Picture of American family in Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman puts a light on American family life. It focuses on the dream, hope, failure and frustration of the American family. The play mainly depicts two families- the Loman family and the Charley family. Arthur Miller presents an everyday case of a man destroying himself for learning and for family. For this, the society is liable. Willy Loman is undoubtedly a victim of the romantic

American dream. He believes that a man rises to a high position and can attain wealth by means of personal attractiveness, personal charm, personal initiative and personal contacts.

The Loman family is consisted of four members Wily, Linda and their two sons Biff and Happy. Their family relationship is represented as a happy family with a dream to set up their own business. Willy Loman dreams of being the owner of a company and he thinks that it is only possible by being will-liked. He puts this idea into his son Biff and develops a high ambition with his son Biff. They sit together, cut jokes discuss about their future plan like friends. Father and son are found to talk like friends as they speak about girl friends and of other people of the society. Willy is found to make his son aware of mixing with girls too much. He keeps so high an idea about his son Biff that he thinks Biff can never do any wrong. And for this he does not say anything about the growing theft matter of Biff. Even he compares him with Hercules, the unbeaten hero of the mythical past. Linda is the representation of passivity of woman as wife. She is loving and admirable to her husband and means of support and comfort who also is very lovable to her sons. They discuss freely about sex, marriage and woman. As Happy says to his mother- "I'm gonna gonna get married, Mom. I wanted to tell you."

Like all other families, parents bear a hope with their children. The Loman family bears such kind of hope with their sons. Willy always wants that his sons will have a steady job, lead a private life happily the social life of a popular single man, a car and his own expensive apartment. Willy hopes that Biff will be established as he is an excellent football player, has a good appearance and he is friendly too. The family members talk about their business, routine of life, sex, marriage and woman, Happy indulges himself in sexual affairs with different types of girls and proudly tells it to his brother. He consoles him in his frustration. Biff also talks about his business, failures, shares his desires. They dream of buying a ranch, they will work together there and together they will be happy not caring about the rest of the world.

The play portrays another family Charley and his son Bernard. Both the father and the son are practical minded. They have a plan to go ahead. Bernard is very studious; he does well in his exams and finally becomes an advocate. He has inherited the practical thoughts from his father. The father and the son are also good friends to each other. They respect the opinion of each other.

        Death of a Salesman shows mainly the middle-class American families with their hopes and aspirations. Willy Loman inherited the secret of gaining popularity by his father and he puts this idea to his sons. His sons are also found to conceive this thought. But the fact is that The Loman family stands on false values. Willy encourages the wrong way Biff follows. He allows Biff's stealing habit. On the other hand, Bernard is always busy with study. As a matter of fact, Bernard as a hard working person, who achieves real success in the end. Unlike the Loman family, the Charley family knows where the secret of success lies: honesty, hard work and integrity.

In Death of a Salesman, Linda appears as a lady who has suffered much. Yet, the existence of the Loman family depends on her. Linda does her household works. She is a perfect company for her mentally unsettled husband. Again, she also works as a bridge between the father and the sons. The play portrays a society, where women of the earlier generation are mostly housewives. In the Loman family Linda’s role is found as performing a good, patient supporting wife, careful mother and a generous woman.

To conclude, it is to be agreed upon that Miller has poignantly exposed the inherent weakness of the individualistic society of the rich America which can't save a soul from destruction. To a great extent the tragic end of this middle class American Willy Loman by name, is due to the so-called American dream.