Ben is Willy’s older brother who is dead. Ben exists in Willy’s mind and appears to Willy in the present day as an illusion or in relevant flashbacks. Ben represents the American Dream; he acts as a constant reminder that the American Dream can come true, because Ben was successful. Ben’s success came about when Ben went in search of his father in Alaska but due to his ‘very faulty view of geography’, he ‘landed up in Africa’. Ben tells Willy
‘William, when I walked into the jungle, I was seventeen. When I walked out I was twenty-one. And by God, I was rich!’
This is the constant reminder of the American Dream, (get rich quick), and ultimately his final betrayer. On discover of the African gold coast, Ben found his fortune ‘ principally diamond mines’. The diamonds are a physical symbol of the American dream. They represent tangible wealth to Willy. Something he desperately craves not only as a symbol of ones success or labour but also as something to pass down to his sons, Biff and Happy. Before Willy commits suicide, he is listening to Ben’s imaginary encouraging advice to take his own life, ‘The jungle is dark but full of diamonds.’ In order to get the insurance money for Biff, Willy makes the extreme sacrifice and ultimate betrayal.
Aside from the American dream’s betrayal, others also betrayed Willy. His farther betrayed him because he had abandoned him when he was small. This childhood emotional trauma of abandonment can be seen as a betrayal it took away possible touchable wealth, inheritance but also he did not know his history. This betrayal is fundamental to Willy because it leaves lasting effects on him; Willy tells Linda that ‘he feels kinda temporary about’ himself. In one of his flashbacks Willy asks Ben about his farther ‘ No Ben! Please tell about Dad.’ The symbol associated with this betrayal is the flute. Flute music is heard throughout the play at significant times during Willys daydreams. It illustrates his insecurities and remains us of betrayal. Ben tells Willy ‘ he (their farther) played the flute’ Ben goes on to tell Willy of how they would ‘stop in the towns and sell the flutes’ and how their farther’ with one gadget (he) made more in a week, then a man like you could make in a lifetime.’
When Willy’s employment is terminated, Howard, his boss, betrayed him because he had been loyal to the company for over thirty years. In fact he recalls ‘ I was with the firm when your farther used to carry you in here in his arms’ historically particular in this era a job was a ‘ job for life’ but in this case it was not so. This betrayal, sacking Willy is the most obvious betrayal of his loyalty and dedication to try and become a success. In comparison Linda, his wife betrays him because she never forces Willy to face up to the truth the fact that he is not a success.
Linda is extremely stoic, typical of most women of this era. She is Willy’s destroyer. She has boundless love and accepted Willy’s imaginary greatness and his dream. This acceptance and encouragement of Willys dream makes things worse. Linda talking to Willy during one of the flashbacks tells him ‘but you’re doing wonderful, dear. You’re making seventy to a hundred dollars a week’ Willy is distressed about not only his ability to provide the family with enough income to pay the bills, but also about how others perceive him. Linda’s replies ‘you don’t talk to much, you’re just lively’ and ‘Willy, darling, you’re the handsomest man in the world’, and ‘To me you are. The handsomest.’ In addition ‘few men are idolized by their children the way you are’ Linda betrays Willy and the hosepipe used is an example of Linda’s compliance. Linda is aware that Willy has tried to commit suicide, ‘everyday I go down and take away that little rubber pipe. But, when he comes home, I put it back where it was. How can I insult him that way?’ the hosepipe is a symbol of Willys desperation and Linda’s betrayal.
The last betrayers to be discussed are Willy’s sons. More so, Biff. Willy idolizes Biff. His obsession with the American dream is the one thing he cannot sell to Biff. Willy feels betrayed because his sons are not successful. Willy says ‘Biff is a lazy bum!’ who ‘has yet to make thirty five dollars a week!’ but because Willy idolizes Biff so much he almost immediately contradicts this statement, ‘There’s one thing about Biff- he’s not lazy’. As Willy’s big dreams have not come true, Willy sees Biffs failure and lack of ambition as an insult, a reflection on him. The seeds symbolize Willy’s sense of failure with Biff. Willy's inability to grow vegetables out in the yard, mirrors his inability to persuade Biff to conform to his beliefs and the fear of not being able to leave anything for his offspring, his seeds.
Everyone and everything that he has every believed in, unfortunately have betrayed Willy, this possibly led to the character seen on the surface level- Willy, the betrayer. Willy betrays the ones he loves, but essentially he betrays himself.
Willy betrays his son Biff because Biff has been nurtured on Willy’s dreams. According to Willys vision of success using your individual qualities would make you richer and therefore happier ‘be well liked and you shall never want’. A young Biff had these qualities. During a flashback, Willy tells Biff that compared to Bernard ‘when he gets out in the business world, you (Biff) are going to be five times ahead of him.’ Ironical Bernard becomes a top lawyer. When trying to sell the American Dream to his sons Willy talks of their Uncle Bens success ‘there was a man who started out with the clothes on his back and ended up with Diamond mines.’ ‘A great man’ in Willys words a model for his sons to follow. Biff in his fathers eyes did not amount to much but Willy had betrayed him because he ‘never got anywhere because you (Willy) blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody!’
