Comparison Contrast of Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Ross

Sasha Schmidt Midterm Essay Question 4 Jeannine Russell 10/28/12 The True Criminal Being a salesman has forever simple machineried a negative stigma since the early 1900s. Being seen as pushy, heights compact, deceitful people the dreaded activity of purchasing some car or new appliance has haunted e rattlingone at some usher or a nonher. Many words throw off come to describe salesman such as sharks, checks, thieves etc. , and these words have stuck with the profession throughout the century. 2 real realistic depictions of such phonies cig aret be seen in stopping point of A Salesman by Arthur Miller and Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet.They depict the styles of two salesmen who have very similar selling proficiencys, but at the identical conviction can be contrastingly different. Willy Loman, the protagonist of Death of a Salesman, is ofttimes regarded as a sad figure with whom the audience feels sympathetic. At the same time, his deceitful, dishonest, adulterous ways are despised. In addition to this, his over confident attitude seems supercilious and creates more of a disdain for the character as can be seen when he says Goddammit, I could sell them (Miller 1071). The same can be said as Mamets character, Shelly Levene, starts declaring how great of a vendor he was.Basking in his own light he boldly exclaims that his exertion as a salesman is due non to his luck but his attainment( Mamet 1419). Both characters often times talk about how back in the day they were great assets of the company averaging a hundred and seventy dollars a week in commissions (p. 1089) and Cold calling. Nothing. Sixty-five, when we were there (Mamet 1419). Both characters meet their tragic ends as they realize that their deceitful and deceptive nature, the facade of great selling they lived behind, is a shattered realness. All two of them want is a occur and to live like they did in the old days and both are denied the chance.While their characters mimic each other, the selling techniques of these two are completely different. Willys approach is to go in making natural conversation and the invitee feel as if they are human. Much to his chagrin is the new reality he is facing, where its all cut and dried, and theres no chance for bringing friendship to bear(Miller 1089). In contrast, Levene takes on the intent of cut and dried sales techniques, often using his other associates as pretend clients in order to just shake up the sell, whether or not hes tricking extorting money out of his clients.Right from the beginning, he is trying to con leads out of Williamson, his supervisor. I need the leads, he boldly tells Williamson who reluctantly begins to make him a deal (Mamet 1418). Right from the get go, Leven is already using the role techniques he uses day in and day out on his co-workers even. Loman pushes his honest, integrity, and personality traits as the key to selling success, though we see an obvious worsening in his selli ng abilities compared to the others. That being said, both characters are dumb very flawed with illusions of owning their own companies and waiting for the right client to come along.They both still have some nasty personality traits and are still putting on a facade to trick people however, Willy Loman is tricking his family slice Shelly Levene is tricking his consumers. Hard selling is a selling technique in which the salesman manipulates the mental state of the consumer in order to achieve a sale, whether or not the sale is good (Baron & Branscombe). There is little furbish up for the consumer at all, in fact, often times the seller knows that the consumer is going to be placed into a bad situation, but they specifically rely on the ego-depletion of these buyers.They use a variation of techniques such as door-in-the-face and foot-in-the door just to name a few (Baron & Branscombe). Miller and Mamet depict this from the salesmans side. They place this psychologically demanding technique at fault of the company, who requires them to sell a goal amount or face termination from the job. Such fear could incite higher pressure selling techniques, which actually make the consumer and the seller feel uncomfortable.Mamet and Miller pick apart such deceptive techniques through their plays, highlighting the negative effects (the dying of the central unit) and exacerbating the flaws of the technique. The role of a salesman has been part of America since the very beginning. With its recent revolution in the 1900s, it has now been associated with a negative classify often depicted by movies, literature, and plays. While there might be individual differences in the selling techniques, sellers are all perceived the same dishonest, deceitful, and as con artists.Such a stigma created by their lack of concern after the sell has been made often reconfirms this stereotype. These prejudices notwithstanding, society often places a high demand on consumerism to help the eco nomy and pushing the achievement of the American dream. Miller and Mamet uncover the treacheries of the salesman industry leaving the question as to whom the true criminal is society or the salesman. Works Cited Jacobus, Lee A. The Bedford door to Drama. Boston Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. Print. Baron, Robert A. , and Nyla R. Branscombe. Social Psychology. Boston Pearson, 2012. Print.