DEATH OF A SALESMAN: STORY OF A MAN WHO LACKED THE SENSE OF REALITY

Aparna.R Research Scholar, P.G. Dept. of English, Govt. Brennen College, Thalassery, Kannur (Dt.), Kerala(India) ABSTRACT Arthur Miller presents the dreadful social condition formed in America as a result of the growth of Globalization, urbanization, commercialization, materialism, and consumerism; where human values are being devastated and material success alone is prioritized. People run for monetary achievements in any possible way and dreams of maximum enjoyment of life acquiring more and more facilities, without concerning righteousness. Still, they tightly hold false pride. The so called ‘American dream’ leads them to nothingness. They tend to live in an illusionary world of unreal images and expectations. The play focuses on this theme through the representative role of a character named Willy Loman. Willy was always in a fight to push aside truth and this ultimately caused his downfall. The play also highlights how this affects family life and how the norms of consumerist material culture make women insignificant objects in the mainstream society. The burden of ‘success’ is imposed on the young generation in a violent manner; which even lead to eccentric behavioral pattern, unable to bear the pressure. The story of Willy Loman repeats through next generations as a higher risk to the whole society.

Keywords: Phantasmagoria, Reality, Consumerism, Globalization, Materialism, American Dream.

I. INTRODUCTION Various studies have taken place on formalistic, linguistic, cultural, social and psychological aspects in relation to Death of a Salesman. Different theses and books like Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman edited by Harold Bloom and Brenda Murphy‟s Miller: Death of a Salesman are noteworthy in their analysis of linguistic and structural patterns, class and gender issues, human relationships, socio-economic structures, and questions on identity as represented in the play. But, it seems indispensable to explore the treatment of the way in which materialism, consumerism, and globalization uproot human life and relationships. This has become a universal problem and the complexity is increasing fast. Social and moral values are being denounced and justice and righteousness are losing their meaning. This paper intends to study these aspects and thus is socially and culturally significant.

II. CONTENT Death of a Salesman like most of Arthur Miller‟s plays is dealing with the complex nature of modern social life, focusing on the realities and follies in the lives of ordinary people in America. This work presents the fall of

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Willy Loman, who failed to live in a world of reality. The name of the character is suggestive of his representative role of every common man. In the introduction to the collected plays, Miller says that he had been displaying the truth in the way he perceived it. Growth of materialism, consumerism, and commercialism fastened by rapid urbanization and globalization shuffles the balance of life and mind of people of not only developed countries like America but also of developing countries including India. In other words, it has become a universal problem. It is being depicted in literary works in different countries like “The Never- Never Nest” and “Mayamayan”. Cedric Mount highlights the dreadful way in which consumerist techniques produce slaves and weave web around people from which they have no escape. Globalization produces the concepts of global village and global market where any product made in any corner of the world is available at one‟s finger tip. The couple in the drama is running behind all facilities and happiness of life which they can „easily‟ achieve through installments. If the installment amount goes higher than their income, the solution is the „easy‟ availability of bank loans. They are proud and grateful towards the social condition and „service minded‟ attitude of institutions, without the realisation of the upcoming danger. In fact they were not even able to own their child „completely‟ as the payment of hospital bill through installment was not yet over. In “Mayamayan”, N. Prabhakaran portrays a man who behaves eccentrically unable to endure with the pressure of the urban commercial consumerist and materialist culture. As the author says, he was trying to experience and enjoy various possibilities of life (41), in that way, keeping himself away from reality. He orders and books many things like an apartment, plan for constructing a house, car, sarees, books, dinner set, bakery items and so on; does many things madly like telephoning to a share marketing institution and talks though they did not attend the call, getting into a moving bus leading to some quarrels and going to airport to watch plains and to seashore calling out to sea; dreams of foreign tours, holiday resorts, gigantic business, and high class facilities at home. He trembles when a thought of reality comes to his mind. Death of a Salesman gives a wider description of such life conditions. Willy Loman is seen living in a dream world from the beginning of the play itself. Even while driving he dreams. He is unable to sleep due to the abundance of dreams. Imagination and reminiscence rule over him. The man talks alone. Similarly, he converses with people in their absence. Ben is said to be Willy‟s elder brother who died. But this character functions as a duel consciousness of Willy. His dream like appearance in the play reflects the thought processes of Willy Loman or „the inside of his head‟ (Miller at first intended to give this title to the play) - his ideas, desires, decisions, attitudes, opinions, obstinacies, confusions, anxieties, disappointments etc. Willy also uses his perception of Ben as a way to get justifications to his actions. There are many things for him to worry about. Mainly, as he expresses, it is his son Biff„s unsettled life. He keeps his anxiety regarding his own profession unexpressed and which comes outward in other forms. Other than these many other momentary thoughts like over population, loss of nature‟s balance due to increase in buildings and vehicles, his lack of physical attractiveness which adversely affect his career and so and so disturb him. He has different worries at different times. As his wife tells him, he makes “mountains out of molehills” (9). At one moment he decides to commit suicide and at another moment he seems happy and hopeful. Most of the times, he himself does not know whatever he does and whatever his actions mean.