Willy also betrays his wife Linda by having an affair with another women. The woman is never named, but during a flashback it is revelled. The woman knows how to flatter Willy, she makes him feel wanted, and that he is the great salesman he imagines himself to be. She promise Willy ‘ from now on, whenever you come to the office, I’ll see that you go right through to the buyers’. This is to ensure she can keep receiving gifts from Willy. ‘Where’s my stocking’s? You promised me stockings, Willy!’ the stockings are a symbol of betrayal to his family and sexual unfaithfulness. The motivation that leads to the affair is loneliness, talking to Linda before the affair Willy says ‘ cause I get so lonely- especially when business is bad and there’s nobody to talk to’. When Willy had the affair he not only betrayed his wife, but also his son, because during the flashback revelling Willy’s affair we see a young Biff witnessing the man he idolized trusted and believed in completely, reverse his opinion about his father. Biff calls him a ‘phoney little fake!’ what he witnessed was a turning point for the relationship between father and son that led to the present problem in the Lowman household.
The relationship that once was so strong declined from this point until the climax of the torturous day when the Loman family are arguing because Biff wants to stop all the lies his father has been feeding him over the years. Willy has betrayed his son and at this dramatic climax in the play Biff tells Willy ‘ pop! I’m a dime a dozen and so are you’. Willy refuses to hear it ‘I’m not a dime dozen I’m Willy Loman and your Biff Loman!’ Biff in an attempt to force his father to face facts says ‘ I am not a leader of men Willy and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard working drummer’ Willy’s refusal to hear the truth, has been throughout the entire play. He is still refusing to hear it when he commits suicide because he justifies the reason for taking his life by telling Ben that Biff, ‘will be magnificent with twenty thousand dollars in his pocket’ and in his deluded state feels that Biff can carry on the dream. Willy ultimately betrayed himself. He failed to see the anguished love offered to him by his family and he killed himself. He sold himself until the world stopped buying; ‘after all the highways…and the years you end up worth more dead than alive.’
He also lies to others as he feels the success of his family is a reflection on how successful he is. He lies to Howard about how successful the boys are; he tells Howard that ‘they’re working on a very big deal.’ He lies to Bernard by telling him that ‘Bill Oliver – very big sporting-goods man- he wants Biff very badly. Called him in from the west’. Willy betrays his family by constantly pretending he is a greater salesman than he actually is. Willy’s imagination is much larger than his sales ability. On one occasion, he comes home boasting of his success and wealth on the return of his lasted business venture it actually turns out it was not as successful as it first seems to be. Willy does not want to face the fact that he is not earning enough. In one flashback, he begins telling Linda ‘ I was sellin’ thousands and thousands…I did five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston’. Linda sits down with pen and paper to walk out his commission and Willy finally says ‘ no- it came to- roughly two hundred gross on the whole trip’.
Willy betrayed Linda, Biff, those around him and even himself because he never reaches the goals to which he aspires. This frustrates and bewilders him; he has not got the skill or imagination to work out another way of being. He is weak living in the past, constantly in hope that his visions of a great future for his sons will come true and his family will conform to the American dream. He cannot face up to reality. Many factors have contributed to Willy’s unrealistic views of his family and himself, because he is living in the past this destroys the present. Business is not what it used to be. When Willy is talking of his inspiration to be a salesman he tells Howard ‘in those days there was personality in it…respect…comradeship…gratitude in it. Today it’s all cut and dried. The business of selling has changed Willy cannot accept this. His father, his boss Linda and his sons, but most of all his warped version of the American Dream have betrayed Willy. ‘America is the land of opportunity’ the belief still apparent today. In such a great land of opportunity success should come fairly easy, so therefore to be unsuccessful, as Willy was, could make a man feel bitter about failure. This is why Willy could never face up to his failure, never face reality, the truth. He did not want to feel excluded from all the success around him. In fact, success was just next-door. Bernard, Biffs close childhood friend, became a success. Willy tells Ben before he commits suicide ‘when the mail comes he’ll (Biff) be ahead of Bernard again’ He is living proof that the dream can come true.
The original American dream described by the country’s founders has been falsely constructed to suit the argument of pro- capitalists. The capitalists main goal is to ensure the people continue to buy. This need for material goods, success, blocked out any truth or moral vision. The ‘pursuit of happiness’ to find ones place in society is up to the individual. The play can be viewed as a social commentary about the American system, an insight, an understanding of the deep essence of the United States. The characters deliberately contrast between success and failure because the system is not the one to blame. Willy can only blame himself for not becoming what he wanted to be.
Bibliography
Death of a Salesman
Auther Miller
(First published) – 1949
York Notes (on) Death of a Salesman
Brain.W. Last
(First published) –1980
Websites used:
http://www.homework-online.com/doas/discussion.asp.com
http:www.sparknotes.com/lit/salesmanhomework-online.com/doas//ipbs.org/wnet/americanmasters
Another person that represents the American dream is Dave Singleman. Dave is the man who inspired Willy to become a salesman. Dave a successful salesman was a man Willy had met many years before. He had not only material wealth but popularity in society, something that Willy craved ‘cause what could be more satisfying then be able to go, at the age of eighty four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people?’
