" Happy replies, “Hell no!” He has what he has ‘always wanted,’ and society would probably see him as successful. He owns an apartment, a car and plenty of women are available to him but still he tells Biff he is a ‘lonely’ man. By this Miller shows that Willy's definition of success, similar to the life Happy leads, is really not valid. In addition, the consumer way of life is also criticised. Miller seems to object to such great importance being placed on mere goods. This is evident in a flashback to a conversation with Linds concerning the fridge. Willy buys new goods, and when they break down and he has to pay more money to repair them. The washing machine breaking down represents Willy’s mind, which is doing the same thing. We are shown his insanity by the appearances of Uncle Ben, a figure of Willy’s imagination. We are told that the washing machine is not a well known brand, and Willy is not a well known man (only his family, Bernard and Charley attend his funeral).
Miller shows us that the American Dream and the way of American society is or can be very destructive. Willy's relentless pursuit of success has not only affected his sense of his own worth but has dominated or even ruined the lives of his wife Linda and his sons Biff and Happy. Willy was trying to live up to what society was expecting of him and this is what destroyed him. Miller shows how destructive the dream is by the breakdown of Willy’s mind. The flashbacks and lapses of time are perhaps confusing. I think that it is intended to be this way- it puts you in the mind of Willy Loman, where things are confused and it is difficult to distinguish past from present and reality from fantasy. His insanity is also shown by him continuously contradicting himself, for instance he calls Biff a ‘lazy bum’ and then soon after he tells Linda that Biff is hardworking, and that ‘there’s one thing about Biff- he’s not lazy,’ highlighting his confusion.
In conclusion, Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ is a damning criticism of American society in the 1940s. Willy Loman is an average man whose dreams and expectations are shattered by the false values of the society he put his faith in. He slowly withers away under the pressures of social performance. At the end of the play, Willy’s suicide demonstrates the enormous strength of the dream- he even gives up his life for the ‘twenty thousand dollar proposition’ in order for Biff to be ‘successful.’
