A Propagandized Society Influenced by Industrial Capitalism Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman” has the reputation of the Great American Play of the 20th century. Miller goes into depth about a family so concerned with achieving the American Dream that it leads to their downfall. The American Dream is the idea that any American regardless of their socioeconomic status is given the equal opportunity to rise in social status and achieve wealth. This dream helped in raising morale until the economic downfall during the early 1900’s. Using the correlation between this dream and the influence of the Great depression Miller’s play effectively describes the effects capitalism has had on the economic factors, and lifestyles of American’s controlled by a propagandized society for greed and money. Miller has a strong influence based opinion on socialism and how the Great Depression had a drastic effect on the lifestyle of many American’s.
The play clearly demonstrates the use of strong visual imagery while describing the house and setting of the play. The strong details of the household helps to explain the strong urbanization levels becoming a competing factor in society. In the opening lines you get a strong sense of what the family feels in regard to their home that was once a dream come true. In Miller’s play he opens with
“Before us is the Salesman’s house. We are aware of towering, angular shapes
behind it, surrounding it on all sides. Only the blue light of the sky falls upon the
house and forestage; the surrounding area shows an angry glow of orange. As more
light appears, we see a solid vault of apartment houses around the small, fragile-
seeming home. An air of the dream clings to the place, a dream rising out of reality.”(Miller pp 1498).
Using visual imagery this opening setting reveals the strong correlation between the “American Dream” and the competition that arrives with it. The purchase of a family home that slowly changes as you make payments towards your mortgage. With every year that goes by the land begins to change and eventually your small lonely house is surrounded by condos and apartments. Urbanization brings more people, with more people comes less job opportunities, making the poverty level’s rise and the distance further for finding a stable job. The opening setting delivers a strong correlation to the overall thematic meaning of Miller’s play.
As history has shown, economic change, downfall or rise can have serious effects on the mental health and well being of people within that society. America was in the middle of what was known as the roaring twenties, as if society was stuck in a never ending party. With more money to spend, and more to spend it on. The party came to a halt with the Stock market crash of 1929 which began the hardship, and job loss, and what eventually became known as the Great Depression. Through hardship and tough times morality dropped making it harder for working men to provide for their families. “Today, we talk about 8 percent unemployment being unacceptably high, but the early 1930's saw 25 percent unemployment. One quarter of the American work force was unemployed” (Lüsted pp 3). The Great Depression was greatly influenced by the shift towards industrial capitalism. Industrial capitalism was known for private owned companies where the distribution, exchange and production are all controlled by a team of board members or one owner of the company with little to no outside influence. As compared to socialism which was a theory that the exchange, production and distribution should be controlled by the community and within state laws in the stride towards bringing jobs to the community rather than shipping them elsewhere.
Through Miller's use of characters he is able to capture this economic hardship with Willy and Howard, in Death of a Salesman. He uses these characters to help portray the loss of jobs during this time period. Which then led to the rise of unemployment levels and caused tremendous hardship throughout the U.S.. Miller uses effective language between Willy and Howard when Willy loses his job. Miller portrays the strong relevance between the life of a salesman becoming less personal and portraying more of a distant relationship based on greed and money in order to sell a product. Rather than focusing on getting to know the buyers and being able to sell directly to the people. The conversation between Willy and Howard begin with:
Willy: Pst! Pst!
Howard: Hello, Willy, come in.
Willy: Like to have a little talk with you, Howard.
Howard: Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ll be with you in a minute.
Willy: What’s that, Howard?
Howard: Didn’t you ever see one of these? Wire recorder.
Willy: Oh. Can we talk a minute?
Howard: Records things. Just got the delivery yesterday. Been driving me crazy, the
most terrific machine I ever saw in my life. I was up all night with it.
Willy: What do you do with it?
Howard: I bought it for dictation, but you can do anything with it. Listen to this. I
had it home last night. Listen to what I picked up. The first one is my daughter.
Get this (He flicks the switch and “Roll Out the Barrel” is heard being whistled.)
Listen to that kid whistle.
Willy: That is lifelike, isn’t it?
Howard: Seven years old. Get that tone.
Willy: Ts, ts. Like to ask a little favor if you…(Miller pp 1529)
From the beginning of the conversation between Willy and Howard, Howard was uninterested in what Willy had to say and greatly distracted. This angered Willy as he continued to try and talk to him. Miller uses his character Willy to help strengthen the overall thematic meaning. As the conversation between Willy and Howard continues, things take a turn for the worse. Willy gets agitated as he begins bringing up promises made by Howard's father when he had given thirty years of his own life to the company. Howard allows Willy time to calm down sensing his agitation by his movements and behaviors. Willy takes a moment talking to himself coming to reality that he just yelled at his boss. Howard comes back into the room and Willy offers to get coffee, Howard stops to talk to Willy taking a turn for the worse.
Howard: ( rolling up the cord): Willy, look . . .
Willy: I’ll go to Boston.
Howard: Willy, you can’t go to Boston for us.
Willy: Why can’t I go?
