Impact of Society in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller examines external influences on the individual. These influences include society as a whole, the family as a social unit, and the beliefs the individual thinks he or she should embrace. To understand Willy Loman and the struggles he is facing, one must first understand the society in which he lives. He relies on a slightly different set of values ​​and motivations than everyone else seems to be, and that sets him apart. A great example of the rest of the company is Willy's brother Ben. In sociological terms, Ben is a classic representative of the old middle class of the 19th century, while Willy represents the new, dependent, wage-earning and pathetically other-directed middle class. Ben's character is clearly self-directed... While Willy emphasizes the importance of personality, of being "well-liked" and acceptable to the world, of pleasing others, while insisting on proper form, dress, manners and style, Ben ignores all these aspects. This. (Martin 56) Willy looks to the rest of society for guidance, to see how he must act to succeed on their terms. Yet he cannot completely abandon the belief that his way of trying to “please all people all the time” is right. Society is made up of people like Ben who focus on progress. It is a rapidly expanding industrial society; people have to move quickly to stay on top. They no longer have time for the old ways. Willy has been working for many years, but can't keep up with him. Ultimately, this is why he gets fired from his job. His boss, Howard, explains it to him. Howard: I don't want you representing us. I have... half the paper... 4) Although there is some disagreement about what the effect of Willy's actions on Biff will be once the curtain falls, it is clear that Willy's behavior has destroyed the family unit as the Lomans knew it and it destroyed Willy too. The show, however, ends by focusing on the remaining member of the Loman family. They are still a social unit and must continue to live in the modern material world as best they can. Works Cited Baym, Franklin, Gottesman, Holland, et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 4th ed. New York: Norton, 1994. Costello, Donald P. “Arthur Miller's Circles of Responsibility: A View from a Bridge and Beyond.” Modern drama. 36 (1993): 443-453. Martin, Robert A., ed. Arthur Miller. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982.---. Eight comedies. New York: Nelson Doubleday, 1981.