Number 25 July 2003

Individual Choice

Junta Goyeche

It could be argued that Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is a tragic play that represents the failures of a system, but from an existentialist point of view, however, the play solely represents the failures of an individual. By looking at the many distasteful characteristics of the societal system embodied by the Loman's family values and dreams, and by then arguing these points from an existentialist point of view, this essay will confirm that the play represents the failures of an individual instead of casting blame on a socially constructed system.

Existentialists claim that to live is to be faced with the necessity of choice, and in the making of these choices we define ourselves and influence for good or evil the lives of others around us. The existentialist claims that there are no moral absolutes, and there is also no basis for knowing the consequences of our acts, but we must act, so we must choose and this is known as the existential dilemma. The truth of our existential dilemma reduces us to a state of anguish, as no matter what we choose we cannot escape responsibility for our choice and guilt for the consequences. Existentialist Jean Paul Sartre states, "we are condemned to be free" (Arts 1000 Lecture, 43), and by this he means that we are free to choose, free to define our being, and free to accept our moral responsibility; humans, however, do not want to face this freedom so they are constantly trying to escape from this freedom by inventing pretentious scientific and social theories, or by making up superstitions about Gods, all in an attempt to convince ourselves that we are not ultimately free to choose and that we are not responsible for our choices and their consequences (Lecture 43).

The materialistic values so emphasized by the Loman family are illustrated throughout the play. Willy, when speaking with Linda, criticizes Biff for the amount of money he makes, stating "he has yet to make thirty-five dollars a week!" (16), and after Ben tells Willy of his riches, Willy exclaims, "[he] was rich! That's just the spirit I need to imbue them with" (52). Even though Biff is content working on the ranch, he complains to Happy, "What the hell am I doing, playing around with horses, twenty-eight dollars a week!" (22). He goes on to add that every time he comes home he feels that all he has done is waste his life. When Happy is talking to Biff about happiness, he argues, "it's what I always wanted . . . my own apartment, a car, and plenty of women" (p. 23).

According to existentialism, it is a choice to follow convention and conform to the norms and ideologies of society, and therefore it is not the fault of a system that the Lomans have materialistic values, but the fault of individual choice. Willy makes the choice to think less of Biff because he is not making much money, and he has the choice of which values to try to instill in his sons. Although Biff claims that he is happy working on the ranch, he makes the conscious choice to return home to his hometown, and then he has the audacity to complain and whine about wasting his life. The ideals that Happy speaks of are not the same ideals of everyone else, and are not a result of an economic system, but are the ideals that he chooses to pursue.

One could also argue that Willy is unfaithful in his marriage with Linda because he is trapped within a cruel economic system, in which he travels alone on the road, away from home and working in different cities. When Willy is reflecting on his past relationship with the woman from Boston, he says, "I get so lonely-especially when there's nobody to talk to" (38). One could blame his adulterous relationship on the fact that he is lonely, as he has to keep traveling to feed his family and pay his bills, but Willy has the choice to get a new job that keeps him closer to his family. On numerous occasions Charley offers Willy a job making more money than he is at his current job, but not only does he refuse the offer, he also makes the choice to continue working at the job that keeps him away from his family. He also has the choice to pick up the phone and call Linda instead of committing adultery.

When Willy goes into his place of employment to talk to Howard about keeping him in New York to work, he is brutally fired. One could argue that Willy is a victim of a money-hungry economic system. Critic Eleanor Clarke argues that the play is set up to show that the "capitalist system has done Willy in" (p. 219) and that it is "our particular form of money economy that has bred the absurdly false ideals of both father and sons" (220), but she does not agree with these innuendos. The existentialist would argue that it is Willy's choice to accept and conform to the ideologies of a capitalist system, and that the ideals of both father and sons are a result of their individual choices. Willy, as pointed out in the last paragraph, has the option to accept Charley's job offer, but he refuses in an act of stubborn selfishness. One can see from Willy's comments that he consciously promotes capitalist values, when for instance he says to Linda, "I told you we should have bought a well-advertised machine" (73), and when they bought a refrigerator they bought the one with "the biggest ads of any of them" (36). The fact that Howard does not have any sympathy for Willy's position is indeed cruel and unjust, but Willy chooses to work there, and he can always choose to quit.

It could be argued that the moral values reflected by Willy and his sons are fashioned by the demeaning and ruthless characteristics of a western capitalist system, but upon further examination one can see that they are a result of individual choice. Willy chooses to promote stealing to his sons as he tells them to go "right over to where they're building the apartment house and get some sand" (50), and then he brags to Ben, "you shoulda seen the lumber they brought home last we. . . . At least a dozen six-by-tens worth all kinds of money" (50). Willy not only laughs when Biff tells him that he stole a football from the school locker room, but he adds, "[c]oach'll probably congratulate you on your initiative!" (30). Charley lives within the same social system as Willy, yet he chooses to have higher moral standards than Willy, as Charley is the one who warns Willy and the boys of the negative consequences of stealing. This proves that one can live within this system and still maintain some sense of moral decency. Willy, by imbuing his sons with poor values, chooses to escape his moral responsibilities and chooses to act as a negative role model for his two sons.

The hypocritical nature of Willy and his sons is illustrated throughout the play and this behavior cannot be a result of living within a capitalist system, as none of the other characters in the play portray this character trait. Although Happy states, "I'm not supposed to take bribes" (25), he then admits to taking bribes when manufacturers offer him "a hundred dollar bill now and then to throw an order their way" (25). Happy is aware that this sort of behavior is wrong, but he chooses to accept the bribes anyway. Happy then tries to blame his moral deficiency on others, once again attempting to escape moral responsibility, remarking, "everyone around me is so false that I'm constantly lowering my ideals" (24). When Willy is talking to himself about Biff stealing the lumber, he says, "Why is he stealing? What did I tell him? I never told him anything but decent things" (41). Willy lies even to himself at this point, as on numerous occasions he both indirectly and directly encourages his boys to steal lumber, sand, and a football. Charley and Bernard do not lie to themselves or to others in the play, which proves that the negative characteristics of a capitalist system do not force someone to lower their moral standards, but on the contrary, one's moral standards are the result of individual choice.

The existentialist would argue that to emphasize Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman as a play that focuses on the failures of a system, as opposed to the failures of an individual, as responsible for the family's unpleasant behavior and lack of moral values, would be to attempt to escape from moral responsibility; Willy and his sons have the choice whether or not to abdicate their freedom for conformity or for the ideologies of a capitalist system, as in the end the choice is always our own, and we bear the responsibility alone (Arts 1000 Lecture, 43).

Works Cited

Donaldson, Dr. Wayne. "Existentialism." Arts 1000 Lecture #43. University of New Brunswick. Fredericton. March 18, 2003.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman: Text and Criticism. Ed. Gerald Weales. Viking Critical Library. New York: Penguin, 1996.