Willy's Loneliness and Alienation in Death of a Salesman
Willy Loman’s feelings of alienation and loneliness are direct psychological results of his interaction with society and the conditions that are found within it. Although, he does not necessarily have the ability or allow himself to have the ability to define his feelings as such, they are still very much a part of his everyday existence. This is evident in his constant bragging and attempted compensation. He does not feel that he is truly a part of society. Indeed, he is not. Miller himself seems to be saying that this is not necessarily a bad thing; this society is not that wonderful. Yet Willy still yearns to be like his brother, Ben, and the other men he sees making up the work force. He desperately wants to command respect and be a part of the group. Although usually he just goes about his business as best he can, he does at times admit his feelings:
‘Because I get so lonely—especially when business is bad and there’s nobody to talk to. I get the feeling that I’ll never sell anything again, that I won’t make a living for you, or a business,
Business for the boys. There’s so much I want to make for— (Baym 2001) He wants to provide for Linda and for the boys, but he does not know how to go about this within the confines of society and still maintain his individuality. Even the things he dreams of having for himself and for his family are shallow. He will never find relief from his search because even if he reaches his goals of modest financial success he would still be left wanting. Willy’s life teeters between these petty concrete objects and his verbal projections. In past, present, and fantasy, Willy expresses himself through clichés and repetitions in a formulaic chant. However, he achieves neither popularity nor success as a salesman, and he fails as a gardener, mechanic, husband, father. (Martin 67)
He cannot even achieve small goals. He has no real feeling of self-worth, and this lack of self-confidence is reinforced by society and Biff’s discovery of Willy’s infidelity. In speaking about his plays, Miller explained, “It is necessary, if one is to reflect reality, not only to depict why a man does what he does, or why he nearly didn’t do it, but why he cannot simply walk away and say to hell with it” (Eight ix). In the case of Death of a Salesman, it is Willy’s desperate hope of success that keeps him from committing suicide for so long. Eventually, however, he gives in to his feelings of depression and ends his life. It is the only viable solution he sees at this point. In another writing, Miller said, “My impulse is usually toward integration of meaning through significant individual action” (Archbishop xiv-xv). In this case, it is the action of Willy Loman which reflects the damaging psychological results which can occur as a result of societal conditions. A Miller protagonist belongs to a strange breed. In every instance he is unimaginative, inarticulate, and physically nondescript, if not downright unattractive. His roles as husband and father are of paramount importance to him, and yet he fails miserably in both. He wants to love and be loved, but he is incapable of either giving or receiving love. And he is haunted by aspirations toward a joy in life that his humdrum spirit is quite unable to realize. (Corrigan 4)
This unusual and rather depressing combination of characteristics leads to the alienation and loneliness which is so acutely felt by Willy.although it is not often recognized for what it is by him or expressed by him. A second occurrence that displayed Willy's alienation happened in his own family. Biff doesn't believe whatsoever in his father and has no hope for him at all. Biff even says in act one that his father has no character. Biff is a perfect symbol for society in the play. Biff knows his father has problems, but even as a son, "can't get near him." Even though he accepts his father as a fake later in life, Biff tries over and over again to reach his father and to help him, but an unseen barrier prevents Biff from doing so. Happy is the type that knows what's going on with his father, but won't try to help him. Although it is never actually said verbatum, it is obvious that Willy has some kind of mental problem that needs some attention. Yet even in his own home, he can't get any help because his family can't bring it upon themselves to help him. This instance depicts the way society would rather, "Let someone else handle it," than take action and go against what is popular. This example is probably the saddest and most heartbreaking part of the play. A final instance of Willy Loman's alienation is the way he excludes himself from society. Subconsciously, Willy knows what his capabilities and his problems are, and he exiles himself socially. That could very well be the reason behind the "conversations" he has with himself throughout the novel; he feels like he can't talk to anyone else. Willy has a war going on in his mind, and he is helpless toward ending it. He knows that he can do well in life and be the man he should be, but he just can't seem to piece together the correct method of doing so. It's because of this that he continually defeats himself, and repeatedly fails. Willy Loman wants to be the best at anything, particularly selling and being a provider for his family. However, his character is one who owns nothing and makes nothing, so he is constantly at the far bottom of the totem pole. Even the merchandise that he sells, which is his expertise, doesn't belong to him, and just helps to keep him down in the business world and away from society. Perhaps Willy's alienation is symbolized by the garden he wishes to grow in his back yard. His back yard is small, fenced in, and unable to bear a fruitful garden. Likewise, Willy Loman's position in the working world is constricted, away from everyone else, and won't let him become successful. Willy was his own worst enemy, a man who couldn't accept himself. Society added fuel to the fire by not accepting him either. It is human nature to be judgmental of things, and especially people. Willy Loman was no exception to this. Yet, Willy was already down, and society kept him there. He lost the job that he'd worked at faithfully for thirty-four years, simply because the younger owner couldn't bear with having an older, less successful salesman representing the company. Willy is sealed off from his family, especially from his sons, because of an unseen force that causes an inability to communicate. Finally, he can't fight the predicament that society placed him in, because deep down, he can't accept the fact that he's not what he wanted to be in life. All of the actions that alienated Willy Loman validate the prejudice and bias of society.

Works Cited

Baym, Franklin, Gottesman, Holland, et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 4th ed. New York: Norton, 1994.
Corrigan, Robert W., ed. Arthur Miller. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1969.

Martin, Robert A., ed. Arthur Miller. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982.

Miller, Arthur. The Archbishop’s Ceiling/The American Clock. New York: Grove Press, 1989.

---. Eight Plays. New York: Nelson Doubleday, 1981.