Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

San Joaquin Delta College presented Arthur Miller 's Death of A Salesman on Sunday the twenty-second of March at 2 o 'clock in the afternoon. This play is about a young man and his father coming to terms with the past and their futures. Willy Loman, an old salesman, is dealing with both financial and health difficulties. He is put under even more pressure when his unsuccessful son, Biff, returns home. Actor, director, and sound designer, Harvey T. Jordan, played the role of Willy in this production. His directing, acting, and sound effects allowed me to grasp the despaired nature of Willy Loman 's character. The theme of this story is respect and the nature of success. Willy wished that when he is dead, his death would be mourned far and wide. Hoping to have the reputation of a famous salesman; in other words he wants to die “The Death of a Salesman”. After Willie heard about a well-liked salesman, one that is known in all the cities he visits and that can make sales just by picking up the phone, Willie thinks that this job is easy, but he soon discovers the stress a truly dedicated salesman must go through.

The play, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, takes issue with those in America who place too much stress upon material gain, at the expense of other, more admirable human values. Miller uses flashbacks to provide exposition, to foreshadow the upcoming tragedy, and most importantly to reveal character traits. An analysis of the main character, Willy Loman, illustrates the underlying theme that the concern over material success breaks down the bonds between men that form the basis of a smooth-functioning society.

Every respectable parent wants what is best for their children, even if that means putting their personal dreams on hold. Unfortunately, parents can negatively affect their children through, not only their actions, but also their beliefs onto how to achieve their dreams. The damaging effects of parents chasing unrealistic dreams, such as the American Dream, can be seen through their children and how they chase their own dreams. Biff Loman of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and Walter Younger of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry watch their parents fight for their dreams only to become a failure, Biff is pulled into his father’s delusional dreams of success and Walter lacks the proper role models to shape his dreams around,

Since the beginning of its time, America has set a global standard for offering chances at prosperity and career opportunities for qualified adults. Its people have been implicating the idea of the “American Dream” into its culture for many years and has become widely recognized by individuals all across the world. People pack up their lives and families to travel to American soil to try at a chance of a better life, and in doing so, they too venture on a path to achieving this so commonly understood “American Dream.” Arthur Miller, a well-known literary writer in America, seems to disagree with this national phenomena, offering a different view in his play Death of a Salesman. In this play, he demonstrates through the life of an average

The American Dream is a sought after idea sold to Americans and immigrants alike. It promises the opportunity to create a better future for oneself. So long as said individual works hard it promises a happy ending. Arthur Miller reveals the reality of the American Dream in his play Death of a Salesman through the life of Willy Loman and his family. Willy represents the primary target audience as a working class man providing for his family. His pride causes him to be two steps behind in his life-long quest to achieve the American Dream and his family inherit his failures in their own individual quests.

“And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream,”-Martin Luther King Jr. The American Dream is simply the idea that every person has the same chance to achieve success through hard work. The Death of Salesman by Arthur Miller and Fences by August Wilson closely hold a relatable pursuit of the American dream. In both texts, the parents and children were torn apart from each other because of their pursuit of the American Dream. This goal (American Dream) tears the families apart because in Fences Cory wants to follow Troy’s footsteps by playing a professional sport, but Troy doesn’t want him to get involved in sports because of he has experienced

Willy’s difficulty with change in his life can be seen when Linda tries to help him. Linda tells Willy outside their bedroom, “...life is a casting off. It’s always been that way.”. (Miller, p.15) She states the truth that life is about change and not knowing the future ahead. She attempts to get Willy to see that he needs to take chances to be successful but he does not want to accept that. Willy wants

During pages 8-10 Arthur Miller uses Linda and Willy’s interactions to display Linda’s misguided attempts at restoring Willy to mental stability. Throughout the rest of the play Miller’s permissive characterisation of Linda catalyses the deterioration of Willy’s psyche and relationships. Miller presents Linda as Willy’s enabler; she is seen as not only allowing but socialising Willy into a self-destructive way of being.

