Nie Zongqi(Arthur)

2011012920

A Man Who Sales His Dream

What is the significance of the play's title?

“For a salesman, there is no rock bottom to the life,” Charley says, “A salesman has

got to dream.” For Willy, “Salesman” is rather a metaphor than a job. We have no idea

how he sales merchandise to his buyers, but we have seen through the whole play how he

sales his dream, to his boys, boss, and friends.

A salesman has got to dream, always expecting the passers-by to hand out their

money, buy his goods and thus support his family. He may have former buyers, but he

can’t be sure who will be the next. He has got to dream, expecting to sell his dream to

everyone who only casts a glance on his commodities. He shows his expectation with a

smile, and whether the other smiles back or not, determines his future. He has got to

dream, never stop, with everyone, and once he ceases to do so, that means disillusion and

despair. His dream floats in the air, awaiting others to buy, to answer.

Willy’s expected buyers may be Howard, Ben, even Charley, but the one he expects

most must be Biff. Happy says his dream is “to come out number-one person”, and he

starts to dream so when Biff is only a teenager. He expects Biff to make him and himself

be “well liked”, that is, expects Biff to be the buyer.

Biff seems to perform well. He is well built, beloved by so many girls. He is a popular

football player; the boys admire and obey to him. He has got scholarships of three

universities, and is ready to embrace all the success endowed to him both in school work

and business. Willy is rather pleased to compare Bernard with him, “You want him to be

a worm like Bernard? He’s got spirit, personality.” he says to Linda. Biff has got the

necessary abilities to pay his dream, and he would like to do so. During the time, though

Ben’s success is envious to him, he still insists that he was right.

After Biff flunks his math and fails to graduate, after he tries a lot of different kinds

of jobs but stays lost, Willy doesn’t give up entirely. When argues about Biff with Linda at

very beginning, he still believes Biff is not lazy and can make some success with his

person attractiveness. The hope is blown to its extreme after Happy proposes the idea of

1/2
Nie Zongqi(Arthur)
2011012920

sport goods selling. All seem to be changing. He is trying to get a position in New York

and never leave home anymore; Biff will ask Oliver for hope and start a business here to

support the family. Brother Loman will be well-known and well-liked, and they can be the

number-one in some area.

Unfortunately, the hope bursts into pieces and the dream is disillusioned. What’s

most vital is not Willy’s employment, but the failure of Biff, because it’s he who is

expected to “pay” for the dream--he is the expected buyer.

Willy still keeps smiling to him, and expects him to buy. “So tell me, he gave you a

warm welcome!” “Did he take you into his office or ‘d you talk in the waiting room?”

“Famous for the way he listens, y’know. What was his answer?” While Biff doesn’t react as

expected, he starts to react himself. It’s so like the way a salesman talks to his passers-by,

“You are not gonna buy anything. Doesn’t matter, just have a look. You like it, right?…”

Biff is a dream breaker, for he not only fails to pay the dream, but also disillusions it. “We

never told the truth for ten minutes in this house!” Because it’s a family of salesmen, and

they all sell dreams to each other and expect the other to pay. Though they never get the

ability, they smile back and pretend to gonna buy it. Is Biff an idealist? To this extent he

is not. The whole family lives in a dream of selling and buying, but he wakes them up. It’s

better to dream if there is no way to live.

Happy can still strive in this cruel city, but Willy is too tired to do so. His old buyers

in New England die and leave, and his expected buyer in the family doesn’t react to his

smile anymore.

2/2