Critical Examination Of The Death Of A Salesman

952 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Reality vs illusion death of a salesman

"Death of A Salesman" is really about how reality and illusion interplay in each and everyone's personality in the context of achieving success in life. All people dream and most consider a dream as a typical example of an illusion—merely a construct of the imagination that extends past and present experiences of one's life into a realm that is not bound by logic. Reality, on the other hand, is what one directly perceives through the basic senses of perception.

The world we live in today demands tangible outputs from each of us that result from skill and perseverance. Hence, success in life becomes an utmost concern. Success usually cloaks in the form of financial prosperity—the more material wealth one has, the more successful society considers him or her to be. This notion of success is what the "American Dream" stands for and this is a salient implication in the play's plot.

Because success is not easy to achieve for many, it becomes a priceless "commodity." Success becomes every person's dream or illusion. Some people respond to such a dream by taking action through the use of one's talents and strengths to grab it little by little along the course of their lives. A few have luck along their side and so are able to grab success on the large scale as a result of their hard work. Yet others choose not to respond and take a step towards the success they are aiming for. These people are the ones who are stuck in the rut and remain to dream their illusion of success.

Another reason why success is so highly sought for is that along with it comes reputation. A more successful person is more respectable in the eyes of many. This respect comes from the fact that people value success so highly, hence, the more who has success the more respect he or she receives. Moreover, in such a materially-oriented society people simply become opportunistic, in part due to competition against many others who are targeting for the same goal in life, because respecting or being nice with a successful person is normally assumed to give something in return. Perhaps, the wealthy person will give you a job or lend you money at some point in the future.

Willy, Linda, Biff and Happy are all unable to separate illusion from reality to some extent. It all runs in the family.

Show More
Related

  • Experiencing, Interpreting, and Evaluating Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman'

    759 Words  | 2 Pages

    Death of a Salesman is a play about a man named Willy Loman who is an aging sales man that has difficulty remembering events, as well as distinguishing the present from his memories. Willy has always tried to live up to the “American Dream,” but unfortunately has failed miserably as a salesman and a father. Willy still having high hopes of the dream tries to live his life through his oldest son Biff, who has turned out to be just as big as a failure. Biff uncovers the truth behind his father’s lies and Willy being tormented by his failures starts to spiral downward. The thoughts of having failed as a salesman and father finally lead Willy to take his own life. In order to understand a play like this one you need to use a strategy in approaching it. One valid approach to any type of literature is to experience, interpret, and evaluate it.

    Read More

  • Death of a Salesman

    857 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The American dream is, in part, responsible for a great deal of crime and violence because people feel that the country owes them not only a living but a good living.” Said David Abrahansen. This is true and appropriate in the case of Willy Loman, and his son Biff Loman. Both are eager to obtain their American dream, even though both have completely different views of what that dream should be. The play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller shows the typical lives of typical Americans in the 1940’s. Miller’s choice of a salesman to be the main character in this play was not a coincidence, since it represents the typical middle-class working American, some of which have no technical skills what so ever. Miller’s play gives us insides on the daily lives of many Americans, this through the eyes of Willy and Biff Loman, he also shows what kind of personalities, what dreams they have, and their different points of view of what the American dream means.

    Read More

  • Death of a Salesman

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    Overall, Willy’s actions greatly influenced his children’s lives. The statement, “He has reared his children- his own seed- in the contaminated soil of delusion” is very accurate. Willy raised his children guiding them through his ways of life. Biff was “contaminated” in his childhood as he strived to live up to his father’s dreams, not realizing the negative effect it had on his life. Happy’s lack of attention as a child only made him act out and develop bad morals. Willy’s delusional life impacted every part of his two son’s lives. Willy’s death which is mourned by only Biff, Happy, and Linda represents the delusion of Willy’s well liked personality. Biff and Happy’s childhood was contaminated by the delusions of their father.

    Read More

  • Death of a Salesman - A Modern Day Tragedy

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    Death of a Salesman - A Modern Day Tragedy The question which arises within Death of a Salesman is, 'Is this a modern Tragedy?' A tragic play can be commonly observed when a protagonist falls from a great height. His decline is not about immediate death, although in most cases death becomes apparent at the end of the play, e.g. Macbeth. A tragedy shows the suffering of a character and utter compulsion of him if he does not succeed to reach his dream. These plays show the blissful release from intolerable suffering this character feels.

    Read More

  • Death Of A Salesman

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    From Willy’s perspective, he is nervous beyond belief. He somehow resents the company for putting him in a position in which he has to work on commission after all these years.

