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Analysis of death of a salesman by Arthur Miller
Analysis of death of a salesman by Arthur Miller
Themes and symbols in death of a salesman
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Dear Mother,
Since I have been visiting your sister’s family for a while now, I do believe that I must inform you of the state in which this family is in. I have some concerns in regards to the well being of the four members living under this tension-filled roof. I am watching a horrible train wreck that is just about to occur right before my baby blue eyes! Linda seems to be a very giving woman. She resembles you, my mother, very much. The difference comes in years; she looks much older than you. It is not clear however, if she looks this way because of her ripe age or if the many stresses surrounding the family have altered her looks in such a way. I can see very keenly that your sister is in a struggle at this point in time. I know and understand that she loves her husband unconditionally. However, she is over-defensive when it comes to what is said about him. It has been like walking on egg shells when asking very general questions about my uncle. Mrs. Loman never seems to take a break from reassuring herself and anyone who will listen that her husband is a fine man-the finest. This behavior is not healthy on any level in my personal opinion. I cannot grasp the fact that I arrive here as a guest, with few wise years behind me, and can see that this lifestyle of keeping the truth locked up is very wrong; yet Linda cannot admit to seeing it for herself. I am certain that she does see what is so very wrong, yet refuses to acknowledge it in any way. She tries exceedingly hard to put on many masks; disguising the problem that she has. During the first five days of my stay here at the Loman’s, Mr. Loman was nowhere to be seen. I asked about him and Linda said he was a fine salesman who is out on the road doing what salesmen do best. Throughout those first five days, even though the man was nowhere in sight, every word that poured out of your sister’s mouth seemed to be a tribute to Willy. Mrs. Loman boasted about Mr. Loman as if he was able to hear her from miles away on the road.
Have you ever felt compelled to reconcile your past uncertainties because of the desire of attaining acceptance? In Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”, Willy Loman, the protagonist, is a salesman blinded by his own delusion. This self delusion affects him and the people around him. The delusion also affects the standards of success that he created throughout his life to make sure his ambiguity is not transferred to individuals around him. These standards guide him towards his emphasised view of who he is and what he wants to achieve, causing pressure to both himself and Biff Loman, another main character. In this modern play, the differences between Biff and Willy and their dissimilar sense
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.
Since the beginning of the Industrial Age, Americans have idealized the journey towards economic success. One thing people do not realize, however, is that journey is not the same for every individual. Media often leads its viewers toward a “one size fits all” version of success that may help themselves, but will rarely help the viewers. This is seen in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Miller includes multiple instances of symbolism and personification to reveal to the reader the situational irony in Willy’s life, underlining the theme of self-deception in regard to the American Dream. This American Dream, fueled by money, is the main source of anxiety in Willy’s life. The anxiety of income is reflected today in the issue of minimum wage. James Sherk, a writer of the Tribune News Service, plots thoughtful points against raising the minimum wage. However, his use of over-exaggeration and odd comparisons leave his argument less than convincing.
the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a
As time grows, a spouse becomes a soul mate, best friend, and lover all in one. No one will ever show their dedication and love for you like your significant other and that’s what Arthur Miller addresses in the play Death of a Salesman. Linda Loman is the wife of Willy Loman, a man that treats her wrong but she still stands by his side. Linda is a vital character because she never has a low personality, she chooses her husband over her children she’s strong when her husband passes away and she the voice of the playwright.
There are many examples throughout the play: Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller that reveals that Linda is the classic enabler who indirectly causes the dysfunction in the Loman household. Willy has problems with his memory, but Linda is always making excuses for Willy’s many mistakes. Making those kinds of excuses for someone’s mistakes is just as bad as the mistake itself. She could have tried and helped Willy get better, but instead she just brushed everything off and made it look like Willy’s behavior was normal.
Question: One thing I would like to know is if Happy is genuinely satisfied with his life and job. He fulfilled his dad’s dream, by becoming a salesman, but I think this caused him to stop chasing the dream he truly wanted. Through the first act, he carries himself in a very joyous manner, but I definitely feel like Happy has a more dismal side that he hides from everyone.
