Work: Death of a Salesman
Author: Arthur Miller (1949)
Setting: New York City, Lowman House
Characters: Willy Loman, Linda, Biff, Happy, Ben (older brother), Bernard (Biff’s school friend), Charley (Bernard’s father)
Summary: Death of a Salesman is a Tragedy of the Common Man as Arthur Miller describes it. It is the story of a man who is hard working, determined, and severely deluded. Willy Loman is an elderly, out of health salesman who has fallen on tough times. He doesn’t do much selling anymore. His wife, Linda, and sons, Biff and Happy, are concerned about him and his health. The plot of the play is minimal, mostly discussions and Willy’s flashbacks. It is eventually revealed that the reason Biff did not complete the summer math course he needed to go the University of Virginia to play football was that he discovered Willy with another woman. Willy is obsessed with being “well liked” and explains that it is the ultimate goal in life and the reason he became a salesman. Biff is fundamentally opposed to his father’s view by the end of the play. Eventually. Willy kills himself in a deliberate car crash to try and win insurance money for his family.
Analysis: Death of a Salesman is Arthur Miller’s description and condemnation of what he believes the current state of the American Dream is. Willy is hard working and earnest, but has the fundamental delusion that success is measured in material wealth and popularity. Thus, despite his best efforts, he as been chewed up and spat out by the world. He cannot stop obsessing over the past, trying to figure out where it all went wrong, but fails to see even straightforward truths (his role in Biff’s failure). Symbols include his brother Ben, the flute music that draws him to the past, and his once healthy fertile house that is now run down and does not support life.
Analysis: Death of a Salesman is Arthur Miller’s description and condemnation of what he believes the current state of the American Dream is. Willy is hard working and earnest, but has the fundamental delusion that success is measured in material wealth and popularity. Thus, despite his best efforts, he as been chewed up and spat out by the world. He cannot stop obsessing over the past, trying to figure out where it all went wrong, but fails to see even straightforward truths (his role in Biff’s failure). Symbols include his brother Ben, the flute music that draws him to the past, and his once healthy fertile house that is now run down and does not support life.
Quote: "You can't eat the orange and throw the peel away - a man is not a piece of fruit." –Willy
Theme: The American Dream has become a perverted vision of material wealth and popularity that is unobtainable and toxic to those who try.
Theme: The American Dream has become a perverted vision of material wealth and popularity that is unobtainable and toxic to those who try.
Good plot summary and analysis, you hit a lot of the key concepts.
ReplyDeleteQuote and theme, again, require more development.