There is no doubt that an individual's drive for success can either make or break that individual. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is an excellent example of how one's will to achieve can affect themselves as well as those around them. Willy Loman's drive for success affects his family, his friends, and most importantly himself. .
Many factors can contribute to an individual's success. Ben, Willy's deceased older brother has a major impact on Willy's drive for success. Ben is a shadowy figure who functions more as a symbol or illusion than he does as a character. What we see of Ben as a character is not necessarily favorable from a purely objective view. He does not believe at all in the individual and he tells Biff never to fight fair with a stranger. He seems to have no time for personal relations, nor does he seem to indulge in the emotions. For Willy, Ben represents the ideal success story. Ben stated " when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out And by God I was rich." Willy thrives off this quote. Ben had achieved the complete success that Willy could only dream about. Willy could never achieve the success or perform the deeds that Ben did. In the play we notice that when Willy is extremely depressed, it is only at this time that Ben appears. Ben functions as a character that Willy can rely upon in a moment of severe depression. When Willy can't face the pressing problems of the present world, he then talks with Ben - the symbol of perfect success. Ben is the distant vision of complete success. His success is the ideal achievement. He is utterly opposed to Charley, who is the practical man who has attained a limited degree of success. .
Charley lived next door to Willy. Even though the boys called him Uncle Charley in the flashback scenes, there is no real statement that he is actually an uncle. It is best to assume that he was an old acquaintance.
