The Plight of the American Dream: Capitalism and Depression in Arthur

Miller's Death of a Salesman

BY: Rima Patel

HUMANITIES 495

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE HUMANITIES AND SCIENCE
MAJOR
UNIVERSITY OF THE SCIENCES

_ Rima Patel _______ _ Dr. Jeffrey Brown

STUDENT ADVISOR

Introduction

Depression is one of the most complex human conditions. Its relevance extends past the

field of medicine to affect both history and in society. It is a way of life and for some it defines
 1

the human experience. However, depression is multidimensional by nature and thus its

understanding presents a challenge. Today, depression is one of the most common conditions to

exist in our society; it is estimated to affect 350 million people worldwide. The World Mental

Health Survey conducted in 17 countries found that on average about 1 in 20 people reported

having an episode of depression in the previous year.1Depression is a tragedy and the experience

is universal.

In order to gain a better understanding of depression it is necessary to have a subject to

study. In this respect, literature provides some of the best insight into the minds of an

individual’s suffering from depression. Although fictional characters may fail to provide a

wholly realistic image of depression, they do allow one to empathize with their plights. One such

literary text that presents such a character is Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Set in the late

1940s, this play explores the life of a 63-year-old salesman, Willy Loman, who perceives himself

as a failure. Willy spent the better half of his life working as a salesman and begins to feel

trapped in his life but the majority of the play takes place in the last day of his life during which

he is reminiscing on his past. Memories of Willy’s past consist of his dreams and confrontations

that have led him to live a life of extensive self-blame. They also show how he arrived at that

day, the tipping point when his thoughts of failure took over and caused him to commit suicide.

The other characters in the play act in response to Willy, and ultimately his dreams,

desires, and successes are defined by his relationships with those around him. Willy from the

beginning is chasing the American Dream, an important illusion in society at the time. He

becomes unhappy with his family life, his career growth, and his status in society. It seems as if

everyone around him is moving up in society and wealth while he is left behind. This thirst for
1
Marcus, Mariana.“Depression a Global Health Condition.” World Health Organization. WHO International, n.d. Web. 16
April 2016
 2

illusory success haunts Willy throughout the play. Willy Loman is a complex character who has

many layers. It would be easy to write him off as just another self-destructive individual but his

obsessive thinking patterns indicate he was facing a deeper internal struggle. This brings about

the question, “Was Willy Loman suffering from depression?”

Robert Falls, director of a Broadway production of Death of a Salesman in 1998, wanted

to know the answer to this question. In order to test his theory that Willy was suffering from a

mental condition, Falls had the play’s script examined by two different psychiatrists. After

extensive analysis, both of the psychiatrists concluded that if real, Willy would have had Manic-

Depressive Disorder, a condition that has hallucinatory aspects.2 This diagnosis gives the play a

new angle. Whereas the most common analysis of the play, prediagnosis, deals with how Willy

is a metaphor for the sociopolitical ramifications of American capitalism, Falls’ look into Willy’s

mind portrays how capitalism can drive individuals to the brink of mental instability. Which of

these analyses is more accurate?

It is important to note that the author of play, Arthur Miller, was quick to discredit the

latter in an interview with the New York Times by stating, “Willy Loman is not a depressive. He

is weighed down by life. There are social reasons for why he is where he is.”3 Miller may be

cautious about labeling his main character as a depressive because he believes it would take

away from the relatability of his character. The label of “depressive” would discredit Willy as the

common man, taking away from the play as it is supposed to be representative of the struggle of

the common man against capitalism. Miller supports this saying, “I suppose if the audience were

reacting in a clinical way, they would stand back and say, and ‘The guy needs a pill.’ But I hear
2
Mckinley, Jesse. "Ideas & Trends: Get That Man Some Prozac; If the Dramatic Tension Is All in His Head." The New York
Times, 1999.

3
Mckinley, Jesse. "Ideas & Trends: Get That Man Some Prozac; If the Dramatic Tension Is All in His Head." The New York
Times. The New York Times, 1999. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
 3

people weeping. I don’t think that could have happened if people were looking at it as a clinical

experience.”4 Miller wants to tell a story that everyone can look at and feel something as a result.

He does not want to separate Willy from the audience by making him a patient. He does not want

to undermine the universal appeal that Willy’s journey holds for every individual. More than

anything, the common man is afraid of being sick in the mind because it signifies “weakness”

and thus it makes sense that Miller wants to protect the image of his main character and prevent

him from being dismissed as someone who simply “needs a pill.”

