Were the Lomans Living Ahead of Their Time?
- amandamorelli
- Jan 13, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 16, 2019
In today’s society, success, money, and fame can be easily obtained through the strategic use of social media.
However, in Willy Loman’s time (the late 1940s), social media did not exist and it was difficult for Loman to make a profit as a salesman. If he lived in our current society, I believe that Loman would have reached his goal of becoming a successful salesman because he is constantly seeking acceptance and validation from others, and social media revolves around that principle. In a way, your popularity defines your success on social media; the more popular you are, the more successful you are. Therefore, since Loman is so focused on being well-liked in Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, he would have been extremely successful on social media. However, in the late 1940s society, being popular was not the way to reach success. Taking this into consideration, I believe that Willy Loman was living ahead of his time; his personality fits in perfectly with today’s social media obsessed society.
Additionally, the entire Loman family would have benefited from social media. It is as if their morals were ahead of their time because the exact craving for popularity that the Lomans had have now become very common in society with the growth of social media. In the 21st century, there are many families that are just like the Lomans: parents who post about their kids on Facebook, and kids who post about their glamorous lives on instagram; each one of them craving the acceptance of others. If the Loman family were to live in a society with social media, they would be just like the “Facebook parents” and social media obsessed kids. Click here to read an interesting article that explores the topic of parents creating a social media presence for their children and why it isn't necessarily a good thing. Social media has encouraged families to be just like the Lomans: shallow, apathetic, and naive. (add metaphor about number of likes)
In Biff’s case, social media would be useful because he would find it much easier to be successful in the business world with the existence of social media. Due to the convenience of connections and ease of creating a business or blog on the internet, he could have created a business without depending on anyone such as Bill Oliver for money. Furthermore, with his ability to charm others, he would be able to gain followers on social media and successfully grow his business. He could also take free online courses on websites such as edX, on social media marketing since he didn’t attend university to increase the success of his business. The internet provides endless possibilities for people, so not everyone needs to have a university degree to be successful anymore. Therefore, Biff would have a better life in today’s society than he had in the late 1940s. Here is a link to an interesting article explaining why a university degree isn't necessary to be successful in today's society. The author, Ryan Stewman, reminded me of Biff if he were to live in the modern day.
Social media can be a blessing and a curse. It can connect you with others in a split second and aid your entrepreneurial dreams, but it also nurtures toxic values in people who get too invested in it. Whether it is a blessing on a curse depends on how you use it.
Hey Amanda, interesting blog post! Until I read your analysis, I never thought about this aspect in Death of a Salesman. I agree that success today is revolved around popularity. Take Instagram and Facebook for example, where the number of followers you have or the amount of likes you receive defines your worth. Willy, constantly reliving Biff's former glory, would surely post about his boys' accomplishments on Facebook. All his life, Willy has portrayed himself as being on the verge of success; this would certainly be evident if he had a social media account. If Biff had access to social media, he could have possibly followed into his father's footsteps and become a successful businessman. Social media is a double-edged…
Wow! The idea that the Lomans were living ahead of their time is fascinating. Your analysis is great! I agree that they would have succeeded in this age, because Willy loved being well-liked. His follower count and likes would have determined whether or not he is considered well-liked among others. I can imagine the Lomans on social media, since they like the attention and popularity. For Biff, he could have done anything with the current technology at his disposal. He could have gotten into university with online help or he could have started a business with his love for football. This blog post was a pleasure to read.
Hey Amanda this is a great blog and very interesting to read. I agree with the points you've made that the Loman's could have been more successful if they lived during todays era. Willy's goal of being successful would've been real becasue he could've done things through technology, which as we all know sends messages much faster. I also think Biff could've been successful in football, schools in America are much more focused and they give out full scholarships just for football. Yes marks matter for these scholarships but these days we have online tutors and help everywhere that could've helped Biff be successful. Great blog!
Interesting idea Amanda, I do believe that Willy would be more successful, since his idea of being successful is being well liked, and it is very easy in modern society to seem well liked, especially on social media. In Biff's case, I think in general in the 21st century it is much easier to become successful, you have many resources at the tip of your finger with the internet having almost infinite knowledge to be learned, and easy ways to network or even work oveer the internet.
Hey Amanda, this blog was actually very intriguing to see how your view of how Willy would be in our society. I think it’s crazy to see and read your interpretation that you believe that Willy would be successful in our day and age. I found it interesting your belief that the Loman family’s mindset was way more advanced for their time period. I also found the articles that you additionally linked to the blog to be very informational to add to your arguments in a great way. Overall, your blog post was very insightful and great to read.
Aleeya