In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller presents identity as fractured, vulnerable, and deeply shaped by social and economic pressures. Set in post-war America, the play exposes the psychological consequences of a society that defines personal worth through professional success. Through the character of Willy Loman, Miller examines how the pursuit of the American Dream can distort identity rather than fulfil it.
Miller uses setting to visually represent Willy’s sense of entrapment. Willy’s house is surrounded by towering apartment buildings, creating a claustrophobic environment that emphasises his powerlessness within an urban, capitalist world. Unlike Gatsby, who actively constructs an image of success, Willy is overwhelmed by a society that has outgrown him. The contrast between his small, fragile home and the solid structures surrounding it highlights his displacement and insecurity.
Willy’s longing for the past further reveals his fractured identity. He frequently recalls a time when his environment was greener and more open, using pastoral imagery to evoke a world that no longer exists. These memories suggest that Willy’s identity belongs to a pre-urban, pre-capitalist society. The constant shifts between past and present emphasise his inability to reconcile who he is with the world he inhabits.
The American Dream dominates Willy’s sense of self. Even the play’s title reduces him to his profession, implying that his identity is defined not by individuality but by occupation. Willy believes success depends on being well liked and impressive, a belief that repeatedly leads to disappointment. Although he possesses genuine skills in carpentry, he dismisses them because they do not align with his idealised vision of success. In rejecting his natural abilities, Willy rejects the most authentic part of his identity.
Miller further explores this internal conflict through Willy’s imagined conversations with his brother Ben. Ben represents Willy’s fantasy of effortless success, yet his presence exists only within Willy’s mind. This reinforces the idea that Willy’s understanding of success is unreal and unattainable. The fragmented structure of the play, which moves fluidly between memory and reality, mirrors Willy’s fractured sense of self and draws the audience into his psychological confusion.
By the end of the play, Willy is overwhelmed by voices, memories, and imagined figures, unable to distinguish reality from illusion. His suicide becomes the tragic consequence of an identity shaped by unattainable ideals and social pressure. Through Willy Loman, Miller presents identity as something easily distorted by capitalism, ultimately questioning whether a stable or authentic self is possible within such a system.
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