Schizophrenia In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

Born into a wealthy family in 1915 in New York City, Arthur Miller would become one of America’s finest playwrights. Like many of the families during the Great Depression, Miller’s family suffered financial and social collapse during the 1930s. In order to pay for his education at the University of Michigan, he took on menial jobs that offered him the opportunity to be surrounded by those who had also suffered the same downfall from the Depression. These experiences would shape how and what Miller would write about in the future, including his Pulitzer Prize winning play, Death of a Salesman and the main character of the play, Willy Loman. Narcissism, mental illness, and the downfall of the American dream, define Willy Loman’s character in

“The stigma of mental illness, although more often related to context than to a person’s appearance, remains a powerful negative attribute in all social relations” (Byrne 65). It is unclear whether Miller was well versed on the subject of psychology, but in this particular play, his character, Willy, epitomizes someone with a schizophrenic personality. Schizophrenia is characterized by the individual having, “[…] at least one psychotic symptom, such as hallucinations, delusions, and/or disorganized speech. Anxiety, depression, and suicide often co-occur frequently in schizophrenia” (“Schizophrenia” 202). In one scene from the play, Willy is heard talking to himself while in the kitchen and then he experiences a flashback of when his sons, Biff and Happy were younger, which is a sign of a hallucination as seen in individuals with schizophrenia. Willy also suffers from grandiose delusions claiming he was an important businessman and well-liked, “[…] I went north to Providence. Met the Mayor. […] then he had coffee with me” (Miller). One of the pivotal moments in the play comes when Linda, Willy’s wife, reveals to her sons that has been suicidal, “He’s been trying to kill himself. […]The insurance inspector came. He said that they have evidence. That all these accidents in the last year — weren’t — weren’t — accidents” (Miller). Suicidal ideations are another symptom seen in schizophrenics. Willy’s suicide attempts may not have been due to