Material World

In Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman strives to make something of his life, and desperately wants the same for his children. In the play, his neighbor Charlie says to him "The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell." The neighbor finds it amusing that he (Willy) is a salesman and he seems not to know this. I believe what Charlie is really saying here (or what Miller wants us to take away) is that all his life Willy has sold himself short, and everything he could wish to have in order to be happy are all things he already possesses. He has a house that's almost paid off, a devoted and caring wife, and two healthy sons. Willy; however, is too obsessed with the material. When it comes down to it in Willy's mind the only things he has that matter to him are the material possessions that can be sold and easily replaced. Charlie is trying to tell him to open his eyes. See that there is more to life than being a salesman until the day he dies. In this time period it is a noble and expected thing to have a good job, make good money, and support the family you have, but in the end that is what matters, not sales numbers or promotions, but the love and support of the ones you are doing this all for in the first place. Willy seems to have lost sight of a lot of things, but most significantly the love he has in the home he has fostered. Charlie is trying to open his eyes to that. Americans today are much the same as Willy. With our fast-paced, get-to-the-top mentality we are quickly losing our morals and values and placing them on impermanent things like money and social stature. America needs a wake-up call like the one Charlie gave to Willy.