Death of a Salesman: Howard's RoleJesse Morgenroth-RebinHoward's role in Death of a Salesman was to personify the idea of ​​the American dream. In addition to this he also thwarted Willy's position in life and was the instigator of most of the conflict Willy faced in the rest of the play. He represented this superior place by treating Willy like a child, ignoring Willy's position in life, and caring more about his company than Willy's well-being. Howard's treatment of Willy is what caused the clash between the two characters. Despite the fact that Willy is much older than Howard and has many years of experience in the company, Howard treats him like a child and is generally disrespectful towards him. When Willy attempts to talk to Howard about the problems he is having on his daily travels, Howard constantly interrupts him to tell him about his new cable recorder: HOWARD. Sh, for God's sake! (77) HOW. Wait a minute. (78) In addition to preventing him from speaking, Howard also acts as if Willy's requests are significant and frivolous. When Willy tells his story about what being a salesman means to him, the director notices something or importance: Howard didn't look at him (81) He feels justified in treating Willy this way because of his position in society and level of wealth. The fact that he is leaving the American Dream puts him above Willy in social class, regardless of Willy's age or contributions to the company. Being in this position of authority over Willy also allows him to undermine Willy's pride in another way:HOWARD. But where shall I put you, boy? (80) By referring to Willy as “boy,” Howard means… middle of paper… which ultimately leads him to commit suicide just to acquire money for his family. The situation wouldn't have been so bad if Howard hadn't also hurt Willy's pride with the way he handled the firing. He was berating and making it seem like Willy's contributions to the company were meaningless. Ultimately, Howard's combination of ignorance and his lack of empathy leads to most of Willy's internal turmoil and most of the conflict in the book. It is caused by Howard's successful position, which follows the American dream to the fullest. Willy's treatment, Howard's ignorance of Willy's lifestyle, and misplaced values ​​are all byproducts of Howard's lifestyle. The contrast between Howard and Willy accentuates the tragic outcome of the story, knowing that it wouldn't have had to end with Willy's death if only Howard had been more focused on people than money..