But in the beautiful, ironic complexity of her creation, she is also Willy's and their sons' destroyer. In her love Linda has accepted Willy's Greatness and his dream, but while in her admiration for Willy her love is powerful and moving, in her admiration for his dreams, it is lethal. She encourages Willy's dream, yet she will not let him leave her for the New Continent, the only realm where the dream can be fulfilled. She want to reconcile father and son, but she attempts this in the context of Willy's false values. She cannot allow her sons to achieve that selfhood that involves denial of these values" (Gordon p. 316). Linda is also caught up in Willy's lies and therefore does nothing but help fuel the fire in the inferno of their dreams and ambitions. She lets this whole masquerade continue right in front of her instead of doing something to stop their out of control lies.

Linda, for all her warmth and goodness, goes along with her husband and sons in the best success-manual tradition.  She tries to protect them from the forces outside and fails.  The memory of her suffering and her fidelity does not keep Willy and Happy from sex or Biff from wandering.  Miller's irony goes still deeper.  While Linda is a mirror of goodness and the source of the family's sense of identity, she is not protection - by her silence and her support, she unwittingly cooperates

As though to recreate the connection in life, literature often shows the relationship between past events and a character’s present actions and values. In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy is haunted by memories of his older brother, father, and salesman Dave Singleman. Willy’s character and values are constantly influenced by the memory of the three men, compounding upon his deliria throughout the play. Willy considers these men the epitome of success, thus explaining his dependency on all three. Miller’s view on society, men, and the success of the American Dream are portrayed through Willy’s interactions with the men. The American Dream is synonymous with the phrase “the world is your oyster,” but Miller uses Death of a Salesman to criticize the American Dream through Willy Loman and his interplay between the past and present.

What is the correct definition of tragedy anyways? Many people would define tragedy as a disaster, but according to the book The Cambridge Guide to World Theatre by Martin Banham, the word tragedy is “a word whose meaning changes with time and place” (1002). In Medieval times, “tragedy came to mean the downfall of a person of high degree” (Banham 1002), but in recent times, the meaning of the word tragedy has many definitions. According to Banham, “realists refused to limit tragedy to privileged protagonists” (1002). Two famous tragic plays that I found to have a genre of tragedy are Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl. In both of these plays, the downfall was not of a person of high degree but there was a

Willy Loman struggles to accept his situation due to his misconception of him being someone greater than who he really is, and denies the reality. The Loman family is living in denial except Linda who goes along with it just to make her husband not feel like he’s going insane. Willy is not willing to accept that he is not

Linda is the heart of the Loman family and devotes to her time to her family, especially to her marriage with Willy who is difficult to deal with. She loves Willy unconditionally and defends him at all costs. She easily chooses him rather than her sons, when it comes to arguments between then men of the house. Not to mention, she goes along with Willy in his delusional moments and fantasies of grandeur (“Death of a Salesman”). For instance, as Willy explains to Linda how he suddenly could not drive anymore, Linda states, “Maybe it was your steering again… Maybe it’s your glasses. You never went for your new glasses” (Miller, 13). Linda constantly finds excuses for Willy when she knows that he is suicidal and irrational because in order to protect him from the criticism of others. Furthermore, “…selflessly subordinating herself to serve to assist…” ("Death of a Salesman Themes") Willy’s needs. In comparison, the prostitutes are two young women whom Biff and Happy meet at Frank’s Chop House while waiting for their father. Miss Forsythe and Letta provide character and plot development when Happy showers compliments on Miss Forsythe such as, “You ought to be on a magazine cover” (101). At this point, the theme of deception and lies is emphasized. Happy lies to the women so that he lures her into entertaining him and his brother for the evening. As a result, the prostitutes go off with the men to assist to their sexual needs and

Previous to his encounter with the woman, Willy is feeling low about himself during a conversation with Linda, “I’m fat. I’m very - foolish to look at…”(Miller 37). The flashbacks with the woman come at times when Willy is feeling unsatisfactory. She gives him the surge of self-confidence.