Death of a Salesman and Myths of American Capitalism

Several years ago, I created a list of ten books sitting unread on my shelves, plus four I was in the middle of reading, that I would make a special effort to read. I don’t restrict my reading to the list, sometimes I remove a book from it and replace it with another waiting to be read, and whenever I finish one, I try to say a few words about it in a blog--as I will now for Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.

Death of a Salesman is about aging salesman Willy Loman, who for most of his life has run himself into the ground for his company, only to see it take away his salary, reducing him to commissions, just when he is coming up on his final house payment. When his son Biff returns home after years drifting out West and tries to get a job in town, the family is forced to confront its history of failure.

This book was one of the most depressing I have ever read. Not only is Willy Loman unable to get ahead in life, but neither of his sons is able to either, even as others around them move on to success. The Lomans are no doubt victims of changing times and an economic system that leaves some behind, but they share the blame themselves. Willy refuses to swallow his pride and take a job from his neighbor Charley, his oldest son Biff steals himself out of jobs, and his youngest son Happy is only interested in womanizing. The title of the play tells you how the novel ends--and Willy’s funeral isn’t the grand affair he always imagined the death of a salesman’s would be.

The issues that Death of a Salesman addresses are relevant today as the gap between the haves and have nots continues its now decades-long trend of widening. The working class takes two jobs, cuts corners, and gives up its dreams only to find its financial situation more precarious with each passing year. They are experiencing the American dream in reverse, while others, inexplicably, move forward but never out of sight.

As I read Act Two, I made a note in the bottom margin about the myths of American capitalism. There are many, but inspired by Miller’s drama, I had three in mind. One is really a collection of myths: stories of amazing, almost miraculous, success. Another myth is that one’s own amazing success is just around the corner. The third is that in America, anyone who works hard will be successful. These myths are all around us today. They keep the have nots silent and are used by the haves to that end. But in a country where over 40% of the population is living in or near poverty, the myths have begun to fray. Witness the 1% and its newfound voice in opposition to the 99%.

I have also read The Crucible and watched The Misfits, and both were as powerful as Death of a Salesman, so I will definitely be reading more of Arthur Miller’s work in the future.