Themes

• The American Dream: To analyse the theme of the American dream in this work, the American dream as such will first be explained below for a better understanding. A direct definition of the term American Dream cannot be articulated, as the term is too vague and situation-dependent for that. The American dream is a myth of success that is now known far beyond the country's borders and has given the United States the image of the land of opportunity. It is characterised by strong optimism, self-fulfilment and the belief that success is not linked to origins, but is the responsibility and discretion of each individual. The core message of the American dream is that every individual should enjoy equal opportunities. The phenomenon of the American Dream is based on the religious idea that America is a new kind of Canaan, a new Jerusalem. The idea of a promised land had already taken root in the minds of the European population before the discovery of America. Then, when America was first explored in the 15th century, the new undiscovered land offered the corresponding opportunity to establish the aspiration for greater meaning and freedom as a popular myth. Although the American Dream is about equal rights for all citizens and includes the Melting Pot theory, despite the supposedly unlimited opportunities, minorities are still excluded and not everyone can benefit from the privileges of the American state
• Egoism as a driving force: Even though Death of a salesman is critical of the American dream, it also contradicts it in many ways. While the main motivator of the American dream is equal opportunity for all individuals, the characters in Death of a salesman represent a striving for the myth of success, which is not characterised by equity but rather by egoism. Bernard alone is the only character in the book who has managed to live and fulfil the American Dream: With hard work and unwavering diligence, he worked his way up from a small man to a lawyer on the Supreme Court. On the other hand, while the American dream stands for having to work hard for one's success, characters like Uncle Ben achieve their wealth through opaque deals and not necessarily in a legal way. There is no explicit mention of how Uncle Ben gets his wealth, only that he finds diamonds. However, the actual cruelty behind the business of diamond trading and the relationships that helped him to benefit from it is left out. Therefore, the way Uncle Ben became successful is most likely criminal in nature and that he became successful certainly claimed the sacrifices and losses of numerous other people. The criminal way of getting his money again contradicts the American dream, which emphasises morally justifiable action. By including success stories such as Willy's brother's in the play, Miller is making a quiet and subtle critique of the American dream and pointing to the darker side of the success myth

Motives

• Willy's failure: Part of the American dream is a heroic figure that is inherent in every success myth. The hero is at the centre of the action and is represented by a salesman in the classic version of the American dream. Because the salesman represents the broad mass of a society, the failure of a salesman reflects on it. Accordingly, Willy's failure is not only to be seen as a personal defeat but as a critique of the social conditions in society. What ultimately brings the protagonist down is not that he does not fulfil the American dream, but that he clings to the myth of success even though he is not made for it. In Willy's mind, a person is only worth as much as he earns and he measures a person's success solely by his career. Tragically, this way of thinking is based on the idea that success is the only way to be valued, but if the motivation to become successful is based solely on the pursuit of wealth, one will never become successful. A person like Willy strives for esteem, significance and recognition. He fails to become successful because his true goals are not a success as a salesman, but because he wants to be perceived, appreciated and respected as a human being. But to achieve all this, the American dream or professional success cannot help him. Due to a lack of intrinsic motivation, Willy is unable to summon the necessary stamina to become a successful salesman. As his son Biff rightly realises at the end of the tragedy, "[Willy] had the wrong dreams" (p. 149, l. 8) and yet had held on all his life to the fact that he would one day become a successful salesman. The discrepancy between the dream and reality made Willy dive further and further into his dream world, as he could no longer bear reality as it was
• Self-perception and self-deception: The protagonist's self-perception is disturbed as he convulsively tries to be someone he is not and therefore his self-image is based on his denial. Willy does realise that he is treating Linda unfairly by cheating on her for years and taking her for granted. He also realises, at the latest when his son Biff bursts into tears at the end of the tragedy, the pressure of suffering his son has to live with because of his father's expectations. So the main character does not lack insight into his mistakes, but the ability to take responsibility for them and deal with them. Contrary to the common opinion that self-deception takes place due to a lack of self-awareness, the example of Willy Loman shows that self-deception can only be understood as the result of self-awareness. Although Willy's self-perception is a disturbed self-image, it is only disturbed because he denies it. It can be argued that the protagonist's self-esteem would by now no longer exist without a certain degree of self-deception. Willy clings to the last bit of illusion like a drowning man, only to avoid having to face his greatest fear, self-confrontation. Finally, his suicide offers the possibility of not having to confront himself with his identity laced with lies and illusion
• Generational conflict: Willy Loman's relationship with his sons is characterised by the father's excessive expectations and Biff Loman's defensiveness in response. The younger son, Happy, plays a subordinate role in this analysis, as there is less friction between him and Willy than between his older brother Biff and the protagonist. To examine the conflict between Willy and his son Biff, it is necessary to take a closer look at Willy's relationship with his father. The latter is mentioned only in passing in this work, but we learn that even as a young boy the protagonist had to come along on the business trips of his father, who dealt with flutes, and was constantly on the move. Then, at the age of four, Willy's father left him and his family when they were in Alaska without notice. Since Willy did not grow up with his father as a role model, his older brother Ben had to take over this function. With Ben, however, Willy possessed a reckless role model, always looking out for his advantage, as well as exhibiting narcissistic tendencies. Although Willy was far softer and more profound than his brother, he did not manage to free himself from his brother's shadow and strived throughout his life to become someone he wasn't. It seems as if Willy wants to make up with Biff what he always wished his father had done: showing him a successful career path and constantly demanding new accomplishments