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Death Of A Salesman Literary Analysis

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Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman exhibits sadness and denial, as well as the five different literary themes including Love, Alienation/Otherness, The American Dream/Nightmare, The Quest for Identity/Coming of Age, and Conformity/Rebellion, all in one man’s need to conform to the pressures of society as a way of achieving success. The Loman family is a perfect example of a dysfunctional family; whose denial of the facts in this American Dream themed play leads to a turn of tragic events. The American Dream can be defined as one person’s need to achieve economic success or get ahead economically usually by working hard. However, sometimes a person may over commit themselves in their purchases of worldly goods in order to look like they have achieved economic success. Willy Loman strives to achieve the American Dream with his materialistic persona in “Death of …show more content…

Willy’s belief that in order to be well liked; a person must own the finest in worldly possessions, leading him to indulge in purchases of all kinds regardless of the consequences. As Willy and Linda discuss their monthly finances consisting of car, house, refrigerator, and vacuum cleaner payments it becomes evident that he has over indulged. Nonetheless, Willy gives a perfect example of his need and over indulgences for material objects in this conversation with Linda: “WILLY: I told you we should’ve bought a well-advertised machine. Charley bought a General Electric and it’s twenty years old and it’s still good, that son-of-a-bitch. WILLY: Whoever heard of a Hastings refrigerator? Once in my life I would like to own something outright before it’s broken! I’m always in a race with the junkyard! I just finished paying for the car and it’s on its last legs. The refrigerator consumes belts like a goddam maniac. They time those things. They time them so when you finally paid for them, they’re used up.”

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