Since the beginning of time, man has endeavored to become something more, to grow as a society. This has been accomplished through many extremes from war and conquest to science and exploration. The struggle endured during these events has indeed been great, but there is no greater struggle, nor one that reaps more reward, than that which the individual goes through to discover himself. Benjamin Franklin once said, There are three things that are extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know ones self. Arthur Miller capitalized on this theme in his play turned film, Death of a Salesman. The main character of the film, Willy Loman, is an aging salesman, who believes that success has to do with what others think of him. As a young man, he had his mind set to do what was in his heart: go to Alaska with his brother, Ben, to seek his fortune. He changed his mind when he encountered a salesman who was loved and remembered by everyone. He thought that because the other salesman was successful, he would be as well. As a result, he gave up his own dream in order to follow someone elses. Loman has two sons, whom he only wants the best for, but has always pushed his warped formula for success on them. For example, he pressures his oldest son, Biff, to be popular, athletic, and strong because he assumes such things have made others successful. When Biff was younger he caught Loman cheating on Linda, Lomans wife and Biffs mother. Biff immediately loses faith and trust in his father, leaving him without guidance. He had never been taught how to be himself. Biff begins to realize that success for him will not correlate into material wealth. True happiness for Biff will lie in his self-acceptance and ability to use that acceptance to make a place for himself in the world. Loman realizes that he has failed as a father and as a salesman. This causes him to become mentally unstable and he starts acting out scenes from the past, when he was happi...
