In Arthur Miller’s 1949 play Death of a Salesman, Willy acts as the play’s aging patriarch. He is a beaten man due to his failures in his internal, private life and in his external, working life. In Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun, Walter Jr. is a man who is unable to assert himself into a patriarchal role in his family, because of a domineering mother figure. Again, Walter is only a partial success in the working world. These plays contrast through race, economic status, and the family’s general ability to function. However, a core theme runs between both plays involving the powerlessness of men in the face of the American dream. Ideas within the American dream include positive ideals such as: individual freedom, equal access to resources and the pursuit of shared goals “advantageous to the individual and society” (Zangrando 142). Negative ideals of this ethos include selfishness, the illusion of fame, the domination of others and greed.This contradictory societal ethos argues that a man, as the central income earner and patriarch of a family, can rise above his status through sheer willpower, determination and talent. The American dream is therefore a cultural expectation that men will succeed with their inherent talents. It is at this point that the differences between Willy and Walter emerge. Willy is unable to succeed due to his own inner failings while pursuing negative aspects of the American dream, including fame. Walter finds some success as a father and a son by pursuing positive elements within the American dream, including social responsibility, moral sensitivity and integrity (Benziman, 26), in the second half of the play. Walter is able to see the American dream, for what it is: something contradictory and flawed. Willy simply becomes deluded by it. Therefore, success within the framework of the American dream comes from facing the realities within this system, as shown by Walter and his adherence to the positive qualities within this American societal ethos.
Willy is a salesman in his sixties who is experiencing the ill effects of a lifetime on the road selling consumer goods to big business. Willy focuses on the allure of the American dream which promises fame: “call out the name Willy Loman and see what happens! Big shot!” (Miller 43). Willy has become enamoured by negative aspects of the American dream which can include greed, and selfishness. This side of the American dream only promises emptiness, especially when Willy focuses on further negative values such as fame. This focus on fame can be seen in Willy’s dialogue with his son Biff “because you got a greatness in you, Biff, remember that. You got all kinds a greatness…” (Miller 48). Willy’s failings come about through his own inadequacies. In Galia Benziman’s article, “Success, Law, and the Law of Success: Reevaluating “Death of a Salesman’s” Treatment of the American Dream,” Benziman also sees Willy’s downfall caused by himself. Benziman states of Willy’s failings: “his self-destruction originates, to no lesser degree, in certain mental mechanisms that characterize him…his delusory mode of thinking” (25). Willy has an inability to focus on the positive qualities of the American dream e.g. individual freedom. This poor focus has hampered the fulfillment of his life, with little reward at the end of a long working career.
Willy finds worth in praise, and this is also where he finds his importance, through recognition. So, what he sells is actually unimportant. What is important is seeing that Willy has bought into the negative aspects of the American dream, which promise material wealth and reputation. Willy is experiencing emptiness and low self-worth, primarily because he has not acquired the material wealth promised by the American dream. Where is Willy’s cabin that promises relaxation and “peace of mind” (Miller 52)? The American dream has not provided what Willy yearns for, because Willy’s focus is on the negative parts of himself and on the negative aspects of the American dream. Thus, he must delude himself with false promises, to boost a failing ego. To face the reality that the American dream does not always deliver is simply too difficult for Willy. In the face of a society that requires further and further consumption, Willy is simply caught in the wheels of a burdening economic system, due to his lack of inner awareness.
Also mentioned in Galia Benziman’s article, the American dream requires adherence to a certain set of societal rules that promote consumption: “by this time [1930s] the American economy had become consumption-oriented rather than production-oriented and society was turning more materialistic” (20). If Willy is not able to make the sales required for consumption, his value is lessened. Willy does not focus on societal value, but on his ability to earn, as seen by his many rants regarding sales: “I’m tellin’ you, I was sellin’ thousands and thousands” (Miller 21). Willy is also finding his value in materialism. As well, another negative aspect of the American dream sees the worker as a commodity to be bought and sold in a competitive marketplace. The workplace to Willy is a place of “materialistic and competitive values” (Benziman 26). Once Willy has reached retirement age he is seen as worthless by his employer and also by himself, as seen in Howard, his employer’s speech: “well, I couldn’t think of anything for you, Willy” (Miller 58). A consumerist culture requires production, and Willy can no longer produce, due to his failing mental health. Willy is then disposed of by his employer. It is interesting to note that Willy will not take a job from his neighbour, Charley, because of Willy’s inability to see his own self-worth outside of a failing system of consumerism. Willy is so caught up in the negative side of the American dream that he cannot see the generosity offered by his only friend Charley. Charley is simply another competitor to Willy.
