...leading to his downfall. In addition, in traditional tragedy, the main character falls from high authority and often it is predetermined by fate, while the audience experiences catharsis (Bloom 2). Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman is considered to be a tragedy because this literary work has some of the main characteristics of the tragedy genre. In this play, the main character Willy Loman possesses such traits and behaviors that lead to his downfall, and the audience experiences catharsis. Willy Loman as a real tragic hero comes to the decision to commit suicide because of serious financial problems of his family (Phelps 79). This play has already been criticized by a number of literary critics who represented different opinions on the plot of the book. The major goal of this paper is to critically evaluate the play Death of a Salesman written by the well-known American writer Arthur Miller, paying special attention to the play’s characteristics of a tragedy. In the play Death of a Salesman, the author investigates human nature and represents his main character as a person whose dissatisfaction with his own life leads to his tragic end. The plot of this literary work is rather simple. The play consists of two acts. In the first act, Willy Loman, the main character of Miller’s play returns home from New York. It is found that his goal was to travel to Boston, but he could not achieve this goal and returned home. The author of the play states that Willy’s personal dissatisfaction...
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... In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller’s stylistic devices convey not only bitter deception and bleak despair, but also hopeless despondency and forlorn anguish to display the realism and iniquity of the common man. As a representative form of American realism, Death of a Salesman portrays the use of language to convey a feeling of acrimony that demonstrates the relationship between the ideas of Willy Loman and the American common man. Willy Loman as the protagonist and the antagonist of his own story creates the sense of language that develops the idea of being “liked and you never will want” stating the façade of the Willy’s society (Miller 21). While communicated to the audience through a form of realism, his language functions as the crevice between the real and non-real. As development of language continues sometimes Willy Loman’s clichés “rise to the level of pure poetry” (Roudane 369). The use of language constructs poetic symbolism and closes the gap between non-realism and realism. Throughout the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain utilizes a poignant sense of diction reciprocating the slang the common man used in the Antebellum South. The language exhibits the principles of Death of a Salesman in its acrimony and pain through Loman’s statement “a man is not a piece of fruit!” (Miller 61). This sense of diction drives the main ideas and connects these ideas to those of the average man. Even throughout the play, the language morphs Death of a Salesman into the...
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...A Father and Son Relationship Life in the 1940s was a very male-dominant time. The father was the head of the house and his work was passed on to his sons. A solid relationship between a father and his sons was essential to sustaining a strong household. If the relationship began to decline, the whole family collapsed. Death of a Salesman is a play by Arthur Miller in 1949. It tells a story of how the relationship between Willy, the patriarch, and his sons, Biff and Happy, initiates the demise of the Loman family. Biff and Happy adore their father and have nothing but love for him when they are young, but as they get older they realize that Willy did not prepare them for life as adults. Due to not having his father in his life and no examples to base his parenting off of, Willy finds fatherhood to be extremely difficult. When Willy was growing up, he lost his father at a young age. His father left when he was a baby and he “never had a chance to talk to him” and even after all the time that has passed, Willy feels “kind of temporary” about himself (36, Act 1). He turns to his older brother, Ben for advice. Willy repeatedly asks Ben if he is raising his boys the right way (36. Act 1). Willy can be heard asking Ben how he should teach his boys (36. Act 1). Willy’s lack of confidence in parenting ultimately affects how his sons grow up. He knows that he has not raised them to be the best they could be,...
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...In theatrical literature it is common to find playwrights utilizing their past experiences, especially the ones of their youth, to craft stories. Arthur Miller, the most produced American playwright of all time, is no exception. Born in 1915, Miller grew up in Harlem as the son of working class Jewish Immigrants who, like many others, faced financial struggle in pursuit of the “American Dream”. At the age of fourteen, Arthur Miller’s family lost nearly everything due to the recent Wall Street Crash of 1924. Miller experienced some of the same struggles while growing up that the Loman family deals with in his hit play Death of a Salesman. Living on paycheck to paycheck and working odd jobs to save up for college had perhaps motivated much of the material in his plays....
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...Dream: Analysis of Death of a Salesman A tragedy play is a source of drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to extreme suffer or sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with lack of approval or support. Arthur Miller’s tragedy play, Death of a Salesman can be viewed as a urology of a man who was a constant dreamer, which represents his life and tragic death as he tries to fulfill his visions of having the American Dream. American tragedy explores the great myths that govern a society by examining the lives of its most ordinary citizens. Miller vividly expresses ideas throughout his play by demonstrating a changing society. Also, reading Death of a Salesman allows the play to be psychologically viewed as one man’s journey from shame and his own lack of self-confidence. Arthur Miller portrays Willy, his family, and other characters situation by the use of symbolism and themes, he accurately puts into words what every human being thinks, feels, and worries about, but often has trouble expressing. The lead character is Willy Loman, a failing door-to-door salesman coming to the end of his life but doggedly holding on to lost dreams. In the beginning of the play, we see Willy returning home to his wife Linda after almost crashing his car. Linda begins to worry about her husband and fears what may happen in the future. We soon learn why Willy is unable to continue his career as a salesman, which he has followed...
