Not only does he need to follow Ben’s example to become wealthy, but also his father’s example of being the sole bread winner of the family. Willy can understand neither, because he is burdened with the examples set by his father and brother who are self-sufficient and adventurous.
Biff is disillusioned and Happy is hedonic, both as rebel against the unachievable American Dream. However, as time is different from then and family members can have different personalities, conflicts within the family are created and explained.
In this way, a family education passing from one generation to another is neatly demonstrated. Though he is Willy’s elder brother, he is a father-like figure, or a combination of father and elder brother. Nevertheless, not for his special role, Ben’s words or success may not be so overwhelming. Therefore, it is fair to say that Ben, to Willy, is an ideal that can never be achieved (though from the information in the play we can’t tell whether the story of Ben is true or made-up). The more it is mentioned, the more strongly Willy believes in his potential of becoming rich but the American Dream in itself is no more than an elating propaganda.
Who is ben in death of a salesman verification#
This kind of unified description is an intended repetition, stressing the end and the verification of the American Dream which demands only of hard work. This is not an overnight success, yet every time it is mentioned, it sounds like an overnight success: no details are provided, except the phrase “by God”. He went into the jungle in Africa at the age of seventeen and when he went out at twenty-one, he was rich because he found some diamond mines. Among the three, Ben’s success is the most striking one: he became rich from scratch. Symbolic Meaning of Ben and His Life Experienceįirst of all, in the play Ben is one of the three embodiments of the American Dream which obsesses Willy a lot. At last, Willy becomes insanely assured and chooses to end his life.Ģ. Seemingly, his words are all about his jungle adventure and he is pushing Willy to follow his footsteps. Last appearance of Ben is right before Willy’s suicide. Ben tries, with limited efforts, to eliminate the idea and fails. In the garden, Willy for the first time in the play begins to discuss the idea of committing suicide for premium. A brief piece of memory regarding Biff is recalled as well.Īpproaching the end of the play, Ben’s interaction with Willy becomes more frequent and crucial. Ben tries to persuade Willy to get out of the city and pursue a new career. The next scene of Ben is in Howard’s office when Willy has just been fired.
Who is ben in death of a salesman how to#
Ben ends the conversation with his experience in the jungle as a response to Willy’s question about how to teach kids. The brothers chat mainly about the old days, including Ben’s experiences and memory of their father, and some past moments flash back. A fierce argument has been going on since Charley tried to offer Willy a job. In Act One, Ben appears when Willy is playing cards with his old neighbor, Charley. This dissertation discusses the character Ben from three aspects: 1) symbolic meanings of Ben’s imagine and life experiences, 2) Ben’s relationship with Willy and 3) Ben’s conflicts with Linda, Willy’s wife. (Miller 44) Therefore, Ben represents the ideal, at least part of the ideal, in Willy’s mind and serves as a guiding star in Willy’s destiny. Besides, “he is utterly certain of his destiny, and there is an aura of far places about him”. According to the stage direction on his first appearance, Ben is “a stolid man” with “a mustache and an authoritative air”. He already died in Africa, thus appearing only in Willy’s imagination or illusion. So “Willy Loman's life teems with ghosts” (Harrington 59) who are quite important in understanding the changes happened in his mind.īen, Willy’s elder brother, appears in the play for four times, one time in Act One and three times in Act Two. In Arthur Miller’s Death of A Salesman, the protagonist Willy Loman is in a constantly unstable condition, becoming insane now and then.