Importance of Ben Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

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The Importance of Ben Loman in in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

Ben Loman is an important character in Death of a Salesman but he is quite unusual. The audience encounters Uncle Ben during Willy Loman's hallucinations of the past and as a result, it is tempting to disregard his character as just another creation of Willy's delusional mind. However, Ben is much more than that. His character is representative of Willy's unrealistic dreams as well as the realty of his life.

When the audience first encounters Ben (Miller 44), he represents the success that Willy is striving for. Before the audience learns of the success that Ben encountered in Africa, they see him on the stage accompanied by an idyllic musical motif similar to that of Willy's father (Launsberry). His father also symbolizes success. However, it is soon clear that Ben actually represents the death that Willy will inevitably encounter. Ben appears to the audience at times when Willy is feeling most low and possibly contemplating suicide. He appears for the first time as Willy expresses exhausti...

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