Furthermore, Miller’s claims that “[Willy] is weighed down by life” points directly

towards the diagnosis of depression. His interpretation of Wally’s disturbance lies in the

common mistake that people make in defining depression. Many, including Miller, view

depression in a hyper-clinical sense with a rigid set of symptoms that the patient will present.

Depression is much more complex than a flu because it manifests itself in each individual

differently and can not be diagnosed easily, much less cured with standard treatment. However a

compromise can be reached and it can be argued that Willy Loman was both a depressive

individual and a victim of capitalism. Both ideas serve to sustain one another. The capitalist

system fostered an environment for depression and depressive individuals allowed the system to

grow stronger by allowing it to exploit them for their labor.

Depression, in reality, is actually a shared experience. This is because when the

individual remains a part of society, fails to seek help, and is merely written off as someone who

is “weighed down by life,” their depression starts to affect everyone around them as their

personal and professional relationships deteriorate. This makes it a dangerously common and

contagious disorder, a public health issue. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes
4
Mckinley, Jesse. "Ideas & Trends: Get That Man Some Prozac; If the Dramatic Tension Is All in His Head." The New York
Times. The New York Times, 1999. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.
 4

good mental health to be, “A state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her

own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully,

and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”5 By stating that an individual is able

to “make a contribution to their community,” the WHO stresses that a non-depressive individual

is a productive member of society and is equipped with the ability to have positive interactions

with those around them. Conversely, a person with a major depressive disorder, according to the

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM) 5e, has prolonged and persistent

feeling of loss of interest or pleasure in their daily life and helplessness. Therefore, people who

are in a depressive state are unable to make a valuable contribution to their community, and are

alienated from the “normality of daily life.”6 The DSM’s characterization of a depressive state

focuses on the individual’s relationship with self while the WHO’s definition focuses on the

individual’s relationship with society. Combined, these two definitions provide a great

description of what depression really is. An individual who removes himself or herself from

others due to internal conflict is not able to be a productive member of society. This makes

depression relevant to all members of the society whether they face it first hand or not.

In order to understand depression in the context of society and the individual, this paper

will examine it in a logical fashion. First, a history of depression will be explored which will

serve as the basis for understanding Miller’s attitude towards depression as an alienating

experience. Next, a look into the American Dream and its connection to depression will help

build a psycho-social foundation for understanding Willy Loman. Then, an analysis of Willy’s

actions and struggles will help bridge the societal, historical, and medicinal understanding of the

5
“Mental Health: A State of Well-being” World Health Organization. WHO, 2015. Web. 13 April 2016
6
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.): Depression”. American Psychiatric Association. American
Psychiatric Publishing, 2013. Web. 13 April 2016
 5

commonality of depression. Finally, the theory of positive rumination will be offered as a

possible way to manage the refined diagnosis of depression as well as demonstrate positive

rumination as tool for capitalist progression.

II. History of Depression

If depression is a common issue, then why is there stigma surrounding it and why does it

alienate the individual from society? The answer lies in the convoluted history of depression. It

has from its conception been a controversial topic. In order to understand depression, one must

look beyond the current diagnosis because there is much more to depression. Instead, it is

important to examine the historical context of depression which provides the basis of

understanding the friction between depression as common experience and depression as an

alienating experience. Even though the signs and symptoms of depression have remained

consistent throughout history, the societal interpretations of those signs and symptoms have not

been linear.

Some of the earliest recorded accounts of melancholia originated in the fourth century in

Ancient Greece. Depression was originally referred to as melancholia, therefore in this historical

account an interchangeable usage of the two words is utilized. This was also the beginning of the

friction between the depression as an alienating experience and depression as a common

experience. In order to better understand the debate, three important players must be examined:

Hippocrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

Hippocrates is known as the father of modern medicine. He was the first to look beyond

religious and magical beliefs, by focusing on the observation of clinical signs.7 His work led him

7
Yapijakis, Christos. “The Father of Clinical Medicine, and Asclepiades of Bithynia, the Father of Molecular Medicine.” In
Vivio 23.4 (2009): 507-514.
 6

to rational conclusions and helped pioneer a new pathway for medicine. According to

Hippocrates, the physician had to examine a patient, observe symptoms carefully, make a

diagnosis and then treat the patient.8Also he was the first to introduce a collection of medical

terms that are still relevant today: including: “symptoma, diagnosis, therapy, trauma and

sepsis.”9 Hippocrates “declared that depression was essentially an illness of the brain.”10

Therefore depression in his eyes was simply a physical manifestation within the body that could

be eliminated through treatment.

