Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is a story about the futility of self-deception, but it also examines the definition of “success” in post-World War II America. and the danger of repressing one's own inclination to meet the expectations of others. Willy Loman's abject failure results from delusions and a false sense of entitlement, but they are symptoms of a deeper problem: his desperate attempt to be something he is not. His collapse is offset by the awakening of Biff, who challenges the strict definitions of success that led to Willy's downfall. In the end, it is perhaps Biff who is the most important character, the only one capable of change. In Biff's willingness to face himself and seek an alternative to the conventional American dream, we see the freedom and personal fulfillment that people obsessed with status can rarely achieve. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay In post-World War II America, people believed the advertiser's claims that everyone deserved a new car, fancy appliances, and a big house with a white roof. palisade. The definition of success was reduced to a rigid set of parameters. For Willy Loman and his ilk, success wore a suit and a briefcase. Having a nicer car, house, or refrigerator than your neighbors was of paramount importance. Willy adheres to these material goals, believing that beauty, luck, and charisma are all it takes to “end up with diamonds” (160). Like many contemporary Americans, he lives beyond his means in order to project an illusion of success. Wealth and upward mobility, or at least the appearance of it, is what he is conditioned to. Despite Willy's grandiose assertions, we have the feeling that he has no place in the business world: he admits that "people don't seem to take me" (116), that they make fun of him , that he talks too much or makes too many jokes Behind all this are hints of Willy's talent for working with his hands. He installs a ceiling, installs plumbing, builds a porch, a garage and a room. of extra bath. As Charley comments after the funeral, "he was a happy man with a lot of cement" (206). jumble of a city. We should mix cement in an open plain, or -- or carpenters. A carpenter has the right to whistle!" (138). Unfortunately, working with his hands doesn't fit Willy's vision of success. He tells Biff that even his grandfather was better than a carpenter. Willy is so trapped in his desire to impress others, to achieve social status and to be "liked", that he has suppressed his own natural inclinations and forced himself into a mold that doesn't quite suit him. He bangs his head against the door of corporate America, scorning the idea of ​​working on a farm, but a glimpse of some inner contradiction appears when he promises Linda: "We'll find a little place in the country, and I'll raise a few vegetables, a few chickens..." (148). After Willy's funeral, Biff says quietly: "There's more of him on this stoop than in all the sales he ever made." (106). Biff's epiphany, near the end of the play, comments strongly on the idea of ​​one size fits all. notions of the American dream. After trying to adapt to his father's definition (and..