Arthur Miller's "Death Of A Salesman" is a story of a.
common man whose misaligned ideas of success ultimately.
lead to his demise .Having no central figure as a role.
model, Willy Loman (the salesman) is torn between.
accepting his own failure, relying on his own son's.
success, redeeming himself to his son, or listening to.
his deluded conversations with his deceased brother Ben.
Although Ben is dead, his pseudo presence ultimately.
leads to Willy's tragic suicide. Ben leaves home at an.
early age when Willy is very young. After several years.
he returns a successful man. Ben is the only thing Willy.
has to look up to; to make a comparison of his life.
with. Although brothers, Ben is gone for so long, they.
really don't know one another. Ben's account of his and.
Willy's father was one of an enterprising man. One who.
went out into the world and capitalized on his talents.
Ben was of the same nature. He went out into the real.
world (the jungle) and conquered it. Although Ben had.
very little contact with Willy throughout most of his.
life, his success left a strong impression on him.
Willy on the other hand had a different view of.
success. His view was based on what he experienced in.
his career. His boss and a fellow salesman were his.
mentors. He measured their success with their.
likeability and ability to excel in their field.
exclusively on this characteristic. What he didn't.
realize, or refused to accept, was the fact that it took.
more than making contacts and being well liked. In.
contrast to Willy's idea of success; making contacts,.
being well known, and well liked, Ben took on ventures.
and made money; something tangible and easily measured. .
During his conversations with Willy, Ben always refers.
to "going into the jungle when he was seventeen", and at.
the age of twenty-one, he "came out rich" Ben's sense of.
enterprise was also evident in his reference to always.
on the move. Every time he and Willy had their.
conversations, Ben was always either coming or going,.