While, Hippocrates approached medicine in the context of the individual, Plato thought

of medicine in a metaphysical context. Plato was driven by philosophy which placed the soul

before anything else. He believed that the curing of the ailments of the physical body should

come second to the curing of the soul.11He acknowledged that in order to treat a patient, there

had to be a middle ground between the patient and the doctor. To him medicine was more than

just understanding the patient’s body; it was about understanding the patient’s larger function in

the universe. Plato found it difficult to streamline diagnosis for diseases because he considered

medicine to be a subordinate of philosophy and described it as changing and transient.12

Additionally, Plato found medicine to be flawed because it did not address an individual's soul

and chose to generalize people, this he believed diminished the value of a person. Plato believed

since depression was unique in each person it could not be attributed as a common.

Aristotle, took Plato’s and Hippocrates’s ideas and found the balance between them. He

classified depression as “a disturbance of the body [that] affects the soul; the ideas of the soul

8
Kiapokas ,MS. “Hippocrates of Kos. Heptalophos, Athens, Greece.”( 2003): 152
9
Jones, WHS. Hippocrates Collected Works. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, USA, 1868.
10
Solomon, Andrew. The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. New York: Scribner (2001): 285
11
Susan B. Levin. Plato's Rivalry with Medicine: A Struggle and Its Dissolution. Oxford University Press, 2014.
12
Goldberg, David. “Plato versus Aristotle: Categorical and Dimensional Models for Common Mental Disorders.” Compr.
Psychiatry., 41.2 (2000): pp. S8–S13. Web. 18 April 2016
 7

come from the body except those that are born in the soul itself.”13 He believed depression was

common despite the fact that signs and symptom were varied between individuals. Therefore, he

found depression to be an alienating yet inclusive disease. He emphasized that medicine is based

on what "happens most often" and since depression occurred frequently it was a common

medical condition.14 Aristotle also believed in the essential role of experimentation because it

helped to find better treatments for the disease. Although Aristotle attempted to make depression

common, majority of the people during the time period did not find it acceptable. Depressives

were expelled from society and were subject to extreme discrimination.

It was not until the 17th century that depression was once again was theorized to be

common. The 17th century was a new era for scientific discovery, and many scientific

advancements took place during this time. Depression was not only normalized but it was

glamorized. People increasingly wanted to get themselves diagnosed with depression to feel like

they were part a select group. This seemed directly in contrast with the advancement in medical

writing pioneered by Robert Burton, who wrote the Anatomy of Melancholy in 1621. In his book

he examined melancholia from many different disciplines. He argued that traces of melancholia

could be found in a many human activities. He writes, “[F]rom these melancholy dispositions no

man living is free, no stoick, none so wise, none so happy, none so patient, so generous, so

godly, so divine, that can vindicate himself; so well-composed, but more or less, sometime or

other, he feels the smart of it. Melancholy in this sense is the character of mortality.”15 In effect

Melancholia was a part of human life and could not be alienated. Although Burton claims

characterized depression as normal, the society at that time choose to glamorize depression. It
13
Boudjeltia KZ. “Relations Between the Scientific Thought and the Medicine: the Contributions of Plato and Aristotle.” Rev
Med Brux (2015): 52-57. Web. 16 April 2016
14
IBD.
15
Burton, Robert. The Anatomy of Melancholy. 1621.
 8

now became an indicator of class to be labeled as a depressive. More of the elite population was

able to attaint this label, therefore the common man was alienated from depression as the elite

deemed depression to be unrecognizable without the label. The isolation of depression as a

special or as a negative condition is defined by the society whose ideology more often than not is

dominated by the elite.

Scientific advancement became a normality and scientific information became more

accessible to those who were not in academia. The increased access to this information proved to

be dangerous as the elites started manipulating the information in order to maintain their superior

position in society. Science was quickly outpacing religion therefore in order to justify their

superiority in society, science became a tool of the wealthy and educated class.

In spite of Burton’s treatise, another popular theory during this era suggested that “a

disorder such as depression amounted to malfunctions of the wondrous machine, a departure

from, rather than element of its function.”16According to this theory, depression was an ailment

and depressives were polluting society. They were causing disorder to the “wondrous machine”

which represents society and they were thought of as a hindrance to societal progression. The

elite wanted to get rid of these disorderly people Therefore the common people kept quiet even if

they suffered from depression because they feared alienation.

