Blinding National Ethos

Intertextual Analysis of Death of a Salesman and Ceremony

In the novel Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko, indigenous Native American people suffer greatly from the encroachment of the white culture. Some Native Americans, under the influence of the American Dream, alienate from their Native heritage with the desire to be recognized in American society regardless of their ethnicity. Similarly, in the play Death of a Salesman written by Arthur Miller, the protagonist displays a deep-seated devotion to American Dream and aspires to experience upward mobility and be recognized; however, with a different obstacle which is his social class. Even though how the American Dream is portrayed is different in the novels, they share a common purpose which is to convey its destructive influences.

In Ceremony, Silko effectively lays bare the traces of the American Dream through juxtapositions and diction. Primarily, Tayo’s and Rocky’s faithfulness to the native culture are juxtaposed in order to demonstrate the dissociation of Rocky from the traditions. For example, as they are signing for the army, Rocky is eager to leave his land behind and says, “Look at that guy, the recruiter. He’s got his own Government car to drive, too”(67). His envy of the car connotes his willingness to get a reputation in the white culture. On the other hand, Tayo’s feeling is described as hollow, developing an uneasy mood and indicating Tayo’s reluctance to leave the reservation. As they were trying to learn how to raise cattle, Tayo respects the wisdom that arises from cultural practices, yet Rocky rejects them and claims that the books that are written by scientists are reliable. The discrepancy between their views of culture emphasizes how Rocky is under the oppressive influence of American ideals. Moreover, as the narrator elicits Rocky’s beliefs omnisciently, remarks that he relies on the word “someday” as the white people (67). The linguistic choice implies how the white culture urges Native American people to dishonor traditions by offering them recognition in their society.

In Death of a Salesman, Miller criticizes the American Dream through a stereotypical character and his conflicts using 1st person point of view to highlight the faithfulness to the ideals and its destructive outcomes. The protagonist, Will, is a typical impoverished American who longs for huge success for both himself and his boys. Whilst he is describing his job he says, “And they know me, boys, they know me up and down England.” (24). The repetition of “know me” suggests his need for recognition and to be known as successful. It can be interpreted that he has an inferiority complex as he is trying to reflect himself as a well-liked businessman. Furthermore, throughout the play Willy is mixed with the present and his memories, indicating his mental disturbance. By showing Willy’s depression, Miller points out the harm that comes with wholeheartedly believing in the American Dream; yet through character development which arises as Biff’s disillusionment, offers the reader a way to get over the manipulative effect of the American Dream. “What am I doing in an office, making a contemptuous, begging fool of myself, when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am! (105). Through this dialogue between Biff and Willy, Biff tries to urge Willy to see that not everything is about success and the author tries to reach the reader and lure them to stop valuing themselves only on success.

In conclusion, even though the way the Native Americans and Willy Loman experience the American Dream is far disparate, both of the literary works put emphasis on the harm that the American Dream brings about. However, they also suggest ways to overcome the influence. In the Ceremony, Tayo by honoring the beauty of cultural values overcomes the manipulative influence and finds the balance between the cultures; whereas in the Death of a Salesman, Biff by observing the loss of identity that his father encounters discerns the annihilating reverberation of the American Dream on people’s lives and eludes himself from the reliance on the ideal.