Journal of Economic Studies in Literature
JESL, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.117-128.
Print ISSN: 3107-3492; Online ISSN: 3107-3506
Journal homepage: https://www.jesljournal.com
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64058/jesl260108epssi
许梅花（Xu Meihua）
摘要：阿瑟·米勒的《推销员之死》暴露了战后美国经济繁荣背景下以威利为代表的普通老年个体的贫困问题。威利陷入老年贫困，绝非个体性格缺陷所致，而是资本主义制度下多个因素共同作用的结果。文章拟从年龄歧视、家庭养老失效、社会保障缺位与消费信贷裹挟四个层面，分析威利老年贫困的成因、表现与本质，探究资本主义生产体系下底层老年劳动者的生存困境，揭示老年贫困背后的社会保障结构性问题，从而彰显米勒在该剧中的社会批判意识。
关键词：阿瑟·米勒；《推销员之死》；老年贫困；社会保障
作者介绍：许梅花，四川外国语大学英语学院教授，主要从事英美文学研究、文学与经济学跨学科研究。电子邮箱：daisy520025@163.com
Title: The Elderly Poverty and Social Security Issues of Modern Capitalism in Death of a Salesman
Abstract: Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman exposes the problem of elderly poverty among ordinary individuals like Willy Loman against the backdrop of postwar American economic prosperity. Willy’s descent into old-age poverty is by no means a result of personal character flaws, but a joint outcome of multiple factors inherent in the capitalist system. This paper intends to analyze the causes, manifestations, and essence of Willy’s elderly poverty through four interconnected dimensions: age discrimination, the failure of family elderly support, the absence of social security, and the entrapment by consumer credit. It explores the existential predicament of underprivileged elderly laborers within the capitalist production system, reveals the underlying structural flaws in social security behind the elderly poverty, and thereby highlights Miller’s social critical consciousness embedded in the play.
Key Words: Arthur Miller; Death of a Salesman; the elderly poverty; social security
Author Biography: Xu Meihua, Professor of English at Sichuan International Studies University, Specializing in British and American Literature, as well as interdisciplinary research in literature and economics. E-mail: daisy520025@163.com
Received: 19 Apr. 2026 / Revised: 06 May 2026 / Accepted: 01 Jun. 2026 / Published online: 15 Jun. 2026 / Print published: 25 Jun. 2026.