The elite were further able to strengthen their position after a 17th century German

physician, W. Griesinger, proposed that some mental diseases were only treatable whereas others

are curable.17 He made “depression fully medicalized” and with this the elites were handed an

instrument that allowed them to replace earlier religious justifications for alienation with

scientific justifications for alienation. With this proof, they made depression equivalent to the
16
Solomon, Andrew. The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. New York: Scribner (2001): 308
17
Solomon, Andrew. The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. New York: Scribner (2001): 319
 9

plague. They spread the idea that those who stayed around depressives would contract the

incurable disease. Michel Foucault, a philosopher believed that “power and knowledge are

central to the process by which human beings are 'made subjects' which in turn led to the

production of 'psychiatric identities'.”18 Making depression an abnormality and plague in society

allowed the elite to secure their position and leverage depression in their favor.

The debate of depression as a common or isolating experience continued, and with the

turn of the 20th century new treatments and advancements brought new support for both sides of

the argument. Two new theories were proposed: psychoanalytic and psychobiological. The

psychoanalytic theory was brought forward by Freud’s publication “Flies Papers,” which created

a new locus and cause of melancholia.19 Freud separates depression from other things and states

it too be something whose definition fluctuates continually. He separates grief from melancholia,

“in grief the world becomes poor and empty; in melancholia it is the ego itself.”20 He believed

the loss of self-esteem was not voluntary and that the accusations made by the melancholic were

actually against the world. He even claimed that suicide is an “impulse against another that has

been redirected to self.”21 Freud’s understanding of depression was extremely important in

making depression a social issue because of his focus on people’s interaction with one another

and their life experiences. Emil Kraepelin, on the other hand, believed mental illness had an

internal biochemical basis. He defined it as a specific disorder and its outcomes predictable. He

separated depression into three categories and attempted to create clarity. Although his

conclusions were invalid, he provided the basis for a new theory. Kraepelin’s and Freud’s ideas

were both used by Adolf Meyer, who came up behavioral control. He claimed that, “Psychiatry
18
Roberts,M. “The Production of the Psychiatric Subject: Power, Knowledge and Michel Foucault.” Nursing Philosophy 6. 1
(2005): 33-42. Web. 13 April 2016.
19
Solomon, Andrew. The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. New York: Scribner (2001): 323
20
Ibd.
21
Solomon, Andrew. The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. New York: Scribner (2001): 325
 10

deals with the social organ of man.”22 The idea was the environment and behavior could change a

person’s vulnerability to the disease, and this was a uniquely American idea. He continued by

saying, “Familiarity with the various conditions of life….and ways of succeeding and failing in

psychobiological adaptation is necessary.”23 One’s experience and their social functionality were

biological manifestations which allowed them to adapt to their environment, which was a matter

of scientific study. His application of “logic and techniques of the clinical–pathological method

to the ephemeral data of social adaptation produced a new definition of clinical skill for the

progressive New Psychiatry of the twentieth century.”24 This American concept reinforced the

notion that depression was a matter of the “public,” since it was influenced by the environment

of the depressive.

Consequently, in the 1950’s the introduction of antidepressants made depression an

alienating experience. This explains Arthur Miller’s reluctance to label his protagonist as

depressive because it made Willy a patient. Instead of being looked upon as a common man, he

would be chastised as a ‘victim.’ A baseline comparison to this idea is how we view cancer

patients. Cancer is not thought of as a shared experience instead it is viewed a disease that one

must be cured of and the person with cancer can hardly function in society the same way as a

‘normal person’ can.

Despite the advancements in medicine and science we have yet to understand depression

completely. With each edition of the DSM we try to increase our classification of depression but

we fail to find a sufficient explanation as to why “some individuals succumb to depression

22
Meyer Adolf, “The psychiatric clinic, its aims (educational and therapeutic), and the results obtained in respect to promotion of
recovery (1913)”Transactions of the 17th International Congress of Medicine (1913): 9
23
Meyer Adolf, “The psychiatric clinic, its aims (educational and therapeutic), and the results obtained in respect to promotion of
recovery (1913)”Transactions of the 17th International Congress of Medicine (1913): 11

24
Lamb, Susan. “Social Skills: Adolf Meyer’s Revision of Clinical Skill for the New Psychiatry of the Twentieth Century.”
Cambridge Journal of Medical History 59.3 (2015), 443–464.
 11

whereas others escape.”25 Additionally today, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC)

depression is the most common type of mental illness, affecting more than 26% of the U.S. adult

population. It has been estimated that by the year 2020, depression will be the second leading

cause of disability throughout the world, trailing only ischemic heart disease. Also it is estimated

that only about 17% of U.S adults are considered to be in a state of optimal mental health.26

