Signs of Psychological Conflict in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is definitely one of the most exceptional literary works in portraying the American dream on the one hand, and in interpreting the psychology of a person who fails in a carrier on the other hand. Psychoanalysis theory has, in particular, a fundamental role in analyzing the misguided and troubled protagonist (Willy). Miller portrays Willy’s conflict between his glorious past as a successful salesman (as he thinks) and his present situation as a failure. The story of (Willy) is not only about the obsession of the American dream and being successful, but it is also about the character’s ideas about success. In the context of human behavior, this essay intends to discuss how behavior demonstrates the way the character treats others, taking into consideration the character of Willy. To conclude, it will analyze the tragic destiny of Willy the dreamer.

Death of a Salesman is a play written by using a series of flashback events whereby readers may notice Willy fluctuating between previous experiences and present time. Monologue is another feature in the play, which has a crucial role in analyzing the protagonist. Willy’s flashbacks transfer him to the world of illusion. His mind is dominated by illusions and lies, instead of confronting his loss he denies it by living in the past, where he inflates his glory. From a Freudian point of view, the unconscious has a substantial influence on people’s actions. The character of Willy experiences many conflicts, a conflict between his conscious mind in the present life and the memory of past life. Willy is a dreamer with powerful aspirations to achieve the American dream, he aims at material gain. Although Willy never achieves the American dream, he still believes in it. He desires his sons to pursue the American dream as well, because he thinks it will bring happiness and success. As both Biff and Happy object to Willy’s expectations, he is disappointed with his sons in terms of their way of thinking. He wants the boys to follow in their father’s footsteps, although this is unrealistic.

Willy is a man of contradictions. He is mentally unstable and driven by his fake success. He thinks he is good at work, but he is not, indeed. He thinks he is well-liked, and successful man but he is not. However, Willy’s memories inform him that he did not achieve any success in attaining the American dream. His unconscious mind reminds him of all his failures. His hubris is, in general, the reason behind his loss in life, he is too driven by self-centered ego. Willy undermines himself with a parcel of lies, self-deception and delusions about his successes. He never admits that he cannot make it. His ego prevents him from realizing that he is psychologically defeated person.

Willy drowns in his memories; each time he engages in a critical conversation with someone like the conversation with Charley, for instance. Willy’s behavior changes towards him; by deviating from factual reality, he imagines he is talking to his older brother (Ben) instead of talking to Charley. Ben is the mouthpiece for Willy’s success. It has been argued in Barry's Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory ignoring that “unresolved conflicts and traumatic forgotten events forces us out of conscious awareness into the realm of the unconscious”. Whenever Willy feels guilty, he literally escapes from the concrete world. Ben keeps on mentioning the word (jungle) which symbolizes life, where only the fittest can survive. Whenever Willy talks to someone, he evokes the old days and his memories by saying (you remember). Willy also talks to himself, either about his traumatic past events as when he remembers his betrayal, or on account of the unresolved conflicts, like losing his job after 34 years’ work. Willy instinctively wants to leave his mark on the world by being rich. He keeps asking Bernard and Ben (how you made it!) he is fascinated by their achievements as successful men. Willy does not realize that hard work is the way people fulfill their own dreams.

“There is always a return of the repressed”, as Freud said. Willy remembers his betrayal of his wife when Linda mends her stockings. He even gets angry in spite of the fact that she tries to save money instead of purchasing new ones. He cannot handle his guilt, he realizes it is an unforgivable mistake. In addition to that, Willy's sexual instincts determine his inappropriate behavior as a husband and father. Furthermore, deceiving his wife has adversely affected his relationship with Biff. When Biff discovers his father’s affair, Willy is no longer a model or the man his son wants to be in the future. Readers feel a pathos in Willy’s disappointing behavior toward Linda; he presents stockings to his mistress, while Linda mends hers. Willy’s inability to get over the past is a part of his struggle in real life. He suffers from depression and anxiety; he suffers from all of his failure at work, in his father-son relations and his guilt about betraying Linda, all at the same time.

In conclusion, the American dream was conducive to the destruction of the individual in the twentieth century. Willy is not able to carry out a normal life; he does not adapt to life changes as Biff does. So, he ends up as a tragic hero by committing suicide which is, metaphorically, a moral struggle. He sacrifices himself, and devises his death, thinking that this would provide his family with money. In fact, Willy’s suicide is symbolically a confession that he is a loser, it represents his acknowledgment of the truth of his failures in both practical and family life. Willy has come to the wrong conclusions on how to accomplish his dreams. As a result, he resolves the conflict within his mind by committing suicide.