The play titled The Death of a Salesman reviles three main themes in the first act. From the start of the play a reader can see themes begin to develop. The most obvious theme is the theme of the American Dream. The idea behind the American Dream is that men were supposed to succeed and lead of life of great success and ownership, ownership of a house, car, family, and advancement from nothing to great success. The theme of the American dream directly comes out when the reader notices that Willey has tried his entire life to obtain this American Dream. He started with nothing, and bought a house and car and tried his best to obtain a successful job and family but instead he turned out to be a failure and his sons also turned out to be lacking in their abilities.
The second major theme presented in the play is the theme of man vs. self. This theme presents itself with the great misfortune of Willy. Willy’s fight to obtain success has lead him to fight a constant battle with himself ever since the start of the play and even before. His hopes for his children and expectations from himself leads him to go a little crazy and losses the battle with himself, showed by his attempts at suicide. His life has become miserable and he wishes to do whatever he can to benefit his family. Willy’s constant stride to achieve success leads him to lose the battle between inside of him which declines his health.
The third main theme provided in the first act of the play is the theme of man vs. society. Willy’s life is full of impressions on him. He is a sales man and therefore must be well liked. His struggle to support his family leads his ties with society to strain. He has outdone his job and is declining in the company. He was at one point a man of respect but is now laughed at and cannot understand why. His impression of what people think of him has become unclear with laughter he hears behind his back. This theme of man vs. society clearly reflects how society reacts on his inability to quit working.
