The Daly Post

We’ve all heard of the classic saying “money can’t buy happiness”. For some of us, this concept clicks. We grow up, get a job, make money, and realize that it’s in fact the little things, loved ones, and stupid things in our lives that matter most and truly make us happy. Although for some of us, such as Willy, we don’t understand this concept and believe that nothing matters more in the world than money itself. Believing that money is the root to happiness is ultimately what leads to failure. Willy, along with many others, focus so much on the aspect of success that they miss out on the parts of life that create true happiness: relationships and experiences. Putting this idea into a simpler, more comical perspective, imagine a dog. A dog can have the biggest cage sold on the market, the fanciest leash and collar, an assortment of winter vests for when the air gets crisp, but I guarantee that that dog isn’t happy. What makes that dog happy you might ask? The answer is quite simple - it...

          As we wrap up Act 1 of The Death of a Salesman , I keep on trying to make sense of the title and its overall meaning in regards to the text. I think it is clear to say that Willy acts as the salesman that is being referred to in the title. From the beginning, he is portrayed as an older man who seems to think he has his life together. He claims he is this big shot, business man that knows the “key to success”. Although he is constantly seen running around, meeting with customers, trying to “make it” - it doesn’t make much sense! If he knows the “key to success”, why are we seeing him, as a 50-year-old man, bust around as if he were someone inexperienced and new to the business world? Simpler said by me than Willy himself, he hasn’t lived up to the American Dream he has strived to achieve. It’s as if he knows this, but doesn’t want to admit it to himself. When the title mentions the word “death”, it isn’t supposed to be taken literally. I could eas...