Therefore not having depression is more uncommon than having depression. Today, it is

equivalent and in some cases outpacing obesity, cardiovascular disease, ADHD, chronic kidney

diseases all of which are classified as public health issues. It is high time that depression listed as

public health issue because it is not as “alien” as its stigma makes it out to be. In fact, as Meyer

had proposed, depression is a part of our society. The situations and conditions are what

determine the severity and the complexity of depression. Without understanding this

background, depression would appear much simpler, but it is because it is joint to society that it

requires a deeper understanding. This leads to interesting question asked by Peter Whybrow in

the introduction to his fifth edition of A Moods Apart, “Is depression an illness that breeches the

shadow of stress-inducing, demand driven achievement?”27

III. American Dream

Adolf Meyer proposed a uniquely American concept for depression. He pushed the idea

that a man’s condition was affected by his social background. The background plays a key role

in understanding the manifestation of the psychological disease. His “uniquely American

concept” fit the unique American background. During Willy Loman’s lifetime America was

riding of the edges of mass production and was faced with extensive capitalism. The era

25
Whybrow, Peter. A Moods Apart. 2015.
26
“Mental health”. Center for Disease Control. CDC, n.d. 18 April 2016

27
Whybrow, Peter. A Moods Apart. 2015.
 12

encouraged the common man to dream of material success and made them lust after those

dreams. This desire to attain success was referred to as the American Dream.

Willy Loman was obsessed with the American Dream. What is the American Dream?

Why was it so important to an average citizen?

The American Dream is perhaps one of the most mischaracterized concepts in American

History. This pure American concept has been glorified by both American citizens and by the

rest of the world. It has become a synonym for American and represents equality. Although the

American Dream has a complicated sociological, political, and historical background, its purpose

has always been to achieve collective progress for the American Society.

In his book titled The Epic of America, Adams described the American Dream as, “that

dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with

opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” 28 Adams believed that the American

dream should be something that went beyond the basic goal of wealth accumulation. He believed

the real fulfillment of the American Dream occurred only when a person was satisfied with their

place in life. He also believed that one should not let their social class be a hurdle in their

pathway to happiness.

Adams coined the phrase, “American Dream,” during a time of intense economic fear. It

was coined at a time when the survival of America was in question.29 Therefore, the American

Dream was something that served as a motivator. Subsequently, in 1936 Franklin D. Roosevelt

implemented the new deal which was meant to bring hope to the people. In the speech where he

accepted re-nomination in 1936 Roosevelt said: “Liberty requires opportunity to make a living

decent according to the standard of the time, a living that gives man not only enough to live by,

28
Adams, J. The Epic of America. Garden City, NY: Blue Ribbon Books. (1941): 404.
29
Adams, J. The Epic of America. Garden City, NY: Blue Ribbon Books. (1941): 405.
 13

but something to live for.”30 Without the opportunity to make a living, Roosevelt continued, “life

was no longer free; liberty no longer real; men could no longer follow the pursuit of happiness.”

This was the start to making the American Dream a link with economic prosperity and the drive

to achieve economic success. Americans believed that achieving economic success through hard

work would allow them to achieve the American Dream. The symbol of the American dream

became the “fundamental components of the new identity kit for middle class status.” 31 In order

to obtain the American Dream these items become absolutely essential. With each changing

decade a new “need” arises and that need is then translated into a growth measure on the scale of

attainment, which is collectively attributed to the American Dream. This made the American

Dream forever linked to American Capitalism.

The connection between the American Dream and capitalism was important in order to

maintain the functionality of both systems. In order to drive capitalism forward there was a need

to create a tool that duped the average American into thinking that individual success was

possible, if they work hard enough. Tyson writes in the introductory chapter: Subjectivity,

Psychological Politics, and the American Dream, that the American Dream is essentially a

marketplace of psychology. The American Dream itself is as consumer product which

Americans buy “as the primary myth by the means of which they mold their interpersonal

relations to resemble relations of capitalist production, which are relations among

commodities.”32 The attainment was a part of the process, which was to, climb fast and to create

commodities which are sold in the marketplace of the “American Dream.”  The existence of the

30
Roosevelt, F. D. Acceptance speech. Democratic National Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 27 1936. Available at
www.2austin.cc.tx.us/1patrick/his2341/fdr36acceptancespeech.htm.
31
Hanlon, Bernadette. Once the American Dream: Inner-Ring Suburbs of the Metropolitan United States. Philadelphia: Temple
University Press, (2009):12
32
Tyson, Lois. Psychological Politics of the American Dream: The Commodification of Subjectivity in Twentieth-Century
American Literature. Columbus: Ohio State University Press,(1994): 7
 14

American Dream is a psychological problem because it has become a psychological commodity.

