The Only Thing You Got In This World Is What You Can Sell

Willy Loman is a people person.  He loves to have others like him and remember his name.  Nevertheless, Willy is mystified by the fact that his legacy does not matter as much as the quality of his work ethic.  Bernard’s father, Charley, reminds him of this, “The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell.”  Charley is trying to give him advice because is disgruntled by the loss of his job.  Willy cannot believe that Howard can be so cold even after he named him and worked for the company long before his birth.  Charley is trying to tell him that little favors are nice to remember, but they are not the essential things.  Willy should work for his name and not rely on contacts and past experiences.

Charley’s quote shows the culture of late 1940’s America by referring to the rebirth that Americans had to go through after the depression.  People had nothing to lose; they only had what they could sell.  They had to start over completely.  Charley’s statement is a good motto for the late forties because it is succinct, and sobering.  Americans had to gain an optimistic attitude, wear a smile, and go out to brave the world again to try to earn a living regardless of the recent devastation.

The aforementioned quote can be applied to our current, material society by illustrating how we want what others have and we are never satisfied.  Anything can be sold, not limited to only what can be found in a store.  We can sell our souls.  One must be careful not to give in to the latest trend without considering the consequences.  Morals have become a rarity and it is a shame.  We should not settle with lackadaisical ethics, but we should strive to do better than the rest.  Everybody is given only one life and we should make every day count, no matter who is watching or what praise we might receive.