Howard: I don’t want you to represent us. I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long
time now.
Willy: Howard, are you firing me?
Howard: I think you need a good long rest, Willy.
Willy: Howard --
Howard: And when you feel better, come back, and we’ll see if we can work something out.
Willy: But I gotta earn money, Howard. I’m in no position to --
Howard: Where are your sons? Why don’t your sons give you a hand?
Willy: They’re working on a very big deal.
Howard: This is no time for false pride, Willy. You go to your sons and you tell them that you’re tired. You’ve got two great boys, haven’t you?
Willy: Oh, no question, but in the meantime . . .
Howard: Then that’s that, heh? (Miller pp 1532-1533).
Interestingly enough this can be symbolic in the theory’s over socialism versus industrial capitalism. The way Howard is completely uninterested in what Willy had to say from the beginning. Howard had one goal to see through and that was to fire the people who don’t bring in revenue for the company, in this case Willy. Miller uses great visual imagery to get the senses of the audience going. To feel the frustration Willy feels throughout the conversation. This conversation is a key role in the play as a whole. The thematic meaning is visualized in this scene of Miller's play. This scene also has a large correlation with the effects of losing a job can have on the Morality of a person.
“While there may be longer-term impacts, in terms of communicable disease and chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, the most immediate impacts of economic shocks are on psychological well being, including potentially increased risks of suicidal behavior and interpersonal violence. Both recessions and booms can widen social and income inequalities in societies”(Mcdaid). This quote can be considered when Willy’s wife Linda explains to her sons the rubber tubing she found by the furnace when explaining that she was worried about her husband's health and well being.
Linda: He’s dying, Biff.
Happy turns quickly to her, shocked.
Biff: (after a pause): Why is he dying?
Linda: He’s been trying to kill himself.
Biff: (With great horror): How?
Linda: I live from day to day.
Biff: What’re you talking about?
Linda: Remember I wrote you that he smashed up the car again? In February?
Biff: Well?
Linda: The insurance inspector came. He said that they have evidence. That all
these accidents in the last year -- weren’t -- weren’t -- accidents.
Happy: How can they tell that? That’s a lie.
Linda: It seems there’s a women . . . (she takes a breath as):
Biff: (sharply but contained): What women?
Linda: (simultaneously) . . . and this women . . .
Linda: What?
Biff: Nothing. Go ahead.
Linda: What did you say?
Biff: Nothing. I just said that women?
Happy: What about her?
Linda: Well, it seems she was walking down the road and saw his car. She says that
he wasn’t driving fast at all, and that he didn’t skid. She says he came to that
little bridge, and then deliberately smashed into the railing, and that it was only
the shallowness of the water that saved him.
Biff: Oh, no, he probably just fell asleep again.
Linda: I don’t think he fell asleep.
Biff: Why not?
Linda: Last month . . . (With great difficulty.) Oh, boys, it’s so hard to say a thing
like this! He’s just a big stupid man to you, but I tell you there’s more good in
him than in many other people. (She chokes, wipes her eyes.) I was looking for
a fuse. The lights blew out, and I went down the cellar. And behind the fuse
box -- it happened to fall out -- was a length of rubber pipe -- just short.
Happy: No kidding?
Linda There’s a little attachment on the end of it. I knew right away. And sure
enough, on the bottom of the water heater there’s a new little nipple on the gas pipe(Miller pp 1521-1522).
This scene from Miller’s play shows signs that Linda was aware that Willy’s mental health was at risk but did nothing in order to help him. She kept this secret hidden like a burden instead of reaching out for help in order to potentially save Willy’s life. Instead she ignored it and was too ashamed to take away the tubing she had found and to have the furnace fixed. During this time period mental health was linked to being “crazy” and led to many institutionalization's. This led to crazy unethical trials in trying to remove this “craziness”. Later on in the play once Willy and his son Biff begin to argue Biff brings up this rubber tubing saying that no one will be killing themselves any time soon. Not realizing the progression of mental illness his father had. Willy wasn't making enough money to pay his bills, he was depressed and disappointed in his sons and in the choices he made. Job security has strong ties with one's Morality. Like stated earlier, an economic change whether it be horrendous or versatile can have major effects on the mental health and morality of individuals affected by the change.“The Great Depression following the Wall Street Crash, as with a number of subsequent economic downturns, was associated with a mixed bag of positive and negative impacts on mortality. The rate of suicide increased in those directly affected by bankruptcy and the collapse of savings banks, while road-traffic accidents decreased thanks to the decline in car use over this period”(Mcdaid). Ironically Willy ended up crashing his car and killing himself. This correlation between job security and one's mental health has been increasingly common throughout the years, even in today’s society.
Although the amount of influence affected by the economic change varies. In this case Willy suffered from depression partly due to the influence of industrial capitalism upon his place of business. This drop in morality for his job affected his ability to sell and make profit. This led to further financial complications which ultimately made Willy’s depression worse. “Unmanageable debt is also increasingly recognized as a major concern. The number of highly indebted households, repossessions of houses, and evictions may well increase as a result of the economic crisis. There is much evidence that debts, financial difficulties, and housing payment problems lead to mental health problems”(Mcdaid). This fact helps support the theory that Willy suffered from mental health problems. His wife Linda was aware of the problem but never reached out for help or went directly to Willy for answers. This lack of response and help ended up being death by suicide for Willy.
