DAVE SINGLEMAN

Dave Singleman is Willy’s role model and inspiration for living the life of a salesman. He can be considered to be a mythical person because of the unreliability of Willy’s memory but Willy, in his conversation with Howard, says he has met Dave Singleman before in the Parker House. Dave Singleman is a successful, renowned eighty-year old salesman. He makes his sales through the phone without having to ever leave his room, because he is well-liked and well-respected. Willy indicates that Singleman lives an easy going life with everything going well for him. When he dies, many salesman and buyers attend his funeral showing once again how well-liked he is.

The legendary salesman, Dave Singleman, has an interesting last name that can give some insight as to the life of a salesman. The name, Singleman, gives an idea of loneliness and self-interest. He doesn’t seem to have any family. A salesman must travel frequently by himself to sell his products in other cities so he is lonely on these trips as is the same case for Willy. There is no one there to guide or help the salesman in what he does. He is all by himself with no one to depend on. Also, the salesman must look out for his own self-interest in this business to succeed. Therefore, his “friends” are false, because in this business world it isn’t about truth and trust but instead about getting ahead in any way possible including befriending those who a salesman can use to his advantage. Willy’s experience with the Woman may be an example of Willy using the Woman’s position to get ahead.

Willy strives to live the successful life Dave Singleman lived. The main thing that attracts Willy to Singleman is Singleman’s success and his popularity. Singleman is respected and known by many buyers, which allow him to successfully sell his products. Willy’s formula to success in life and achieving the American dream is having a good personality. He believes that without a good personality, no matter how intelligent or skilled a person is, that person will never succeed in the business world. Singleman’s life, shown by Willy, supports Willy’s theory.

Willy admires Singleman’s whole lifestyle as a salesman as shown in Willy’s flashback. The luxurious, laid-back life that all people dream to obtain, the American dream, that Singleman has successfully fulfilled is what Willy wants. Singleman is Willy’s living proof that the American dream can be accomplished, giving Willy a false hope in life. Whenever he questions why he continues the salesman profession, Willy is reminded by Dave Singleman’s success as a salesman, which continuously feeds Willy’s illusion of possible success.

Dave Singleman represents the false success of the American dream for Willy. Singleman’s success is too fictional because only his final product of success is shown. His hardships, trials, or any obstacles aren’t mentioned at all. Singleman is portrayed, by Willy, as a salesman who successfully accomplishes the American dream and lives a perfect life without troubles. The accomplishments of the American dream are distorted by those who believe that there is no struggle after becoming wealthy and successful. If the American dream is the final step of the process where there aren’t any hardships, just a perfect life, then no one will be able to achieve it.

There is no perfect person who can accomplish a dream requiring perfection. There will always be difficulties in life, although it may differ between individuals; it is the attitude and perspective a person chooses to have that allows that person to overcome the situation. People can always be dissatisfied with one thing or another no matter how much money they have or how much their needs are met. A person can see a cup of water as being either half full or half empty. Everything depends on that person’s perspective in life. People can either be dissatisfied with their lives and what they are given or they can accept it and make the most out of it.

Willy repeatedly mentions the grandness of Singleman’s funeral in his talks with people, and he emphasizes Singleman’s death as a death of a salesman. A funeral, being the last episode of a person’s life, shows the results of a person’s life. The scene of Singleman’s funeral indicates that people coming to someone’s funeral proves that that person was well-liked meaning that person was successful in the business world, according to Willy’s theory. Willy wishes to have the same kind of treatment at his funeral when he dies. He wants there to be many people coming to pay their respects to him at his funeral because he believes he is well-liked and successful in life. Willy believes the death of a person is significant.

Willy’s motivation for joining the salesman career was Singleman’s success presented by his way of death, a luxurious, peaceful death. This kind of death, dying peacefully with no worries, appealed to Willy. Ironically, Willy dies a death opposite of what he hoped for. Singleman’s life itself and the process of success aren’t mentioned by Willy. Only the final product is mentioned. Willy is more focused on the result, which is a death of a salesman like Singleman, than on the process, which is the life of a salesman. The life of a salesman is hard because of the uncertainty of the income and the hardships of travelling. The income depends on the amount of products the salesman is able to sell in his travels. However Willy only focuses on one man’s success which is why he wanted to join the salesman profession because he saw the result to be so extravagant and appealing. The result is presented in the death of a salesman, so that is why Willy is focused on the way of dying more on the way of living.