Death Of A Salesman Ben The Idol Essay

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Ben the Idol
Death of a Salesman has many different things going on. The relationships between the different characters vary based on knowledge of each other that not all of them have. One of the most important things in this story is the lack of honesty between the family members. One character that is highly regarded by the main character Willy, is his brother Ben. Willy always looked up to Ben almost as a father figure, after his father left. Ben represented everything Willy wanted, but never achieved. Ben is portrayed as a rich, wealthy man who made his fortune in Alaska very quickly and continued to find fortune in Africa. He is introduced while Willy is playing cards with his neighbor Charley. Willy starts talking to Ben as if he were …show more content…

In his imaginary conversations with Ben, he is very hard on him. The reason he portrays Ben this way is because he is incredibly insecure. Willy paints a picture of success and a lavish lifestyle for Ben and compares himself to that image and not necessarily who Ben was. At one point in the story it showed Ben saying things like “I have many enterprises, William, and I have never kept any books.” (2128). this is an example of how Ben may not really have anything but a load of lies as he has no proof or records but Willy never notices. He is concerned that Willy wouldn’t be proud of him and that his sons aren’t proud of …show more content…

He believes he’ll never be good enough to impress him. To the audience, however, Ben represents the American dream. The idea of being able to be seventeen walk into a jungle and walk out at twenty-one and being rich (2128). No one in their right mind wouldn’t want that opportunity. He also represents consumerism in America. Consumerism is the idea that money almost directly translates to happiness. This idea is commonly challenged by people saying “money isn’t everything” but consumerism still tends to be a leading idea because money may not make people happy but it definitely makes their lives

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