Theme of Cultural Pressures in Death of a Salesman Essay Sample

In the play, “Death of a Salesmen” (1949), written by American playwriter Arthur Miller, his main intent was to be reflective and critical of the western region’s (past and present) cultural pressures and societal expectations. Within these themes, Miller represents the consequential reality of such pressures. To accomplish this, Miller presents a microcosm of the idealised and marketed familial structure within 1948’s Boston America. This is explored through the realistic, yet tragic conventions of the character Willy Loman; a lower middle-class man, with various estranged relationships that juxtapose the cultural pressures of the ideal ‘familial structure’, and his identity faults. Willy’s personal expectations reflect the cultural and societal ideals, and this is the focal point within my higher-level essay.

To effectively discuss upon the cultural pressures and the consequential affect it had upon Willy Loman within the play, we must uncover and define these cultural pressures and what their importance is. The three main influencers when researching the formation of these western pressures, the customary “Holy Trinity”, were “Capitalism, the patriarchy and supremacy” (Haque. U. 2018). These factors were the motivators towards the construction and foundation for these western cultural standards, which in turn had a large array of impact in the United States, (from past to present day), and the narrative of the play, through Willy Loman. The most prevalent factors within the play, which were the most detrimental, were the subjects and themes of: occupation, materialism, masculinity, reputation, identity, and opportunity. These themes were popularised within the year of 1931, by renowned American author and historian Arthur James Truslow, within the novel The Epic of America (Truslow. A 1931). The origin in which these cultural pressures were all refined and categorised came under the title, “The American Dream” (Truslow. A 1931).

  Miller implements the tile of the ‘American Dream’ through the means of repetition throughout the play, alike to the use of a motif, specifically of the word “Dream”, though it differs due to the addition of tense morphology which presents how this is a persistent issue within  the play’s narrative and to stress upon its significance, especially when in relation towards Willy Loman.                                                                                                                                                 Early on, the faults of Willy are explored through his aura of self-importance and a willingness to uphold a certain reputation. Before the reader learns about the individual, we learn more about his occupation suggesting this is more important than character. All identity is lost when he is referred to as simply the “Salesman” (Pg.7) reflecting Miller’s intent to highlight social expectations, that career and success is a priority over personal attributes. Furthermore, Willy then labels himself as “The new England man” (Pg.8) avoiding his identity as if it has been ingrained by society. Additionally, he then adds the adjective “Vital in New England” to present a façade of self-worth. Without any event even occurring, Willy Loman’s decline is beginning as he starts to believe in the image presented than he does himself. 

The relation between Willy’s characterisation within these societal pressures also presents how they assisted towards shaping him as a narrow minded, confrontational yet defensive individual, which is presented as he initially describing Biff as a “lazy bum!” (Pg.11), the addition of exclamation mark presenting willy’s prosody and anger due to his lack of a ‘business’ related career, despite Biff’s best efforts, Willy then contradicts himself due to his self-projection and delusions, now describing Biff as “such a hard worker” (Pg.11) furthering his own self-absorption and creating a larger disparity between himself and his family.

If the ‘American Dream’ is so prevalent and has a large impact within the play, why are Biff and Happy Loman unsuccessful?   Biff and Happy Loman’s lack of success is introduced within Act 1 page 15, as they both discuss their nostalgia returning home to Boston, even mentioning their own childhood “Dreams” (Pg.14) through the means of brief referential dialogue, so they don’t elaborate further, “yeah a lot of dreams and plans” (Pg.15). Both feel gravely disappointed and emasculated, especially Biff who describes himself as merely a “boy” (Pg.17) believing that his lack of a; marital status, career, and material possessions all while at the age of “thirty-four years old” (Pg.17), makes him undeserving to be described as a “man” (pg.17), even explicitly stating such “I’m not a man Hap” (Pg.17). Due to not fitting within the established cultural conventions and expectations. Leading towards him blaming and degrading himself due to his shortcomings. Yet despite their own failures they both still have a form of self-awareness and dignity contrary to their farther Willy.

The cultural perspective in which motivated and stressed upon the American dream within the 1940s, by the ‘promise of success and reward based upon individual’s capabilities’, so for past readers it would be seen as Ludacris for both Biff and Happy to be unsuccessful under these ‘ideals’, linking back towards Miller’s intent to show the consequential reality of pursuing these ideals and advertised aspirations create through the means of social commentary.