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...Arthur Miller and the American Dream “The American Dream,” throughout the ages, has stood as each individual’s perception of success. “The American Dream” is most often seen associated with the 1950’s American family living in a suburban, cookie-cutter house, most likely owing a dog and pertaining to a Leave it to Beaver lifestyle. This perception is likely the one the reader/viewer goes to in their mind when reading or viewing Arthur Miller’s play: Death of a Salesman. That perception, however, is a shallow one that can and should be taken farther when trying to understand the play and its characters. Arthur Miller uses Death of a Salesman to do just that: attempting to “The American Dream” from a shallow poster headline to a complex American...
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...Death of a Salesman Reaction Paper Travis Givens ENG 125 09 March 2014 Edward Wilson Death of a Salesman Reaction Paper Death of a Salesman is the literary composition play I chose to analyze. Arthur Miller's Pulitzer Prize winning play of 1949 is widely regarded as one of the cornerstone pieces of American literature. Death of a Salesman is centered on the life of Willy Lowman. It challenges the literary fact of achieving the American Dream. Willy is a 63 year old man and has been a traveling salesman all his life. Despite his hard work Willy, his wife Linda, and their two sons Biff and Happy have always lived on the brink of poverty. Willy has always been low end of the totem pole at his company, but Willy constantly tells himself and his family that he will soon get the "big break” he deserves. He has raised his two sons, Biff and Happy, to also believe that somehow life has cheated them and insists that one day they will get their due. Linda, Willy's loyal wife, lives under the thin veneer of denial that her husband has so long tried to keep from collapsing. In the end despite his protests otherwise, Willy knows he is a failure. He begins to slowly kill himself by inhaling gas fumes from a hose in the garage, an act that relieves his mental anguish and gives him a brief high. The gas also muddles Willy's mind, conflating past, present, and future. This shifting through time and space helps the reader/audience see how much pressure there has been on this simple...
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...Washington 1 Jalyn Washington English 101 Professor Macy 12 April 2015 The Dream The American Dream has many definitions. There are many different answers to describe Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. The American Dream in the late 1940s was to have the “perfect American household”(The American Dream). This was to have a house in the suburbs, a steady job, being married, having a few kids, and keeping up with the Jones’. Death of a Salesman is a harsh criticism of the American Dream. The American Dream in Miller’s play is depicted as the ability to become prosperous by being well liked, the ability to start from nothing to something, and pursuing others dream. It also depends on which character is asked: Willy Loman, Ben, and Biff’s American Dream. Willy Loman’s American Dream is the ability to become prosperous by popularity. Willy believes that personality, not hard work and innovation, is the key to success. Time and again, he wants to make sure his boys are well-liked and popular. For example, when his son Biff confesses to making fun of his math teacher’s lisp, Willy is more concerned with how Biff’s classmates react. Biff says he crossed his eyes and talked with a lisp (Miller 1770). Willy giggles and asked him did the kids like it and Biff responds with “They nearly died laughing!”(Miller). They all make fun of Bernard at the beginning of the movie. Willy marks Mr. Bernard for getting his stuff together and says “Oh well he won’t ever amount to anything...
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...In Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman, through his character, Linda Loman, the author implies that caring too much about one’s expectations and reputation can bait someone into believing he or she cannot fulfill their true obligations and further lead to a decline in one’s successes. For example, Willy, Linda’s husband, does not appreciate his son Biff’s profession as a farmer as Willy states “Not finding yourself at the age of thirty-four is a disgrace!” (5). Here, while not specifically stated, the reader can infer that Biff does not feel affinity for his father because he chose to go against his fathers desired route of becoming a salesman, which prompts Willy into believing he failed as a parent and then attempts to commit suicide...
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...Reaction Paper to "The Death of a Salesman" ENG/125 October 19, 2015 Reaction Paper to "The Death of a Salesman" In Arthur Miller’s Play Death of a Salesman, the play recollects the last 24 hours of the Loman’s family life and the events leading up to the death of Willy Loman. The title of the play is symbolic to the unraveling of the picture perfect family imagine that Willy created to everyone around him. The title is also symbolic to Willy losing his career as a salesman. Arthur Miller was very clever with his themes by using flashbacks throughout the play. He used four major themes according to SparkNotes Editors. (2002). Appearance vs. reality, the individual vs. society, the individual vs. himself, and the perception of the American Dream. Willy has been a salesman all his life. He has brought his sales experience into his personal life. He was selling the idea that his marriage and family life are perfect. His sons Biff and Happy are not what Willy had imagined or made them out to be. He wanted them to be successful business men just like him; however they are not. Willy has sold his lies for so long about his happy family that he can’t even remember what the truth is or doesn’t choose to remember. Willy is a man of many mistakes and doesn’t take accountability for the mistakes that he has made and often twists the truth to make himself the victim. I think Willy is a very relatable character. He by all means is not perfect and only wants the American Dream...
