In one scene, Willy asks his wife Linda what they owe and she replies, “Well, on the first there’s sixteen dollars on the refrigerator… nine-sixty for the washing machine. However, the Loman’s cannot afford these expensive purchases and must buy on credit.

Because of his deep need to appear successful, Willy buys the newest amenities for his wife and family. Willy Loman works desperately to provide for his family and achieve the American Dream. Rampant consumerism is easily identifiable in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Tyson elaborates by saying, “For Marxism, a commodity’s value lies not in what it can do (use value) but in the money or other commodities for which it can be traded (exchange value) or in the social status it confers on its owner (sign-exchange value)” (Tyson 62).Thus, consumerism can be considered one of the repressive, capitalist ideologies that Marx often criticized. In this quote, Marx mentions the “excess and immoderation” displayed in consumerism, in which the consumers must have “more” simply because of the esteem associated with innumerous purchases. When discussing the role of money in his theories on alienation, Marx said, “The quantity of money becomes increasingly its only important quality…Excess and immoderation become its true standard” (Fromm 46). This way of thinking leads to uncontrollable spending and often a large amount of debt, all in pursuit of the “American Dream”. According to Lois Tyson in a chapter on Marxist Criticism, “Consumerism, or shop ’till you dropism…is an ideology that says ‘I’m only as good as what I buy’” (Tyson 60).

Although consumerism is not directly defined by Marx, it is well within the realm of his work.

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