It forces one into the state of existential inwardness where they start to ask themselves questions

on what is the value of life? What is their purpose? Can they achieve their goals? The author

argues that psychological and ideological thoughts are not different but they are just an iteration

of one another.

The pressure to achieve this dream seems psychologically counter intuitive for the

individual. It places a high burden on the individual and their mental state. Self-blame was one of

the burdens that arose from the American Dream. People were led to believe that their condition

and state was only theirs and they could not place external blame on another source. So people

directed their feelings towards society towards themselves and ended up having low self-esteem.

This calls upon what Freud termed an “impulse against another that has been redirected to self”:

they attributed the pressure of society to their own lack of hard work or skill. The media and

those around them popularized the exceptional common men who was a rare case and made it

seem as if this was the norm. This alienated the individual from those around them and they

became intensely obsessed with why they could not achieve the American Dream. This is related

to Adolf Meyer’s claim which theorized that an individual's environment plays an important role

in their mental wellbeing.

They could only attribute their failure to their own shortcomings. For example, in an

interview a mechanic stated, “I could have been a lot better off but through my own foolishness,

I’m not. What causes poverty? Foolishness.” 33 The mechanic represents the common man who

struggles with issues of self-blame, and his story can be applied to any ordinary man. The

American Dream was never meant to be an individual goal; instead it was meant to be a

33
Lane, Robert. Political Ideology: Why Common Man Believes What He Does. New York: Free Press (1962):35
 15

collective progression in America. However, along the way people began to capitalize on their

success and failures, placing a psychological burden upon themselves. When an individual

becomes depressive they fail to make adequate contributions to their society therefore hindering

those around them, therefore depression is a not only a byproduct of the American Dream but it

is a disease for productivity. This idea will manifest more clearly as Willy’s life is studied.

Willy Loman’s Depression

Many set out onto the path of achieving the American Dream but despite years of

laborious work they never achieve the American Dream. Instead they were left exhausted, and

their personal lives suffered. This is a direct result of the psychology marketplace that is fostered

by American Capitalism, it makes the American Dream seem real when it only exists in

imagination.

Death of the Salesman is a play about the American Dream and how it influenced the life

a common man in the late 1940’s. It also relates to the feelings associated with the failure in

accomplishing the American Dream. When the American Dream is referenced in American

textbooks, only the major success are noted leaving out the millions of people who were met

with failure in their attempts at achieving the American Dream.34 Many were left disillusioned

and unhappy with their present circumstances. In his play, Death of the Salesman, Arthur Miller

tries to capture these failures by depicting Willy Loman and fruitless pursuit of the American

Dream.

Willy Loman can be diagnosed as a depressive because he possess the symptoms

associated with depression. The Mayo Clinic states that an individual facing depression holds,

“feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself for things that

34
American Pageant. Cengage Learning; 13 edition ( 2005): 555
 16

aren't your responsibility.”35 The responsibilities instead are those of the society; however a

depressive mistakes this societal responsibility as a personal responsibility leading to self-blame.

Willy is a direct representation of this definition. His obsession with the past is apparent because

the majority of the play takes place in his memories. Additionally, he feels worthless all the time

and he continually blames himself for not being the best. He blames himself for not being a good

salesman and for having raised sons who are not fit. As noted previously in section 1 and section

2, depression is not simple enough to diagnose or understand through the physical symptoms.

Society and one’s personal relationships also contribute to the individual’s depression. Since, the

American way of life is dominated by capitalism, the individual’s interactions within the system

affect their state of mind.

By nature, Willy is a salesman and by profession salesmen are supposed to “promote the

goods of others by commoditizing themselves.”36 The American Dream asks the same of the

individual. The individual becomes a transactional value in the marketplace and therefore the

individual becomes a product. Capitalists have learned to capitalize on people and therefore a

malfunctioned product presents no value to them. Instead of treating this malfunctioned product,

the capitalist simply throws out the product. Therefore in a capitalist marketplace, the depressive

individual is isolated and labeled as ‘useless.’ Willy was this depressive individual and therefore

Howard, his boss, decided there was no room for him anymore:

35
“Dieases and Conditions ( Major Depressive Disorder).” Mayo Clinic. 15 April 2016
36
Karim, Sharful. “ A Critical Overview of Miller’s Willy Lowman- A Dreamer, More Sinned Against than Sinning
” Researchers World: Journal of Arts, Science, and Commerce 4.1 (2013): 58.
 17

Willy: Your father came to me the day you were born and asked me what I thought of the

name of Howard, may he rest in peace.