Miller’s play truly deserves the title of the Greatest American play. He uses rich language strengthened by the use of visual imagery and great symbolism to explain “The end of man is not security, but without security we are without the elementary condition of humaneness”(Miller pp 1564). The American people are guided by the misconception of money, the thought that all of their troubles and worries will go away if they have wealth. What they don’t realize is the correlation between job satisfaction, morality and one's mental health. A person can work a job they don’t enjoy and it can drain them of their morality. A person being unhappy with their job can lead to further unhappiness in their life and create a bigger problem overall. It can lead to mental health problems and even suicide.
Works cited
Lüsted, Marcia Amidon, and Tom Casteel. The Great Depression : Experience the 1930s From the
Dust Bowl to the New Deal. Nomad Press, 2016. EBSCOhost,
McDaid, David, and Kristian Wahlbeck. "Promoting and Protecting Mental Wellbeing during
Times of Economic Change." Wellbeing: A Complete Reference Guide, edited by Cary L. Cooper, Wiley, 1st edition, 2014. Credo Reference, https://trcc.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/wileyw/promoting_and_protecting_mental_wellbeing_during_times_of_economic_change/0?institutionId=4139. Accessed 05 Aug. 2020.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Eleventh ed.,
Bedford/St. Martins, 2016.
Miller, Arthur. “Death of a Salesman.” The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking,
Writing, edited by Michael Meyer, Bedford/St. Martins, 2016, pp. 1497-1559.
About the Creator
Keep reading
More stories from Mary ODonnell and writers in Geeks and other communities.
Extrinsic Motivation Aids Students in the Learning Process
“Beep, beep, beep,” I reach over to swipe on my phone and shut off my fifth alarm of the morning. “Ok time to get up,” I tell myself. I wake up after a long night's rest; eyes low like the flowers before the sunlight wakes them. As they adjust to the light, I sluggishly make my way out of bed, like how a dog stretches its legs to go outside after laying on the floor all night. For those that no me I am not a morning person. I need at least thirty minutes to wake up without people bothering me or talking to me or I tend to be irritable. Before I knew it, it was time to head out for my first day of college. I grab a protein bar from the cabinet and start to eat it as a grab my backpack and head outside. I get in my jeep and put Pandora on my radio, changing the station I had on the night before to the I prevail station I have saved on my phone. I put my sunglasses on, and blast my music as I light a cigarette and pull out of my driveway. It's a beautiful summer day, not a cloud in the sky. There was a slight breeze causing the trees to sway back and forth, as if they were dancing under the moonlight. I had my windows down to soak in the rays of sunshine and breath in the fresh air as I drove; until I reached the 7eleven gas station. I pulled up to the curb just outside the front of the store. I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to park their, but everyone always does. I went inside to grab a monster energy drink. I paid for my purchase, got back into my jeep, took a deep breath resumed my music and drove until I arrived at three rivers community college. I arrived at school twenty-five minutes early for class. I took a sip from my monster before grabbing my backpack and walking into school. The can had water droplets running down the sides from the temperature change making my hand wet and cold, like when you pick up wet snow in your bare hands to throw a snowball. I wiped my hand on my pants to dry it from the condensation. I opened the door of the jeep, sprayed myself with axe body spray to mask the scent of cigarettes and stepped out onto the hot pavement. The landscapers were in the process of mowing when I arrived at school. The minute I got out of my car the air smelled crisp and earthy, like it had rained the night before, after the first few breaths of fresh air I started to sneeze from the pollen. I made my way through the parking lot locking my vehicle as I shut the door. It was summer so there aren't too many vehicles in the parking lot. Thankfully I was able to get a spot out front.
By Mary ODonnell3 years ago in Education
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
‘The Pearl’ is a well-known by under-read classic and, as a teacher, many of my students have absolutely loved it. Not just because it is short, but because it presents a storyline that is interesting and corrupting. Easy to read and easier to analyse, ‘The Pearl’ is one of Steinbeck’s hardest hitting classics with an underlying message about protecting what is actually important. By the end of the book, the reader is left defeated and believing in the wrong thing. The idealism around this book is incredible and it is so dark too. For a long while you are supporting the wrong people, thinking in the wrong way and the whole story becomes one long act of misdirection by Steinbeck to show in a ‘Monkey’s Paw’ fashion why we should never chase wealth and status.
By Annie Kapur20 days ago in Geeks
Rachel Reviews: Saltburn (2023)
I have had a curious afternoon. My ironing pile is huge and needed confronting. In order to diminish it effectively, I need distraction. I cannot stand and just iron. I need amusement in the form of something visual like a film or bingeable naffness like Married at First Sight.
By Rachel Deeming3 days ago in Geeks
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.