In “Death of a Salesman”, the main character is Willy Loman who is a salesman who gets fired from his job, and when his son Biff couldn’t get the loan he needed to start his new company, Willy ends up killing himself just so that his son could use the insurance money to start up his new company.
“Death of a Salesman” and “Song Of Myself” both share many themes in common, one being the American dream, where every American deserves equal oppurtunity as in both poems, they think everyone is equal and that everyone has a voice and is able to give their own opinion, sort of like a democracy. But when Willy decided that his worth was determined by wealth, he thought it would be better to commit suicide.
Another theme would be appearances vs reality, as in both pieces, in order for you to fully experience what this world has to offer, you have to be invested but also have your own perspective.
In “Death of a Salesman”, Willy ends up being too invested into own vision of the world where he needs to be successful to enjoy life, which therefore speeds up his psychological decline, which in turn ends up having Willy take his own life as he feels he doesn’t belong in his own vision, meanwhile its because he has been to invested.
“Death of a Salesman” shares a similar theme to “Song of Myself” as everything in America is moving so fast paced, as when Biff couldn’t get the loan in time, Willy, instead of thinking of other ideas, thinks committing suicide is the better option for getting his son the money.
So this highlights the fact the there was no thought process, it was all about getting his son the money the fastest way possible, just like in America everything has to be done as quick as possible. Also in both pieces, they highlight the beauty of each individual person, as every is person is equal, but are unique in different ways and are made for different purposes.
Millers play critiques Whitmans poem by highlighting the fact that people are more interested in material success rather than being happy with what they have got. People tend to be more concered about what people think about them, rather than just focusing on ones self. This play highlights what some Americans, still to this day, find more important in life and emphasizes the wrong idea some Americans have.
In Whitmans poem, you get the idea that everyone is equal and that you need to focus on items/things that are more important than material success, like the beauty in nature and the cycle of life that it experiences. The fact that grass was used was to highlight that even when times are tough, there will always be a positive.
Example would be when there is a huge fire and all the land is destoryed. Grass will regrow and help rebuild the beauty that was once there. It highlights the importance of taking your own time and not being focused on what other people have achieved, as no matter how hard life gets, life will get better from there.
In both pieces, you can see an opposite views between Whitman and Miller, as one is about the beauty of life and focusing on everyone being equal but unique in their own ways, and the other is about being as successful as you can with material success. Millers play you can see how he focuses on trying to be the most successful person, ans that receiving any negative backlash is the worsh punishment.
These two very different views can highlight the difference between Americans, as one is that they are happy with what they have and have learned to fall in love with the cycle of life and nature, whereas the other view highlights that material success is what determines your part in society, and that if you are not wealthy or excelling in a specific thing, you arent going to do well in life.
Both have different visions, but highlight the fact that you need to find a balance between both areas. You cant be fully commited to believing in one, and that once you find the balance, you will achieve greatness and enjoy what the world has to offer you.
Whitman highlights the importance of enjoying things in the present, and not dwelling in the past or worrying about your future, which is opposite to Millers play as Miller highlights the view some Americand have when it comes to the American dream which is only to be successful. You can see that Whitman is trying to change that specific view on the American dream.