Howard: I appreciate that, Willy, but there just is no spot here for you.37

In this passage, Howard is the capitalist and therefore he is constantly thinking about maximizing

his profits. Willy offers no value to his company therefore Howard chooses to dismiss him; he

undermines the personal relationship Willy has with him and only drives towards more wealth

accumulation. Willy takes his dismissal personally and therefore he ends up blaming himself

more intensely, trying to calculate where he went wrong.

Willy desires everything: he wants material wealth, he wants his son’s to love him, and

he wants to be envied by those around him. Willy desires to be well liked therefore he is forced

to constantly sell himself. He only finds validity in his identity when he gains recognition from

those around him. Being able to achieve these things is humanely impossible for the common

man but the American Dream disillusioned Willy. It leads him to believe that everyone was

achieving things and his failure to accomplish similar things was his own fault.

He continually sets himself against those around him. He admits in Act 1 that, “the

competition is maddening,” he is unable to separate the definition of his success from the success

of those around him. 38 The American dream constantly pitted people against one another in their

daily lives. The goal was always to move higher up the success ladder and Willy Loman believed

he was unsuccessful because those around him were constantly obtaining more material wealth

and success than he was. His irrational comparison of himself to those around him made him

frustrated and agitated. It distracted him from his work and made him fall deeper into self-blame.

37
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Saleman page 66.
38
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Saleman page 35.
 18

One particular instance that highlights his intense feelings of worthlessness is his memory

of his Brother Ben’s success. He states, “The man knew what he wanted and went out and got it!

Walked into a jungle and comes out, the age of twenty-one, and he’s rich!”39 Willy’s overt

fixation with his brother’s success constantly makes him think about his failure. He keeps

comparing his life to that of his brother’s and chooses to measure success in terms of monetary

gain. He measures up his years of steady loyal work at a company to that of his brother’s instant

success and feels as if he wasted his time. As Elia Kazan, director of the original 1949

production of Death of the Salesman, claimed, Ben was "the embodiment of Success, Authority,

Daring, Manliness, Enterprise, Fearlessness, Self-sufficiency,"40 traits that Willy believes defines

an American Man. Williams notes that Ben is archetypal… “the inclusion of these cultural types

into the play strongly hints towards defining dominant conceptions of manhood.”41 Willy feels

out of place because he does not fit into the archetypal representation of a man. This archetypal

man is direct construction of the psychological marketplace that was detailed in section 2. He

feels at loss with his identity and struggles with his place in society because he is constantly

trying to be like Ben. Although, Willy finds Ben success to be the “The greatest thing that can

happen!"42 He can never figure out how Ben achieved the success. This lack of formula proved

the exceptionality of Ben’s success. Willy is so focused on Ben’s success that he fails to see

where he has succeeded and focuses on his incapability of becoming rich and manly like his

brother.

He also believes that popularity and image are important. This leads to him farther

alienating himself from those around him, he becomes socially detached because of his feelings
39
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Saleman page 32.
40
Kazan, Elia. Elia Kazan: A Life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1988.
41
Williams, Grant. “Death of a Salesman” and Postwar Masculine Malaise.” Penn State University Press 8. 1 (2013):
56-57.
42
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Saleman page 32
 19

of inferiority. 43Willy states, “I always felt that if a man was impressive, and well liked, that

nothing-…” While his friend Charley counters with, “Why must everybody like you? Who liked

J.P. Morgan…”44 Willy Loman combines success to be a host of things he not only believes in

the wealth aspect but the popularity. He wants everything but what he fails to understand is that

success does not always come with everything. Even the most successful people like J.P. Morgan

did not have it all. They succeeded materially but were not well liked. His need for everything

makes him unable to concentrate on one task which in effect leads to a deepening of his

depression. Additionally, Willy does not seek help from someone who is constantly trying to be

his friend. Charlie continues to be Willy’s friend even though Willy is incapable of maintaining a

positive relationship with him. Willy’s personal dissatisfaction with his career trajectory makes

him envious of Charlie, making it difficult for him to ever have a valuable relationship with

Charlie.

Willy believes that the exceptional man, the one who accomplishes everything is

common. His mischaracterization of the common man makes him feel alien. Therefore, Willy

suffers alone in his depression. He is unable to bring himself to express his condition because he

thinks no one will understand. The only time in the play he exposes himself and asks for help is

when he encounters Bernard:

Bernard: But sometimes, Willy, it’s better for a man to walk away.

Willy: Walk away?

Bernard: That’s right.

