Introduction to Comparison Between Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Ross
Literature has always witnessed transformations in culture shown through similarities between Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Ross. The modern period which started quite lately in literature as compared to modernity reached its peak following WWII and then after further evolution it entered into the postmodern world where cultural values, beliefs, and morals witnessed sea changes. The transformation in these values, morals, and beliefs could be seen in the respective literature. Not only that the literary ideals such as tragic heroes and their representations changed, but also themes and structures, language, and above all moral values have witnessed massive changes. Written by Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman presents a modernist literary piece which shows presents modern tragedy, values of the society, modernist language structures, and themes of faith, hope, and dreams, while contrary to it, its supposed postmodernist sequel Glengarry Glen Ross by Mamet demonstrates postmodernist trends sans tragedy, sans morality, transparent and audience-centered language to be inferred in any way. It means despite several similarities between Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Ross are entirely different plays.
Tragedy and Death of a Salesman
As far as the idea of tragedy is concerned, the debut of Death of Salesman created a stir in the literary circle regarding presentation of a common man as a tragic hero, for which Miller has to write an essay to explain his idea of tragedy in this play which he states, “the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were” (Miller 3-7) and Willy Loman is a down-to-earth common American who is disillusioned by the mythical American dream. Contrary to the classical idea of Aristotelian definition of tragedy, having heroes with great stature, Miller has touted that “The commonest of men may take on that stature to the extent of his willingness to throw all he has into the contest, the battle to secure his rightful place in his world” (Miller 3-7) which in Willy cases is his two sons, his own career and family that he bets in order to make himself equal to either Ben or his own father that Ben mentions or others in his familiar circle. However, none is achieved. In another sense, everything seems to him in “disorder” (Klages) through which Miller has tried to bring out the “order” (Klages) of the moral values that is to dig out “meaning which has been lost in the most of modern world” (Klages) which Biff states at the end that “He had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong” (Miller) while Happy says that “I’m gonna show you and everybody else …that …he had a good dream” (Miller) which is that Willy wants to bring order by realizing his dreams that were not right according to Happy, but he could not which is why he seems to be a common tragic hero of Arthur Miller. However, as opposed to this modernist view, there is no morals, no scruples and no values whatsoever in Glengarry Glen Ross. There is only “talk” (Mamet) about “leads” (Mamet), “close and sales” (Mamet) devoid of all morals. If Levene seems to the central character, he acts just like a common salesman but unlike Willy devoid of any dream and therefore no moral values at the end. However, despite similarities between Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Ross are different in this sense.
Whereas the question of morality or moral values is concerned, in Aristotelian and Elizabethan tragedies, the protagonist is always on the guard to set right that “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (Shakespeare 90) and takes the entire onus of doing this on himself and the piece presents a “clear-cut moral position” (Klages). However, in modernist literature, this does not mean that the common man, as a hero, is morally upright similar to the classical heroes, but that “if it is true that tragedy is the consequence of a man’s total compulsion to evaluate himself justly, his destruction in the attempt posits a wrong or an evil in his environment” (Miller) which Willy sees in the shape of situation and his own ideal of achieving the American dream which he could not. Even his affair does not mean that there is no morality, but it means that he realizes that he has not achieved his desires and expectations in which Miller has presented a modernist view of “clear-cut moral position” (Klages) that this cut-throat competition takes its toll form the people involved in the rat race for materialism. However, there does not seem to be any morality Glengarry Glenn Ross and the characters are living in world where stealing, lying, cheating, burglaries, sex, and drinking are the order of the day in which man has become a machine “That’s the “Machine.” That is Shelly “The Machine” Lev…” (Mamet). It is on the audience to deduce the meanings from the situation presented to them. At least there is a faith, hope and dreams in Death of a Salesman which Willy demonstrates but there is no such thing in Glengarry Glenn Ross, a typical postmodern feature of the literature. In fact, it is Roma who seems to be the epitome of the postmodern era whose lengthy and baffling absence of “an absolute morality” (Mamet) in this world shows a world sans conscience. This shows a great difference between Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Ross.
Language in Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Ross
As far as the question of language is concerned, there is modernist idea that “language is transparent, that words serve only as representations of thoughts or things, and don’t have any function beyond that” (Klages) which seems to be true in the case of Willy Loman and he has “Big” (Miller) ideas, “contacts” (Miller) and above the idea of “well-liked” (Miller) through which we can judge his dreams. He is the “signified” in which the “reality resides” (Klages). However, the case of Glengarry Glen Ross is quite different. There is no idea and “only surfaces” (Klages) and only “signifiers, without no signifieds” (Klages) which is clear from the language used by Levene, Roma and Williamson. Contrary to Death of Salesman, where language is a vehicle to communicate the reality, the characters in Glengarry Glenn Ross do not use language for communication but to hide, manipulate and exploit truth and manipulate the customers and their own brethren. Miller’s ideas are clear that he wants to show use the other side of capitalism and he presented it through Willy but Mahmet has left everything on the reader to deduce from the use of language.
Conclusion
In nutshell, the difference between Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Rosslies in the periods in which both plays have made their debuts where Death of Salesman represent the modern idea of tragedy as expounded by the author himself, Glengarry Ross does not present any tragedy, hence no catharsis of any emotions. Whereas Death of Salesman is a journey toward the realization of a moral system, beliefs and hopes, Glengarry Glen Ross is an epitome of a world sans any moral value, belief or creed except material gain by hook or by crook. If Death of Salesman uses transparent language to point out the reality, the same reality itself disappears in Glengarry Glenn Ross of the postmodern ear. It is true that both have the same theme and one seems to be sequel of other, but both presents world pole apart from each other where one is a modern play and the other is postmodern.
Works Cited
- Klages, Mary. “Postmodernism.” 30 September 2005. Willaim Mette. <http://www.willamette.edu/~rloftus/postmod.htm>. Accessed 24 Nov. 2020.
- Mamet, David. Glengarry Glen Ross. New York: Grove Press, 1984.
- Miller, Arthur. Death of Salesman. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers , 1994.
- ____. “Tragedy and the Common Man.” Miller, Arthur. Theater Essays. Viking Penguin, 1978. 3-7.
- Shakespare, William. Shakespearen Plays. 1999. Shakespeare Online <http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/hamlet_1_4.html>. Accessed 24 Nov. 2020.
Relevant Questions about Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Ross
- In Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Ross, how do the characters navigate the American Dream’s illusion and their harsh realities?
- In both plays, how does workplace culture shape the characters’ identities and self-worth?
- How do power dynamics and competition impact the characters’ moral choices in Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Ross?