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...DEATH OF A SALESMAN Study Guide for Teachers World-Class Theatre in the Heart of Vermont 703 Main Stre e t , W eston, V T 05161 www.westonplayhouse.o rg The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company The 2010 WPTC Teacher’s Workshop and the School Matinee and Touring Production is made possible in part by grants from: The Bay and Paul Foundations Mountain Room Foundation National Endowment for the Arts The Shubert Foundation The Vermont Country Store and The Orton Family Vermont Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities With additional contributions from: Black River Produce Berkshire Bank Clark’s Quality Foods Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Okemo Mountain Resort Thrifty Attic …and an ever growing family of individuals who believe in the impact that the performing arts can have on its community. This Teachers Study Guide was compiled and edited by Rena Murman. Credit and thanks to the following theatres for materials used or referenced from study guides created for Death of a Salesman: Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, MN; Kennedy Center, Washington, DC; Lyric Theatre, London; Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh; Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT. © 2010 Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational and cultural institution. WPTC Performance Guides may be duplicated at no charge for educational purposes only. They may not be sold or used in other publications without the express written consent...
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...Father/Son Relationships The Nineteen-Forties was a very patriarchal era. The father was the head of the house and his life’s works were passed down to his sons. A strong relationship between a man and his sons was crucial to maintaining a healthy household. Once the relationship began to deteriorate, the entire family unraveled. Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman displays how the relationship between Willy and his two sons creates the downfall of the Loman family. The relationship is constantly changing throughout the story. Biff and Happy idolize and have nothing but love for their father when they are children, but when they grow up they realize how their father failed to prepare them for the real world. Willy Loman is portrayed as an un-fit father. Willy never really had a father when he was growing up. He lost his father when he was very young. Because Willy was deprived of affection as a child, he smothers his sons with love and oppresses them with the nakedness of his hopes for their success. (Carson pg. 92) His older brother Ben stepped in and served as a substitute father. (Carson pg. 90) As a result of not having a true father figure in his childhood, Willy struggled with fatherhood because had no example to base his parenting on. When Ben passed away, Willy lost his last connection to his father. (Carson pg. 91) Willy’s lack of a real father has left him as an insecure person. He has been trying his whole life to compensate for his loss. Willy...
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...Narcissism and the American Dream in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Narcissism och den amerikanska drömmen i Arthur Millers en handelsresandes död. Fredrik Artan Faculty of Arts and Education Subject: English Points:15.0 Supervisor: Magnus Ullén Examiner: Anna Swärdh 2014-06-18 Serial number Abstract This essay focuses on the theme of the American Dream in relation to narcissism in Miller’s Death of a salesman. The purpose is to demonstrate that a close reading of the main protagonist, Willy Loman, suggests that his notion of success in relation to the American Dream can be regarded as narcissistic. This essay will examine this by first observing how Willy´s notion of success is represented in the play, then look at how his understanding of it can be viewed from a narcissistic standpoint. The results I have found in my analysis show that there is a connection between Willy’s understanding of success and his narcissistic behavior. He displays traits such as grandiosity, arrogance, need of specialness and denial of emotions. His relationship with other characters reveals his lack of empathy, manipulation and exploitation of others as well as his need of superiority and fear of inferiority. The conclusion is that Willy and his notion of success could be considered as narcissistic. Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................1 The American...
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...Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman is clearly a character study and tragedy that focuses on an everyday salesman, Willy Loman. Willy’s character changed and is progressively defined throughout the play. Despite the focus on Willy, it’s his interactions with the other characters in the play that define him more than any aspect of the play. To begin with, Willy’s interactions with his neighbor and friend Charley define certain aspects of the character. As Charley witnesses the turmoil of Willy, he constantly offers him a better job. At one point when Charley mentions the job, Willy’s response is “I got a job, I told you that… What the hell are you offering a job for?” (29). Charley tells him not to get insulted, to which Willy says “Don’t...
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...Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman follows the family of the Lomans, in their small home in Brooklyn surrounded by high-rise apartments. Willy Loman, a 63 year old salesman has arrived back home exhausted from his recent business trip. He is greeted by his loving wife, Linda, and she encourages him to ask his boss, Howard Wagner, to allow him to work within the city. Their two sons, Biff and Happy, are visiting and staying at the Loman house. Biff, thirty-four years old, is caged by his father’s expectations. Despite being believed by Willy of having great potential as a child, Biff remains unsettled but dreams of working on a ranch in the outdoors. In contrast, Willy remains situated in the city in hopes of finding success in the American dream like his deceased brother Ben, who unexpectedly found a diamond mine in Africa. Happy Loman, despite being two years younger than Biff, is considerably...
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