Willy had been working as a salesman in the business company of Howard. Even before Howard was born, under the ownership of his father, Willy had begun to work there. The company made use of his service by the 109 | P a g e

maximum and as he became old, incapable bringing profit as before, dismissed him mercilessly. In other words, when Howard understood that he can no more “take blood from a stone”, „he threw the peel away after eating the orange‟ (58). This shows the inhuman face of materialism. It was impossible for Willy to accept this reality. He kept on lying about his profession to his sons. He loved to hold on and live in the past. He projected a magnified and exaggerated image of his services to the company. He repeated his vital position in the society and among his circle, which in fact was an attempt to convince himself. Actually, even his funeral function was attended by only Charley and Bernard other than his family members.

Willy‟s perception of reality was deformed. As Gerald Berkowitz say, it is the “…reality as experienced, remembered or imagined by a man for whom reality is too frightening to face directly” (79). He embraced artificial standards of reality. His delusions and phantasmagoric state did not allow him to perceive, listen to or to internalize an account of failure. Austin E Quigley points out: “Faced with the lowest point in his life and career, Willy acknowledges the strategies of deception and self deception required to keep his mammoth aspirations alive for himself and his family, in spite of his limitations and theirs…” (131). Success for Willy was just material success. He gave more importance to it than several other values of life. He measured success in monetary terms and which was beyond his reach. It is the dangerous side of the so called American dream. He could not realize the value of his loving and devoted wife, a supportive friend Charley, and two sons, especially the elder one. He wishes and imagines not only his own success, but also of his sons. Biff‟s incapability in monetary achievements makes him extremely dissatisfied. Willy Loman admires several people who are „successful‟ in their lives like Ben, Bill Oliver, Red Grange, Dave Singleman, and so on. As a model to Willy, “there was a man started with the clothes on his back and ended up with diamond mines” (27). Unaffected by age like Singleman, he wants to „walk into jungle and come back rich‟ like Ben. Ben, who makes his illusionary appearance as the mind of Willy, advises never to fight fair in order to get out of the jungle (34). Materialistic world aims at benefits disregarding right and wrong. His father himself develops the habit of stealing in Biff. During schooldays itself Willy did not discourage it; in addition, he used to enjoy such mischief. As he grew, Biff understood that it is a shameful and useless behavior, but could not control himself. An incident of stealing a basket ball led to his resignation from the job under Bill Oliver. Later, Biff snatched his fountain pen at the desperate moment when Bill mercilessly rejected and insulted him: I ran down eleven flights with a pen in my hand today….I stopped in the middle of that building and I saw — the sky. I saw the things that I love in this world. The work and the food and time to sit and smoke. And I looked at the pen and said to myself, what the hell am I grabbing this for? Why am I trying to become what I don‟t want to be? What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am! (98) He behaves same as the central character in “Mayamayan” unable to bear the pressure of the harsh realities on one side and the burden of over expectations on the other side. The material world pushes people into such moments of extreme disappointment, anxiety, tension and fear. It results in a feeling that he or she is nothing in this world. Biff once tells his father falling at his feet that he will try hard to bring good. But his father makes him dishearten by repeating that he is good for nothing. Later, he decides to leave the house at the disappointment that he can never be as smart as his father desires.