As evidence of Willy’s powerlessness, there are two specific instances within the play where Willy is unable to influence others. As mentioned above, Willy is unable to find an inside sales job when he requests it from his employer, Howard. His thirty plus years equate to very little, when Willy needs something. As well, in his home life, Willy provides a lot of advice and encouragement for Biff to become a successful salesman: “don’t you want to be anything?” (Miller 85). However, his sons do not buy into the negative aspects of the American dream. Instead, they reject his ideals as shown by the character Biff “he had the wrong dreams” (Miller 107). Willy is unable to affect his sons. His lack of ability to assert himself in the working world, by focusing on fame, has left him powerless in a system that has devalued him.
In contrast, another character in A Raisin in the Sun, Walter, is able to empower himself within the family structure by focusing on a different set of positive ideals. In A Raisin in the Sun, Walter plays a struggling African-American caught between an unsupportive wife and a domineering mother. This father of one believes in the American dream and the opportunities therein, but Walter also believes in family unity. Walter is a chauffeur trying to make ends meet. Yet, Walter sees something that Willy does not. Walter understands that the job he has will never lead to material wealth. So he dreams of owning his own liquor store. One of the mottos of the American dream includes: “enterprise, courage and hard work” (Benziman 23). Walter hopes to assert his independence through business ownership. However, more importantly, Walter is there for his family in the face of a crisis, after some soul searching. His family comes into an inheritance, which offers greater opportunities and a mortgage, in a nearby exclusive community. When faced by a prejudiced community liaison, Walter moves ahead with a plan to reside there. One of the positive qualities of the American dream is this concept of equality opportunity across all genders and races. In other words, each member of American society is able to “attain…the fullest stature of which they are innately capable” (Benziman 23). Walter draws strength from focusing on the positive qualities of the American dream, which include “brotherhood and freedom,” by standing up for his family in a difficult time (Benziman 23). These aspects of the American dream empower Walter to stand up against prejudice, with family support. Instead of denying the negative elements of the American dream, Walter confronts them and in doing so reaffirms himself as the masculine patriarch. The positive outcome for Walter, in A Raisin in the Sun, shows how masculine roles are changing in a climate of explicit prejudice.
Walter is rejecting parts of the American dream in his refusal to conform with prejudicial expectations. As noted in Joanna and Robert Zangrando’s article, “Black Protest: A Rejection of the American Dream,” certain aspects of American dream are “insufficient and costly in human terms” (142). As well, Zangrando’s article also notes certain positive qualities of the American dream, which include “personal liberty, acquisitiveness, and community” (142). Two of three of these qualities empower the individual, namely personal liberty and community, while the third, acquisitiveness, is positive in certain situations e.g. sharing of resources. Walter shows his own personal liberty by adhering to his own personal dream, despite doubt from others: “this liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand — I got me a dream” (Hansberry 114). As well, Walter puts his family first in opposition to the committee’s desire that they sell their house to the committee. Walter thus asserts certain positive qualities of the American dream, in the sphere of masculinity e.g. leadership, that not only empower himself but others in his family.
There are two specific examples of Walter’s empowerment. The first has been noted above, when Walter faces Lindner, the head of the committee. He outright refuses his proposal which would keep his family in poverty and in a cramped apartment “get out of my house, man [Lindner]” (Hansberry 179). As well, Walter decides to handle this matter as head of the house, in a traditional patriarchal role, after receiving encouragement from this mother. Previous matters have been handled by this mother. Over the course of the play, Walter takes on more and more of a central role in the family.