Willy: But if you can’t walk away?45

43
Carson, Kerry. “Career Entrenchments: A Quite March toward Occupational Death?” Academy of Management
11.1 (1997): 69-70
44
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Saleman page 85.
45
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Saleman page 93.
 20

In this passage we see that Willy is unable to separate himself from the American Dream. He is

unable to see the consequences of this maddening desire to succeed. Meanwhile Bernard, is

easily able to separate himself and break free from this obsession. Willy is able to replicate

Bernard and therefore remains fixated, making himself incapable of viewing things in an

objective manner. He is driven by pessimism which despite his recognition he is unable to

successfully cope with it. Instead he increasingly becomes hyper focused on himself and

therefore he is unable to distance himself from the situation.

Willy’s struggle is both an internal and an external struggle. Above we saw that the

struggle was an internal problem attributed to the external factors of society. The bridge between

these two dimensions is found in Murphy’s work: she claims the reason that Willy Loman is

sustained as a cultural icon is because he “has become a prime site for working out our deepest

cultural conflicts and anxieties about identity and the fate of a salesman.”46 Willy’s struggle, is

something that every man faces on an “inner psyche” level. Willy could not adapt to the

changing world but more so he could not get rid of the “marks deeply rooted in his psyche.”

Freud marks that we are socially programmed to feel guilty when we break this norm. Willy felt

guilty when he was unable to achieve the success and when he was unable to make his family

happy. “Willy’s sense of failure is identical with Freudian death drive theory that closely ties of

being alone, of abandonment or of intimacy.”47 The more an individual alienates themselves the

greater they fall into depression.

For all these reasons depression is a public health issue. Depression goes beyond the

individual it has the ability to affect the community making it important to manage the condition.

It is unifying experience because it a health crisis because it has the ability to spread like the flu.

46
Murphy, Brenda. “Willy Loman: Icon of Business Culture.” Michigan Quarterly Review XXXVII.4 (Fall 1998).
47
Karim, Sharful. “ A Critical Overview of Miller’s Willy Lowman- A Dreamer, More Sinned Against than Sinning ”
Researchers World: Journal of Arts, Science, and Commerce 4.1 (2013) 56-60.
 21

While not everyone individual who has the flu will be affected by an infected person a

significant amount will be, the same is held true for depression. The effect may not be as obvious

as someone getting the flu. Instead a community who has someone effected with the flu is forced

to take extra measure in their life in order to avoid catching the flu, the same hold true for

depression where the other characters such as Linda had to alter her life attitude and behavior

because of Willy’s depression.

Positive Rumination

Willy’s focus upon himself is a central to his depression. He ruminates constantly upon

himself. As defined by Martian and Tesser (1989,1996) “rumination is an ongoing conscious

thought that is focused on a single topic or theme that may continue even in the absence of

immediate environmental demands requiring those thoughts.”48 It is repetitive in nature and can

prevent one from moving onto another task. However, humans have been ruminating for ages

therefore there is significant evidence as well as evidence that presents a positive benefit to

rumination. Rumination can help an individual if an individual is able to actively apply and learn

from their failures. Also it can help and individual focus their attention on something else.

The positive influence of rumination is that it allows the person to find focus on

something else. Temporary release can be found in one’s work and this distraction is welcomed

by ruminators. Perhaps that is what Willy did in Sales. The job of a salesmen has no ultimatum

they are to keep making sales till they have nothing left to sell. Being a salesmen allowed him

temporary release from his rumination and that is what perhaps stopped him from killing himself

in each of his previous attempts. However, once he was fired from his job he did not have any

distraction or work he could dedicate himself too. Instead he was left to his thoughts and that is

48
Silvia, Paul. “Are Rumination and Reflection types of Self-focused Attention” Personality and individual differences (2005):
38
 22

what perhaps drove him to his successful suicide attempt because he strived to have a means to

escape.

It has been established throughout this paper that society plays a key role in a depressive

person’s life. Therefore the question now remains on why a society should help manage

depression instead of alienating those who have depression. According to a recent study

performed by the WHO for every U.S. dollar invested in treating depression, there was a $4

return in better health and ability to work.49 There would be a 5% improvement in worked

participation and productivity, which is valued at $339 billion.50 The improved health gives more

than $310 billion in returns, more than doubling the government’s investment. For a society that

is intrinsically driven by wealth it only makes sense that they manage depression in order to

farther develop societal progress. Conclusively, depression is more than a public health issue it a

development issue as well therefore there should be increased importance placed upon managing

depression.

49
Chisholm, Dan. “Scaling-up Treatment of Depression and Anxiety: a Global Return on Investment Analysis” The
Lancelet Psychiatry (2016):5
50
Chisholm, Dan. “Scaling-up Treatment of Depression and Anxiety: a Global Return on Investment Analysis” The
Lancelet Psychiatry (2016):5