The Plastic Ceiling

Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, is a 1949 stage play that depicts the consequences of the commitment of one's values towards the American Dream.  In pursuit of success amidst abundant economic opportunity, the protagonist, Willy Loman, cultivates a false perception of himself as a loyal husband and a successful salesman.  Appearance and superficiality cause Willy’s image to be distorted towards his family, society, and even in the way he perceives himself.  For Willy, masking himself as a prosperous salesman was deemed a more advantageous path to satisfy his idealistic goals of becoming one, rather than remaining true to himself and promoting good and honest values.  

 

In Russia, it is important to establish that a person is ‘good’ and ‘honest’, prior to initiating a relationship with them.  Once an individual has been deemed trustworthy, Russians will work to build the friendship.  Russian people place emphasis on maintaining fewer, trustworthy relationships.  On the other hand, consumer culture in the West thrives from its ability to make people crave more.  In America, once a causal relationship has been initiated, trust can be built after the fact, if at all.  It is deemed more advantageous in our economic system to have a network of superficial connections, rather than a close circle of trust.  

 

The American Dream suggests that anyone who works hard enough will be successful and wealthy.  The underlying value of the pursuit of the American Dream is the belief that career success is measured by the metrics of wealth and likability.  The idea that salesmanship and appearances help facilitate likability and in turn financial prosperity, carries the underlying value that societal perceptions equivocate to personal achievement. 

 

Our society is predicated off the right to choose but to choose correctly.  In Western culture, there is a growing emphasis on the importance of personal autonomy, self-ownership, and self-determination of human beings over our own bodies.  Autonomy inevitably encourages experimentation, a key benefit of the rejection of old institutions.  The problem with this freedom is that when someone is presented with a choice, they tend to choose the advantageous path and follow what their surrounding environment has deemed as “right”.

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Willy Loman dug his own grave.  He could have been forthright about his values, his abilities, and his character.  He could have embraced his identity as a failed salesman, paving the way for different opportunities.  He could have admitted to his shitty values and vowed to change them.  If Willy Loman was not desperate to prove himself to be someone that he wasn't, he would have essentially avoided being a failed salesman, father, and husband.  But Willy is insecure.  This insecurity drove him to deceptive behavior.  According to Willy, being liked by many reaps greater societal benefits than authenticity.  Appearance and salesmanship are therefore more valuable than trust and honesty, because Willy’s underlying values seek to source relationships and build social reputability.  

 

Our culture is defined by social guidelines, and the belief that there is right and wrong has manifested itself into different social developments at either the benefit or the expense of our generation. This gradient of right and wrong operates on a scale from socially desirable to socially undesirable. To Willy, success in one’s field is a socially desirable trait, whether it is merely a mirage.  There are many different characteristics of an individual that can be quantified into measurements of “success” on this scale of social desirability.  The United States places value on the youth, whether it be the economic and educational opportunity of an adolescent, or the sexuality of a young adult in their “prime”.  Depending on the social structure for a “youthful” individual, there are social benefits to appear pure and innocent, or there are social benefits to appear beautiful and mature.  Henceforth, it is only natural for individuals to leverage the assets that they deem advantageous or to overcompensate for these assets that they lack. 

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The problem with the strife for social desirability is that the pursuit of being socially desirable is itself an undesirable quality on the scale.  This paradox puts pressure on people to betray their identity and ultimately hurts the most for those who it appears to help the most. 

 

Our identity is sold to us as freedom, but in practice it reflects more of an obligation.  This is because identity is inherently insecure in nature.  Human identity is unstable, and we enjoy the security of moving forward as who we believe we are.  It is not until we are struck with the awareness that we could be someone else that our problems are exposed, due to the fragility and true nature of identity.  

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The identity I formed for myself was to be Barbie.  To be perfect and pink does not illuminate a negative set of priorities, but every identity comes with a cost.  This is because, at the time I took on this identity, my identity was not really Barbie, my identity was not-Barbie.  To me, “Barbie” was my old identity, as not-Barbie, rectified. Barbie was merely a synonym for upgraded-Nealie.  Blonder, thinner, tanner, prettier, more desirable Nealie.  Taking on the present identity as Barbie is illusory, for it was only a memory of a resolved previous identity.  Although I manifested to be Barbie, this betrayed my knowledge that both being Barbie and not being Barbie are possibilities for my identity.  Who I was at the time I decided to take on this identity has passed, and the only way to satiate my new-and-improved-ness is to continue the upgrade.  For both me and Willy, the very consciousness of an identity comes with a corresponding detachment as we realize that we are not bound by it.