10.2.2

The Marxist Reading

Test yourself

Miller's Marxist Commentary

Miller intended the play to be a comment on “the bullshit of capitalism” sweeping America at the time.

Illustrative background for Miller's intention  Illustrative background for Miller's intention   ?? "content

Miller's intention

  • Arthur Miller himself admitted that, with Death of a Salesman, he wanted to expose “the bullshit of capitalism” – the idea (which post-war America was being conditioned to believe) that success and self-worth should be valued in material terms such as property, career, household luxuries etc.
Illustrative background for Material goodsIllustrative background for Material goods ?? "content

Material goods

  • His play is filled with the material goods and consumer rewards of the American capitalist system (refrigerators, wire recorders, Chevrolets) where the value of goods is often judged by their brand-names (“Whoever heard of a Hastings refrigerator?”) or by the size of their adverts.
Illustrative background for Life as a commodity Illustrative background for Life as a commodity  ?? "content

Life as a commodity

  • By the end of the play, Willy can only judge his own value in purely financial terms – the $20,000 to be collected from his life insurance policy.
  • With this ‘capital’, he will be able to ‘buy’ security and success for his family.
  • His life has become a commodity, just an object to be bought or sold.

The American Dream

Death of a Salesman offers a powerful critique of the American Dream.

Illustrative background for The American DreamIllustrative background for The American Dream ?? "content

The American Dream

  • Death of a Salesman offers a powerful critique of the American Dream – the ideology which believes that happiness, success and fulfilment can be won by any American citizen willing to work hard for them.
Illustrative background for A shamIllustrative background for A sham ?? "content

A sham

  • Miller exposes this ideology as a sham (fake): the American Dream only offers an illusion that each citizen has control over their own destiny and that success can be guaranteed.
Illustrative background for Winners and losers Illustrative background for Winners and losers  ?? "content

Winners and losers

  • While the capitalist system may work for some (Charley and Bernard achieve success through their hard work), there will always be victims.
  • Willy can be seen to have been exploited by his employers, cast aside when unprofitable despite a lifetime of loyal service.
Illustrative background for Imagery Illustrative background for Imagery  ?? "content

Imagery

  • The imagery Willy himself uses to describe this exploitative relationship (“You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away”) sees Willy reduced to an object which can be consumed and then discarded.
Illustrative background for Illusion of freedom Illustrative background for Illusion of freedom  ?? "content

Illusion of freedom

  • There is a bitter irony contained in the final spoken words of the play – Linda’s repeated refrain, “We’re free”.
  • A central idea in Marxist criticism is that personal freedom is an illusion and that we are ultimately controlled by socio-economic or cultural/historical forces far larger than ourselves.
  • Linda cannot (or does not want to) recognise how her husband has been destroyed by the system.

Alienation

Death of a Salesman can also be seen as a study in alienation.

Illustrative background for Willy's father's craftsmanship Illustrative background for Willy's father's craftsmanship  ?? "content

Willy's father's craftsmanship

  • Willy reveres his father as an entrepreneur and craftsman who made and sold his own flutes.
  • His father’s labour and artistry is part of his identity: there is a direct connection between what he created and how he made his living.
Illustrative background for Creative connection Illustrative background for Creative connection  ?? "content

Creative connection

  • In contrast, Willy has no personal or creative connection to any of the goods that he travels to New England with to sell.
  • As Biff says of him in the final scene of the play, “there’s more of him in the front stoop than in all the sales he ever made”.
Illustrative background for Disconnection Illustrative background for Disconnection  ?? "content

Disconnection

  • Earlier, Ben is clearly unimpressed when Willy tells him how he makes his living, replying with an evasive, but still dismissive, “Yes. Well…”.
  • The insecurity and anxiety that this creates in Willy (his sense of alienation) is hinted at in his sharp words to Charley - “a man who can’t handle tools is not a man”.
  • Willy’s labour, unlike his father’s, is disconnected from him as a man or creator.
Illustrative background for Charley's analysis Illustrative background for Charley's analysis  ?? "content

Charley's analysis

  • As Charley sums up at Willy’s funeral, a salesman “don’t put a bolt to a nut… or give you medicine.”
  • Willy’s urge to plant seeds at the end of his life perhaps reflects his desperate need to use his own hands, his own physical and creative labour, to help plan for the future.
Illustrative background for The Requiem Illustrative background for The Requiem  ?? "content

The Requiem

  • Instead, as Charley states in the Requiem, Willy has spent his life selling a dream or illusion.
  • A salesman such as Willy relies on superficial appearances (“on a smile and a shoeshine”) and personal charisma but, as soon as one finds “a couple of spots on your hat… you’re finished.”
Illustrative background for Irony Illustrative background for Irony  ?? "content

Irony

  • It is ironic that Charley, a capitalist success story, is the character who, at the end of the play, is left to sum up how brutal a capitalist society can be.

Jump to other topics

1Introduction

2Act One

3Act Two

4Extended Passage Analysis

5Character Profiles

6Key Themes

7Writing Techniques

8Historical Context

9Literary Context

10Critical Debates

Go student ad image

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

  • Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

  • Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

  • 30+ school subjects covered

Book a free trial lesson