Yet, there are instances earlier within the play when Walter is dominated by his mother, or alienated by the American dream. For instance, his mother buys a house without discussing the purchase with him and the family. As well, Ruth, his wife, is determined to have an abortion, despite Walter’s rejection of the idea. The negative aspects of the American dream in regards to acquisition and material ownership seem to hamper this character’s ability to provide for his family. The expectations of the American dream weigh heavily on Walter and in some instances, he is unable to live up to the ideals of the American dream, which promise unlimited wealth. He does however show a strong connection with his family. Here, he does his best to support others. In the end, Walter moves his family into a stronger financial and community position by adhering to his mother’s decision to occupy a house in a white neighbourhood. These are instances of powerlessness in the face of the American dream, but what of solutions in this constricting economic system?
There are some differences between how Willy and Walter experience the American dream. Centrally, the American dream was “derived from a European heritage” (Zangranado 147). Thus, Walter is excluded from the American dream, as an African-American, while Willy is included because of his race and background. The American dream is set up in such a way as to benefit certain groups of individuals, while not adapting to the increasing melting pot of North American society. Therefore, a solution to dealing with the negative elements of the American dream for the characters in the play and a wider society requires two approaches.
For Walter, in A Raisin in the Sun, and those excluded from the American dream there are the options of assimilation or revolt. These two choices are especially prominent when Walter is dealing with Lindner, “the white man is going to walk in that door able to write checks for more money — and I’m going to help him” (Hansberry 198). Yet, conforming with a system that is exclusionary towards Walter and his family is without benefits, only further ostracization. Conformity also does not allow Walter to provide for his family, which creates further powerlessness for this character. As noted in the previous article on Black Protest, “the struggle must be a revolutionary one” (Hansberry 148). In order to be included in the American model, Walter must fight for inclusion within it. This is, in fact, the strategy Walter uses to bring his family from the outside of the poor black neighbourhoods into the inside of the more middle-class societies. Walter must fight for his inclusion in a society that would rather see Walter conform to a set of exclusitory Anglo-Saxon based ideals.
The solution for Willy, in a Death of a Salesman, in regards to the negative aspects of the American Dream would involve confrontation and revolt. Willy and those in society who solely focus on material wealth, in general, must confront the illusion of the American dream, which promises: “equal access to economic abundance” (Zangranado 142). Individuals from different backgrounds and skill sets will have more or less access to economic resources depending on their talents. Those less talented, such as Willy, require support from the larger majority through social programs. However, these changes will only come about if demanded. As well, the growing discontent regarding the American dream ensures the collapse of this ethos, in favour of something more meaningful and beneficial to the majority of those in this system. Thus, the call for strategies to deal with future economic inequities should be included in future economic plans.
In conclusion, the dramas Death of a Salesman and A Raisin in the Sun challenge the American dream through two very distinct perspectives. The first play looks at how the American dream has failed or disillusioned some, while the second play shows the exclusionary aspects of the American dream. Both of the male characters are unable to deal with the enormous and unattainable expectations of the American dream, in regards to masculinity. Equality is simply a catchphrase. Masculine goals of providing for and leading one’s family in a positive direction, are thwarted by a system that does not provide opportunities for minorities, or those disadvantaged. There is no support in a capitalist system, just more competition. This system also deludes other men with dreams of material wealth, which includes a life unfulfilled. The American dream is much like a crushing weight which reduces Willy and Walter to the point of powerlessness. One character deals with this powerlessness through self-denial, while the other grasps at economic escape. In the end, the American dream must be updated at least to include the new melting pot of modern society, or be thrown out completely through revolt. The ills of the American dream must be voiced to pave the way for a future economic model that truly is equal, rather than illusionary and also exclusionary.
Works Cited
Benziman, Galia. “Success, Law, and the Law of Success: Reevaluating “Death of a Salesman’s”
Treatment of the American Dream.” South Atlantic Review 70.2 (2005): 20-40. Print.
Cerf, Bennet. Four Contemporary American Plays. Random House Inc.: n.p., 1961. 101-206. Print.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Group, 1999. 1-107. Print.
Zangrando, Joanna S., and Robert L. Zangrando. “Black Protest: A Rejection of the American Dream.”
Journal of Black Studies 1.2 Dec. (1970): 141-59. Print.