How does the theme of appearance vs. reality appear in Death of a Salesman?

Several aspects of appearance versus reality exist within the text of Arthur Millier's Death of a Salesman. First, the very concept and job of a salesman is to deal with appearances rather than reality and to convince people to buy things that they do not actually need. (If the things being sold were really necessary, one would not need to market them aggressively). Next, Willy Loman's claims to being successful are in fact mere appearance, although of course, appearance is part of what can make someone a successful salesman. Next, the Lomans tend to judge people by external appearance as opposed to internal value, as noted above.

How does the theme of appearance vs. reality appear in Death of a Salesman?

Willy Loman, the protagonist in Arthur's Miller's Death of a Salesman, believes that the way to success is popularity, attractiveness, and luck.  These are the keys to success. One of the themes of the drama subscribes to the idea that appearance may not be reality.

(1) The entire Loman family places heavy value on appearances and good looks. Many of Willy's fondest memories involve his son Biff dwarfing others with his personal attractiveness. Biff was a high school football star who had a scholarship to college.  He failed a math test and that was the end of the college education. 

Despite the fact that Biff is 34 years old, Willy still thinks that Bill is going to find success around the next corner.  He would also like him to be the successful salesman that he was not.  Biff is still a good looking guy, but he resents his father and does not want to be a salesman.

(2) Willy has always believed that it was his appearance that has held him back.  He has always worried about how he looks.  Miller used this aspect of Willy Loman’s life to illustrate that America puts too much importance on the outside image and outer facade. Biff’s dedication to keeping up his appearance suggests his remaining desire to impress his father. Willy attributes Biff's former popularity and success to his smile. Now, however, it seems that Biff's smile and good looks just have not been enough to get him to a stable place in life.

WILLY: I’m fat. I’m very—foolish to look at, Linda. I didn’t tell you, but Christmas time I happened to be calling on F.H. Stewarts, and a salesman I know, as I was going in to see the buyer I hear him say something about—walrus. And I—I cracked him right across the face. I won’t take that. I simply will not take that. But they do laugh at me. I know that.  I gotta overcome it. I know I gotta overcome it. I’m not dressing to advantage, maybe.

Willy assumes his business problems have to do primarily with his appearance. It does not to occur to him that his real problem may be that people see right through his flimsy, image-obsessed personality. The play points out that people of real substance are the ones who get real respect.

(3) To further illustrate the idea of reality versus appearance, the pride of the Loman family pushes them to lie not only to the outside world but to each other. The Lomans and particularly Willy are proud but the basis for their pride is not reality—it is their lies. Willy celebrates his own phenomenal success in business…when in actuality, he has not been receiving a paycheck and eventually is fired. 

His neighbor Charley, a successful business man, offers Willy a job with a weekly pay check.  Because he has always considered Charley inferior to himself, Willy’s pride will not let him accept the job.  He will accept loans that he is unable to pay back.  The verse from Proverbs teaches: Pride goeth before a fall.  The fall for the Lomans will be hard and life-altering. 

How does the theme of appearance vs. reality appear in Death of a Salesman?

Illusion and reality are interspersed throughout Death of a Salesman. The contrasting themes primarily concern Willy Loman, and they are indicated by both dialogue and staging. To this end, some of Willy’s “dialogue” consists of him speaking to people who are not present, thus constituting a dual visual and audio hallucination. Arthur Miller offers clear stage directions to indicate how the imagined scenes should be differentiated from the real ones.

One clear case of Willy’s hallucinatory stages is his conversations with his brother, Ben. Willy glorifies Ben and his achievements—which the audience cannot be sure are true—and hopes that his sons would emulate Ben’s adventurous, entrepreneurial spirit. Ben supposedly owns diamond mines in Africa.

The lighting changes during the Willy’s imagined and remembered episodes to warmer tones, while reality is indicated by cool tones. Thematic music includes a flute melody that indicates Willy and his connection to the past, through his father (also named Ben) and his brother.

How does the theme of appearance vs. reality appear in Death of a Salesman?

In Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, one of the main themes is illusion versus reality.  Willy Loman has difficulty differentiating these two things (illusion and reality). One example is how, at times, Willy remembers the past and confuses it for the present. He remembers the woman he had an affair with, only to see his wife Linda in front of him, mending stockings. Another example of illusion versus reality is how Willy imagines himself and his sons to be well-liked, when in reality, they are viewed in a negative light. Willy is seen as washed up by his boss and colleagues and his sons are seen as worthless and despicable, even by their own mother. 

Willy's ultimate demise is caused by his inability to reconcile illusion and reality. When he can no longer pretend that he can be successful at work and support his family, he commits suicide. Because he is not grounded in reality, he can't take the proper steps to move his life forward in a positive way. Sadly, much of his life has been spent caught up in the illusion of how he'd like his world to be instead of acknowledging the reality of it.

How does Death of a Salesman reinforce the theme of illusion?

Illusion is addressed constantly within Arthur Miller’s play. One aspect might instead be called “delusion,” as several of the characters are operating with fantastic ideas about what constitutes real life. Willy Loman and his sons are weighed down by the illusory dreams they once had but which have escaped them. Willy, in particular, clings to the vision of what his sons might have accomplished. This backward-looking vision affects their relationship; because he cannot accept who they are, he seems constantly disappointed, and Biff and Happy both resent his critical attitude. The blurry line between reality and illusion grows even weaker as Willy’s mental health deteriorates. The audience is often unsure whether he is remembering things that actually happened or fantasizing about things that did not. The author uses dialogue and monologues to show the progression of Willy’s decline, as he increasingly intersperses speech about contemporary life with these “memories,” such as addressing people who are not there.

The play’s original, highly innovative staging also emphasizes illusion. Parts of the Loman’s house are insubstantial, and lighting is used to create effects of solid walls or to make them transparent and then vanish. Miller explained that in the current time period, the “actors observe the imaginary wall-lines,” but in the past, they can step right through the “walls” made of light.