Mental Health In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

Emily Major
Mrs. J. Bastedo
English 11.3
13 April 2018

Mental Health, Family Values, and Tragic Flaw in Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman

Arthur Miller’s use of mental health and the problems that go along with that, the importance of family, and hamartia are all important can seen in his literary work Death of a Salesman. Mental health was and has never been treated socially and physically for what it actually is. If it had been taken control of in recent years, it would realistically not be an area to study in a postwar era. It is a topic that although is very important did not receive enough attention in the late 1940’s. In this play, the reader can see the impact of mental health not only to the main character Willy Loman but

Willy was a firm believer of the American dream in which he worked his whole entire life to try and become successful through his drive, ambition and work ethic. This however does not work out for him. The reader can see this through a conversation between his wife Linda and son Biff, where Linda tells him, “Remember I wrote you that he smashed up the car again? In February?...The insurance inspector came. He said that they have evidence. That all these accidents in the last year---weren’t---weren’t accidents” (Death of a Salesman Act 1. 58). This shows that when Willy was out driving or just out in general he was not thinking properly about the consequences his actions made. His illness made him not only delusional but suicidal as

Willy sees himself as a well-liked and very successful salesman. This can be seen when Linda talks to Biff and Happy and says, “Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He’s not the finest character that ever lived...And what goes through a man’s mind, driving seven hundred miles home without having earned a cent?”(Miller Act 1. 57). This proves that Willy was never the man he wanted to be but painted a different picture in his own mind. His family and everyone else can see there is something wrong with him but no one knows what to