Post by Liz McCarthy on Mar 25, 2008 12:33:26 GMT -5
We call a play or an artwork “dated” when its relevance becomes lost in time. For instance the Broadway musical Hair was cutting edge and revolutionary in the sixties, but now that the sentiments are gone, the play has become almost obsolete. Conversely, a play that has shown no sign of lacking popularity is Hamlet, which still darts its rays into the hearts of modern people. Similarly, Death of a Salesman continues to be relevant. Even though it appears to be set in the middle of the twentieth century, it raises issues that continue to engage the thoughts of modern Americans today. It has always been fashionable to say that Death of a Salesman is primarily a criticism of capitalism and the American Dream, but there are issues in the play that are larger than economies and national pride. Willy’s delusions and illusions are to some extent connected to his beliefs about the success that money brings; however they are notions that any deluded person might entertain regardless of the economy that he lives in.
It is ironic that in a play most people consider to be a condemnation of capitalism, the main character suffers from a refusal to abide by the rules of the capitalist game. For Willy, it is not money that talks but personal relationships that he values. Willy lives in a world of promises made, loyalty to old friends, the value of smiles and etiquette, handshaking, and popularity. He tells his sons the importance of being “well-liked ” and thinks that his son Biff is destined to be successful simply because crowds of girls follow him to classes. In act one of the play he tells his sons that “the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want” (Miller 33). Willy’s illusory life is symbolized in part by gases: his wife Linda discovers a pipe in the basement that Willy has been breathing poisonous gas through, and the morning that her two sons go into Manhattan to apply for jobs, she marvels at another gas: “I can’t get over the shaving lotion in this house!” ( 71). Linda seems as moved by the illusive nature of an odor as she is by her sons’ actual work. While we recognize the innocence of such statements and the beauty of such a value system, we find it impossible to accept it entirely. The practical nature of economy makes Willy’s a flawed system. The audience is drawn to Willy and repulsed by him at the same time. It is similar to how we are momentarily charmed by a child’s belief in super heroes but find ourselves incapable of adopting the belief for ourselves.
The ultimate question to ask of this play is would it last in a country that had exchanged capitalism for another economy? The answer is yes, if we are willing to see in Willy the illusions that all people fall victim to at one time or another. Miller is giving us a glimpse of a capitalistic world but Willy’s ideas about the good will of people would be likely to fail no matter when he lived or no matter what system he lived under. In the final analysis, Death of a Salesman will always be relevant as long as man continues to live a life of fantasy and delusion.
It is ironic that in a play most people consider to be a condemnation of capitalism, the main character suffers from a refusal to abide by the rules of the capitalist game. For Willy, it is not money that talks but personal relationships that he values. Willy lives in a world of promises made, loyalty to old friends, the value of smiles and etiquette, handshaking, and popularity. He tells his sons the importance of being “well-liked ” and thinks that his son Biff is destined to be successful simply because crowds of girls follow him to classes. In act one of the play he tells his sons that “the man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want” (Miller 33). Willy’s illusory life is symbolized in part by gases: his wife Linda discovers a pipe in the basement that Willy has been breathing poisonous gas through, and the morning that her two sons go into Manhattan to apply for jobs, she marvels at another gas: “I can’t get over the shaving lotion in this house!” ( 71). Linda seems as moved by the illusive nature of an odor as she is by her sons’ actual work. While we recognize the innocence of such statements and the beauty of such a value system, we find it impossible to accept it entirely. The practical nature of economy makes Willy’s a flawed system. The audience is drawn to Willy and repulsed by him at the same time. It is similar to how we are momentarily charmed by a child’s belief in super heroes but find ourselves incapable of adopting the belief for ourselves.
The ultimate question to ask of this play is would it last in a country that had exchanged capitalism for another economy? The answer is yes, if we are willing to see in Willy the illusions that all people fall victim to at one time or another. Miller is giving us a glimpse of a capitalistic world but Willy’s ideas about the good will of people would be likely to fail no matter when he lived or no matter what system he lived under. In the final analysis, Death of a Salesman will always be relevant as long as man continues to live a life of fantasy and delusion.
