A wise and perhaps very cynical man once said, “Nothing fails like success.” Even if we don't know Gerald Nachman, or the other rebellious comedians of his era, we can all appreciate the clever irony of this quote. In the complex and often very materialistic world we live in, the question of how to measure success, importance and self-esteem is certainly a relevant one. This is precisely the question addressed by Authur Miller in his 1949 play, Death of a Salesman. In recounting the events of Willy Loman's tragic life, Miller uses motifs such as space and location to give his readers insight into his characters, their successes or failures, and their ideas about their self-worth. self. Willy Loman's home in Brooklyn, Africa, Alaska and the American West all help explain why Willy Loman fails while others thrive and can help reveal what characters such as Biff, Willy and Ben value and how they determine success. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The first act of the play opens in Willy Loman's house in Brooklyn. The staging states: “We are aware of the imposing, angular forms behind [the house], which surround it on all sides. Only the blue light of the sky falls on the house and the forest; the surrounding area shows an angry orange flow. As the light appears, we see a solid canopy of apartment buildings around the small, fragile-looking house. An air of dream clings to the place, a dream emerging from reality” (Miller, 2111). Willy and Linda first bought the house years ago when it had room to spread out and even a lovely garden to grow vegetables. Since then, however, the house has been enclosed in a "solid vault of apartment buildings" and Willy's great aspirations for wealth, prosperity and popularity have been locked away, blocked and cast in an orange light angry by the surrounding buildings (Miller, 2111). Willy complains: "The street is lined with cars. There's not a breath of fresh air in the neighborhood. The grass doesn't grow anymore, you can't grow a carrot in the garden. They should have have a law. against tenement houses” (Miller, 2115). His attempts to grow vegetables symbolize his efforts to provide for his family and his desire to reap a reward for his efforts. things, Willy has been in the same job for years and he can barely afford to put food on the table An air of Willy's American dream is still present in the place, but it is surrounded by the unpleasant reality that. has been built over the years. Unlike the comfortable suburban setting the Lomans first settled in, Willy's father and brother Ben spent most of their lives living in isolated areas. and exotic like Alaska and Africa These wild and untamed regions are a reflection of the capitalist jungle that is the American economy. This is where you have to compete if you want to achieve notoriety and wealth in the economic world. This jungle is clearly not for everyone. Referring to Willy's brother Ben, Irving Jacobson notes: "In the world of finance, he was as much a pioneer, a 'big, wild-hearted man,' as his father" (Jacobson, 250). He could travel to Alaska, South Dakota, Africa and back to New York and have no problem finding his way through each place because he was indifferentto human warmth, social relationships or family ties. “His spheres of action concerned things and quantities rather than people; even his seven sons seemed more like merchandise than members of a family” (Jacobson, 250). Willy Loman is not the same kind of wild, ruthless, savvy businessman as his brother and either he is not willing to take the same drastic measures or he does not understand the rules of the jungle. In Willy Loman's distorted perception of reality, he believes that personal appearance and the perception of others are the keys to success. He continually references Dave Singleman, a salesman who was so well-liked that customers and friends came from all over the country to his funeral. Willy asks, "Because what could be more satisfying than being able to go, at the age of eight or four, to twenty or thirty different cities, pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people. people?" (Miller, 2146). It was after meeting Singleman that Willy decided not to go to Alaska with his brother and became a salesman instead. This decision in many ways sealed his financial fate for the rest of his career. While Ben voluntarily ventures into the heart of the jungle and Willy is shot down as the jungle grows around him, a third character, Biff, seems to want to withdraw from the jungle himself. Jacobson writes: "Unlike his father and brother, Biff does not imitate the images of eminent men but rejects the years he spent riding the subway, managing inventory, buying and selling, finding it ridiculous to spend a year suffering for the sake of life for two weeks' vacation" (253), Biff remained lost and confused about his future. Feeling connected to his father, but also betrayed by him. his father's unfaithfulness to his mother and his constant distortions of the truth says, "I don't know...I just can't get it together, Mom. I can't get hold of some kind of life (Miller, 2134). Despite his father's harsh reprimands, Biff finds happiness ranching. his in the rural West. "To hell with the business world," he says, "I don't care what they think! They've been making fun of Dad for years, and you know why? Because we don't "We have no place in this crazy town! We should be mixing cement on an open plain, or - or carpenters" (Miller, 2137). Jacobson notes that "Because [Willy] habitually diverts consciousness from his own failure by focusing his attention on his sons, Loman cannot accept Biff's way of life in the West on his own terms, but tries to reabsorb him into a business-oriented culture” (254) In an effort to compromise between their own desires and their father's expectations, the Loman brothers consider establishing a joint venture in the West. Loman's lived dream of a ranch is an attempt. to synthesize the rural and the urban; here, Biff hopes to have the opportunity to do the kind of work he loves while gaining notoriety to once again win his father's approval. The plan eventually realizes that they can't find the money to start the ranch. Biff realizes that such a compromise is not always possible. Choosing to live a simple, fulfilling life often means sacrificing. notoriety and wealth. any of these characters have different value systems and different criteria for evaluating success and importance. For Willy Loman, success is defined by personal appearance and personal relationships; that's why he's drawn to the American suburbs with its close families, two garages and backyard barbecues. His fixation for, 1975. 247-258.