    Read More

  • Death Of A Salesman Critical Lens Essay

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    Arthur Schopenhauer is german philosopher who stated “All truth passes through three stages, first it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed and third it is accepted as being self-evident” (Arthur Schopenhauer). This quote gives a better understanding of how society faces truths when they are first revealed and how they influence everyone. The play “ Death of a salesman” by Arthur Miller and the film “The Matrix” directed by Lana Wachowski and Lily wachowski both reveal truths that give a better understanding of both works. The three truths revealed in both works include betrayal, control/freedom, and illusion versus reality. These truths are revealed by the characters in both works and essentially show how life can be impacted in many

    Read More

  • Staircase Lady By Christie Mclaren's 'Suitcase Lady'

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    The motivation to be successful is very powerful. Some people will work twelve hours a day, seven days a week in order to feel successful. These people will work so

    Read More

  • Death of a salesman

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    The character Willy Loman from the play Death of a Salesman has been read throughout the years with distinct interpretations. Many people have given different reasons to what led to Willy’s tragic fate. One interpretation I took was that Willy’s instability in his life led to his death. Some point that led in to my interpretation were his early family life, his relationship with Biff, and his job.

    Read More

  • Death of a Salesman

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    What encompasses the American Dream? Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” offers a realistic, stark picture of lives overflowing with dreams wished and dreams broken; yet, there are no dreams realized here. Their dreams comprise glory and fearlessness over those which genuinely can be achieved. Although Willy, Linda, Biff and Happy, as individuals, still believe in the American Dream, it’s clear that it represents something different for each.

    Read More

  • Dreams in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    Do you ever have a dream? What is your dream? Having a dream is crucial for people to work hard to make the dream come true. In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, the main character, had a dream— to be a well-liked salesman—and had strived for this dream throughout his whole life. But he committed suicide to end his life. He was not happy in the process of achieving his dream. Arthur Miller, the author, reveals a negative attitude towards Willy’s behavior and beliefs. Willy is a man with flaws that leads to his downfall. I share the same attitude with Miller. Yet, I pity the tragedy of Willy.

    Read More

  • Death Of A Salesman And Glengarry Glen Ross

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the play Death of a Salesman Willy’s life is kind of a picture of the American Dream. He has a good job until the end of the play but he owns a home and a car has a nice family with two healthy boys. To many people the American Dream is happy but in this play for the most part is not happy between the family members. For most of the time Linda is just sticking up for Willy because she was to worried about herself and Willy than to listen to her own sons that kind of ruins the whole view of the American dream. To have the true American dream your family has to get along so that is one way that this play kind of contradicts itself. Part of the American dream is good economy without good economy you cannot have good steady jobs so therefor it would be hard to own a house and a car and be able to feed and supply for your family. In the play Death of a Salesman the setting is set after the war so the economy is not too good yet. So it is tough for people to get good jobs or keep jobs that they already had and provide for their families. In the play Glengarry Glenn Ross is a good example of the American Dream even though it does not talk about what houses or cars that the characters have but it talks about how they are fighting for their jobs and to do good at their jobs. The characters have a sit which is when they have to close on three real estate properties or they will get fired. The characters in the play

    Read More

  • Analyzing The American Dream In Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman

    565 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream is defined as the ideal that every US citizen has an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work. While many strive for this ideal, some take it to the extreme by letting it run all components of their life. In his play “Death of a Salesman”, Arthur Miller repeatedly interrupts Willy Loman’s present state of mind by infusing various interruptions and challenges his grasp on reality by feeding a false truth that constitutes man’s blindness to the American Dream.

    Read More

  • Themes Of The American Dream In Death Of A Salesman

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author and journalist Arthur Koestler once said “Nothing is more sad than the death of an illusion.” In Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, the main character Willy Loman’s illusion of his life led to the suffering of others due to the fact that he would not accept that he was not as successful as he believed. Biff, Willy’s son lived in his father illusion and when he realized it was all an illusion he was frustrated and fought with Willy. Biff wanted to do the activities he enjoyed and couldn’t because of his father. Happy, Willy’s other son becomes incredibly similar to his father, never leaving his illusion of how flawless his life was. In addition to this Willy’s wife Linda was constantly trying to please Willy keeping him in his illusion even though she knew they were struggling for money.Through the play Willy Loman has an obsession with the American Dream, which causes the suffering of both his sons Biff and Happy and his wife Linda, which increases the tragic vision of the play as a whole.

    Read More

  • Willy Loman

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Death of a Salesman”, is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1949, the play’s universality comes from the central theme and ideas. These concepts have the ability to allow a connection to be made with a universal audience because they take in to account basic human nature. As readers of the play, we can connect with the concepts that introduced throughout the paly because they are part of our everyday lives. Through the play’s theme of the “American Dream” and many concepts will allow the audience to connect to this modern tragedy.

    Read More

  • Defining Success

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is a competitive job market and if one wants a high paying job he needs some college credentials. College is also said to prepare people to take on the world. Once one has graduated and has a well paying job he is on his way to becoming successful. People work their whole lives making money so they can satisfy their desires. The idea of being able to purchase the items one has always dreamt about is an achievement. People dream about owning a home and having beautiful things to fill it with. Many people take pride in what they possess. People want to own nice homes, nice cars, and nice clothes. Some need to look successful in order to feel successful. These people feel successful when they can admire what their hard work has given them.

    Read More

More about Critical Examination Of The Death Of A Salesman

Open Document