Death of a Salesman- Political Criticism

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is ostensibly entirely at odds with its political setting; in 1949, when the play was published, the economy was booming, technology was becoming available at a rapid rate, and jobs for men were plentiful. However, this contrast between the expected impacts of the seemingly positive political situation and the reality of the Lomans' situation emphasizes Miller's point that the superficial American dream, exacerbated by the political circumstances in 1949, can never be fulfilled nor be fulfilling.

The booming economy in 1949 is a large contributing factor in Willy's problems; he believes that any work that he does can pay for whatever will make him appear as if he has obtained the American dream. The capitalist economy is a constant cycle of working and paying, which holds Willy captive to work even if he should not be working any longer. At the start of the play, Willy complains about this, moaning, "Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there's nobody to live in it" (Miller 6). Subconsciously, Willy recognizes that the American dream is unfulfilling, but he is deceived into believing that if he has a little bit more, it will finally make him happy. This leads to unstable finances, as Linda lists off expenses: "Well, there's nine-sixty for the washing machine. And for the vacuum cleaner there's three and a half due on the fifteenth. Then the roof, you got twenty-one dollars remaining" (22). The Lomans are living day by day on Willy's varying salary, and after he loses his job, he has no way to pay for everything. The only thing he can think of is to get life insurance money. He cannot live without having fulfilled this dream that he has held onto for so long; he believes he must die to make his life worth it, and that committing suicide is the brave thing to do. When Ben, who represents his subconscious argument, tells him that to kill himself is cowardly, Willy replied, "Why? Does it take more guts to stand here the rest of my life ringing up a zero?" (92). Because of the prosperity of the economy and the social conditions that it creates, Willy believes that to be worth anything he must earn a similar prosperity, even at the cost of his own life. He is deluded to believe that the American dream is worth everything, and to die is better than to not fulfill it. Because the prosperous economy does not benefit Willy, he is driven to despair and suicide. His family never gets the insurance money.

The political circumstances in the time surrounding Death of a Salesman are positive, but when Willy does not benefit from them, the discrepancy is stark and makes for a dramatic tale. Willy's unrelenting ties to the American dream, which stems from the materialist capitalism consuming America during the period, eventually drive him to his self-inflicted demise.