Themes, Themes and More Themes

Within The play Death of a Salesman there are many prevalent and discussion worthy themes. However the most interesting and most story changing themes would be Person vs. Self, Person vs. Society and lasty the American Deam. Person vs. Society is a rather interesting theme because of the very manner it affects Willy. Willy as the main character strives for success (in this case the American Dream). While he still struggles to achieve this goal, many around him have already attained. This in particular is very important because as society moves forward he is moving financially backwards. As a result people look down to him. Charlie offers him a job as a gesture of friendship, because he sees through the deceiving acts Willy plays pretending as if he is as financially stable as can be. Willy also tends to hide his instability because he is truly afraid of what may happen and what people may think of him if they knew of his struggle. He is a very self-conscious person when it comes to the subject of success.

Willy, attempting to be secretive of his financial struggle hides it not only from others, but himself as well. Willy lets himself believe that he has achieved the American Dream, when in reality he hasn’t done so. His self-consciousness misled him to believe that he goes through each day a successful man, when in reality he is just as bad as both his sons Happy and Biff. Happy and Biff. Because he has pretended that this struggle doesn’t exist for such a long time the minute he realizes it is reality it will cause his downfall.
         The theme the American Dream is what every aspect of this story revolves around. Willy goes through so much trouble hiding his financial crisis from others and himself because he wants to think he has accomplished the greatest goal of all, become someone from no one. This idea in itself guides Willy's mind to think and do what he does throughout the length of the story. Also because almost all people around him have already accomplished the American Dream it simply makes it worse for Willy to handle. If the american dream did not exist, Willy might not have been so content on making money, instead using his personal time to spend with the family. The story in itself would not have existed without the American Dream, knowing that it is the one factor that causes his pain and stress.
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Death of a Salesman

1.

Willy try’s to teach his boys Happy and Biff that even though they may have everything that they  ever wished for it is good to reach for more. He basically tells them to reach above and beyond their dreams. I believe this is a worthwhile concept for a father to teach because it allow them to keep succeeding at life and not stop trying to succeed when they become content with what they have. For example Biff’s current dream is to go to Texas and own a ranch. This would essentially keep him content with life if all goes well, but Willy urges him not to go and become a salesman and become more successful than he wishes to become. Another example would be that Happy is currently content with life, he has fulfilled all his dreams, owning a car, an apartment and being employed. Willy just says that earning seventy dollars a week isn’t something to stop at. All in all, learning how not to stop trying is a good trait to have and it is a worthwhile lesson that should be taught.

2.

                Willy’s inconsistency could be either of two reasons. Willy has been confused about who he is, and what he wants to be. He is having trouble realizing that the he is not the man he wished to become. Or he is confused between him and biff, and he describes biff sometimes as himself and while he describes biff (as himself) he wants to give a good impression of biff (himself) so he tells us biffs (his) positive traits. Linda tends to ignore this, even though seeming to realize what is happening. everything willy says she agrees with, without mentioning this confusion that is going on in Willy’s head.  This is not a good thing because in a way she is allowing willy to continue thinking this way. If she didn’t encourage this, willy could have possibly realized that he is thinking too high of himself as a person and everything he says about himself and his sons are untrue. It will destroy him once he realizes that his life, both his son’s lives and the life he gives to his wife is nowhere near what he thought it was for the past years.