Thesis: In Arthur Miller’s, Death of a Salesman, the character of Ben is used as a catalyst to fuel the development of the main character, Willy. The character of Ben in Arthur Miller’s, Death Of A Salesman, functions as a catalyst to fuel the development of his main character, Willy. Miller uses Ben as an idealistic figure for Willy. Ben is the figure that Willy strives to be like throughout the story. By …showed first 75 words of 1901 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1901 total…hero. He believes that his boys should be like Ben, which proves that he believes in Ben’s own self-centered morals about how to get ahead. Ben is such a significant presence in the novel because Willy is constantly chasing him; he is constantly running to catch up to his brother. Even when Ben is just an hallucination in Willy’s mind, Willy believes in him fully. Ben allows for Willy’s character to develop.