Throughout the play Death of a Salesman the main character, Willy Loman, struggles to find a medium between his family and career life. Such an occurrence is common throughout history, and one only needs to look at celebrities to see that such a statement is accurate as more often than naught, the pursuit of wealth and a tight family unit don’t often correlate well together. Perhaps this is a matter of balancing one’s personal life, and one’s career. Yet few have managed to succeed in maintaining both on equal level, as one is valued above the other. This may not be seen as a drastic problem, for most people, as they are happy with their income rates and family relationships, and thus doesn’t see a need to change to improve either one. Some might even argue that it’s the normal thing, and that the other side is not affected by the amount of time that they prioritize with either their family or work. In fact, most might say, that in focusing more on one aspect, be it their job or their family, the other simply balances out. However, this tends to be more noticeable in families that prioritize their relationships above their career, as they see their wealth as something that
“The present and the past coexist, but the past shouldn't be in flashback” -Alain Resnais. The play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller follows the life of a man named Willy Loman, and his family life with his two sons; Biff and Happy Loman, and wife, Linda Loman. Throughout the play, Willy has delusional episodes of past events in life, which he believes he is reliving, and these flashbacks are providing him an escape from dealing with the obstacles he is facing in life. The reader discovers that Willy is having an affair with a mistress titled The Woman, and he retreats to memories of their time together for an ego boost, though in reality he is arguing with his sons. Willy has an encounter with his brother Ben at the same time that he is playing cards with his neighbour Charlie, and because Willy’s mind is so far gone into the memory, Charlie leaves. During this flashback Willy sees his life compared to his successful brother, but he will not accept his lack of skill at being a salesman. His final flashback is a fake encounter he believes he has with his brother, and this progresses to Willy’s final act of suicide. Willy’s flashbacks are evidence that he is delusional because he cannot differentiate between a past event and reality.
Death of a Salesman was written in 1949 in the period of literary realism (Na). In this play, Miller also integrated naturalism and expressionism. Expressionism is seen in the work because Willy sees not only reality, but also his past and he sees his brother Ben who is dead (Hoeveler). Willy imagines that his death will cause his son to praise him because through the insurance policy, the family would receive a sum of money to provide for themselves, but in reality, Linda, Biff, and Happy, wish that he wouldn’t have done that. Miller wanted Death of a Salesman to imitate a Greek Tragedy. In most Greek and Shakespearean Tragedies, the tragedy begins because of a flaw of the protagonist and in the end, the protagonist either
A logical fallacy can be defined as a “flawed argument” (Kirszner and Mandell 84). It can be considered, “ a writer who inadvertently uses logical fallacies is not thinking clearly or logically…” (Kirszner and Mandell 84). In the play, Death of a Salesman, there is an assortment of situations exemplifying different kinds of logical fallacies. Cognitive distortions are also present in this play. Some of the characters in Death of a Salesman have thoughts that seem to be slightly unclear. These distortions sometimes result when people “…think in extremes…” (“Cognitive Distortions”).
Authors write with a purpose, sometimes this purpose is hidden and political, while sometimes it challenges the norm, while yet other times they write just to tell a moving story. In the end, however, all writers have the same goal: to produce a work that causes their readers to think about the plot and use their own mind to decipher the meaning. Arthur Miller is an exceptional author who possesses talent that exceeds the traditional author. Miller is one of the authors who chooses to challenge political figures, the norm, and many other assumed things about society, at least for his time. Arthur was born in 1915 and died in 2005; this gives a relative idea of the time period in which
Death of a Salesman, a play written in the late 1940s by Arthur Miller, is a play that tells the story of a middle class family known as the Lomans. Willy, the head of the house is an aging salesman. He is no longer effective in his field and is struggling to make money to provide for his family. The pressure of trying to find work, having to borrow money, and having a poor relationship with seemingly everyone in his house takes a heavy toll on him, practically driving him to insanity. Willy Loman suffers from schizophrenia which manifested itself in his frequent hallucinations, disorganized thoughts and actions, and the absence of other normal behaviors.
character in the novel “Death Of A Salesman’ and Mr.Loman was the type of person that would always focus on the simple things. Instead of looking for new opportunities and for a better change everything went downhill for Mr.Loman. For that reason, Arthur Miller utilizes the title “Death Of A Salesman” not just to predict Willy Loman’s death and failure, but also how Mr.Loman’s dreams died alongside with him. Showing that one little mistake can make a big change in your life.
Lying is a string that ties together a great part of the plot in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. The Lomans are all greatly self-deceptive, and in their particular fancies and delusions to reality, they fuel and nourish off of each other. Willy convinces himself that he is effective, overall loved, and that his children are bound for significance. Unable to adapt to reality, he totally forsakes it through his vivid dreams and eventually through suicide. Linda and Happy also accept that the Lomans are going to become showbiz royalty. Not at all like alternate parts of his family, has Biff developed to distinguish that he and his relatives reliably bamboozle themselves, and he battles to escape the cycle of lying.