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Artificial ways of human behavior is said to be essential for one‟s success. Both his father and brother blame Biff for doing the opposite. He was not expected to whistle in an escalator while working and use „childish‟ words. Willy advises Biff not to pick up anything which fell down when in the office of Bill Oliver as there are office boys to do such things. In the same way, the man considers the job of a carpenter or of a cowboy as inferior. Willy longed to live luxuriously though the income diminished. When he was not yet able to complete the payment of the house they were living, Willy dreams of starting chicken farm, raising vegetables, constructing new guest houses, buying new things like refrigerator, car and so and so. The mention of Willy‟s preference of Swiss cheese and rejection of American cheese in the play is indicative of the Willy Loman‟s condition of slavery of the fantasy world created by the consumer culture. Materialist culture highlights the accumulation of wealth and maximum enjoyment of life. This also leads to moral laxity and shattering of family values and disintegration and disruption in relationships. Death of a Salesman mentions social vices like prostitution in an increase level. One of the main aim of acquiring more income as repeated in conversations is that getting more women in life or in other words the possibility of adultery; where women are becoming just objects of sex. Women like Linda, Willy‟s wife, who are devoting their life for the wellbeing of the family but are not earning money, are insignificant as well as suppressed both in the family and society. For Willy, adultery was in a way an escape from the reality around. It was the realisation that his father was fake that blighted Biff‟s life (unethical practices in academic field also had a minor role in it). Till then he was good at both his studies and as a sportsperson. Willy‟s reply to Biff was as if those are quiet normal in life. The man was reluctant to accept his mistakes and flaws and blamed others. In case of Willy, optimism acted negative as it was transient and based on unreachable hopes for unattainable things. Ramachandran Nair calls his optimism “incurable” (361). His defective optimism expected his and his sons‟ success and along with it the defeat of Charley and his son Bernard. His envy towards both of them made him ungrateful towards them though he knew well that Charley is his “only friend” (71). Charley, even if he understood Willy‟s attitude towards him and was insulted several times, supported the man and his family. Willy shamelessly borrowed money from Charley and received his generosity but his false pride prevented him from accepting his offer of a job. The story never ends as Happy grows as a repetition of Willy, though not in a complete sense. Through this character Arthur Miller shows the horrible facet of materialism and consumerism passing its norms through generation. He too dreams of higher salaries better facilities, „company of women‟ and all. He is waiting for the death of his „friend‟, to get higher post like Willy who hates Charley. Happy too goes on with smooth life through lies. He advises Biff to do the same. He too gives a false image of his professional success concealing that he was the assistant of the assistant of a buyer. He is eager to present false and successful image of himself and his family members in front of others, similarly as his father tried to convince himself as well as others that his sons and he himself are very efficient and successful in various fields and capable of more achievements in future too. He tells Stanley to treat his brother in the proper way as he is a great dairyman and also hides that Willy is his father. After the death of Willly, Happy is angry at the remarks on Willy‟s mistakes. The victory of Charles and Bernard was their sense of reality. They also respected human values and relationships. Biff and Linda too gave importance to such values. They also longed for high financial standard but were not at extremes and they lived in an actual world. Willy was very late in realising his son‟s love and

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was incapable of completely understanding the value of his wife‟s love, support and devotion. Both Biff and Charley had felt that Willy Loman was going retrogressive, averse to concur with verity. Charley once directly asks him: “…when are you going to grow up?” (64). In the final part Biff reveals many truths regarding himself and Happy and also about his father. He poses several questions as a desperate attempt to bring back him to the world of reality. He talks of Willy‟s desire to become a hero and to get sympathy out of suicide. He tells him that he was “never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash…” (98). After the death of Willy, a conversation takes place between Charley and Biff regarding this. Biff opines that Willy was a man with wrong dreams and he could not know who he himself was. Miller employs a narrative technique which is apt to the thematic concern as well as to the presentation of the character of Willy Loman. The non-linear narrative sometimes moves through the memories. Purposefully the place and time of action is subjected to sudden changes and clear connections are established finally. For example, the truth behind the decaying of Biff‟s life reaches the readers or spectators through several conversations and pieces of narration like Willy‟s memories, conversation between Bernard and Willy as well as Bernard with Linda (who at that time was a school boy and the classmate of Biff) and pieces of direct presentations. Readers go through Willy‟s illusions and concealment of the truth and ultimately understand that it was the shock at the realisation of his father‟s immoral life and insincerity towards his mother that caused the decay of sanguineness in him. Similar is the frequent illusionary appearance of Ben. The word „dream‟ is used fifteen times in the play and its background keeps an „air of dream‟, reflecting the focus.

III. CONCLUSION

Death of a salesman portrays the menace of materialism and consumerism and its bye products at the individual, familial, and ultimately the social level. It is mainly through the character Willy Loman and his family that these themes are represented in the play. As cultural and human values are not inherited along with, in the endeavor to attain „success‟, people are in fact losing even their identity. People outdistanced from the sense of reality reaches the state of phantasmagoria and strange behavioral patterns. These cause depression, psychic disorders, and as a result suicidal tendency too. Social vices increase and women become mere objects. The play is concluded with hope that there are a few who realize the mistakes, but also indicating the upcoming danger that the story does not end as there are imitators among the younger generation who follow the false notions constructed by consumerist and materialist culture. References

[1] Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Official-arthur-miller.tumblr.com. Tumblr, Peter Vidani. n.d. Web. 24 jan. 2017. Introduction. Collected Plays of Arthur Miller. New Delhi: Allied, 1973. Print. [2] Harold Bloom, Ed. Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. New York: Chelsea, 2007. Print. [3] Murphy, Brenda. Miller: Death of a Salesman. Cambridge: Cambridge U P, 2000, Print. [4] Mount, Cedric. “The Never-Never Nest”. mptbc.nic.in. n.p. n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2016. [5] Prabhakaran, N. “Mayamayan”. Thiruvananthapuram: SCERT, 2005. 37-41. Print. [6] Berkowitz, Gerald M. American Drama of the Twentieth Century. New York: Longman, 1992. Print.

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[7] Quigley, Austine E. “Setting the Scene: Death of a Salesman and After the Fall”. Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea, 2007. 129-145. Print. [8] Nair, Ramachandran. “Arthur Miller: Death of a Salesman”. Student’s Handbook of American Literature. Ed. C.D Narasimhaiah. New Delhi: Allied, 1973. 358-66. Print.

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