Death of a Salesman
By Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller’s Plays
• Traditional tragedies tend to focus on kings and
rulers because those were the people who were
considered important in shaping the world in
which humans lived.
• Miller, however, tended to use “modern day”
people to portray in his tragedies. His philosophy
was that real tragedy is visible through every
man’s struggle to find his “place in the world”
(Roberts/Jacob).
• Death of a Salesman is one such tragedy.
• Who can we assume is going to be the tragic
hero?
The play
• It discusses family conflicts in addition to
American values.
• Miller believed capitalism (materialism) was a
myth, yet the postwar economy (successful
until 1949 recession) made many Americans
“believe.”
• The play examines the cost of blind faith in the
American Dream along with the blurring of a
realistic moral vision.
• After World War II, the United States faced
numerous internal conflicts.
• Americans were prosperous and financially secure,
but the Cold War with the Soviet Union caused many
in the country to be suspicious of “Communists.”
• In addition, the idea of conformity on a social level
was more difficult to achieve; thus, the materialistic
(middle class) “American Dream” was a non-reality
for most.
Existentialism
• A new generation of artists and writers dismayed by postwar
social and economic situation began to create materials
reflecting “existentialist philosophy.”
• They fought against capitalist success as the basis of social
approval, upset that American families centered their lives
around material possessions just to “keep up with the Joneses.”
• Existentialists believe there are certain questions that everyone
must deal with: questions such as death, the meaning of human
existence, the place of God in human existence, the meaning of
value, interpersonal relationship, the place of self-reflective
conscious knowledge of one's self in existing, and freedom of
choice.
• They believe that life is very difficult and that the individual
must create value by living it in his/her way.
Existentialism continued
• Moral choice involves an objective judgment
of right and wrong; the individual must decide
which situations are to count as moral.
• Existentialists are suspicious of systematic
reasoning.
• They do NOT think, though, that rational
thought is taboo…they just think that
important questions in life are not accessible
to “reason” or science.
Stream of Consciousness
• “a literary style in which a character's thoughts,
feelings, and reactions are depicted in a continuous
flow uninterrupted by objective description or
conventional dialogue.” –
• Often this style is simply to absorb thematic elements
with no plot whatsoever! (Not in this case).
• Miller, thanks to Willy’s stream of consciousness,
manages to includes a time stretch of 14 years. The
present setting of the play takes place in 1942, but
through flashbacks it goes back to 1928.
Reading Check Quiz (Lined Paper)
• What happens when Biff goes to see Oliver?
• Explain what happens when Biff tells his father
about his visit with Oliver.
• What item did Biff procure from Oliver’s
office?
Choose ONE of the red questions and write a type 3 paragraph
as an answer. Answer the other two as Writing For
Understanding Questions.
FCA: Embedded quotes
FCA: CLW
FCA: Lit terms
• How has the neighborhood changed? Why does it
matter to the story that Willy’s surroundings are no
longer what they use to be?
• Who is Ben? Why does he appear? Explain Ben’s
impact (as a motif) on Willy’s character. What does
Ben “teach” Willy?
• What are the false values the play exposes? What
true values does the play uphold?
Universal Themes? Here is what John
Steinbeck says in East of Eden:
• “An unbelieved truth can hurt a man much
more than a lie. It takes great courage to back
truth….”
• “Perhaps the less we have, the more we are
required to brag.”
• “You're going to pass something down no
matter what you do or if you do nothing. Even
if you let yourself go fallow, the weeds will
grow and the brambles. Something will grow.”
Literary movement of Expressionism
• Expressionism was a modernist movement at the
beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to
present the world solely from a subjective
perspective, distorting it radically for emotional
effect in order to evoke moods or ideas.
• The audience experiences many of the events
through Willy's subjective viewpoint. All the
flashbacks and blurred realities are from Willy's
point of view.
Symbolism: “Exotic” places
Alaska, Africa,
American West: These
places represent
escape, freedom,
possibilities, whereas
home represents
restriction, both
physical and mental.
Symbolism: Seeds
Seeds: Willy’s concern
over the planting of
the seeds indicates he
believes he has left no
legacy, and that what
he has “sown” in his
sons has not taken
root. He wants to “take
care of business”
before he dies.
Symbolism: Stockings
Stockings:
• Linda’s repairing of the
stockings is indicative of
their financial struggles,
but more importantly this
action symbolizes her
attempt to “mend” the
relationship and their
home life.
• It also represents Willy’s
guilt which is two-fold:
inability to provide, and a
reminder of his past
affair(s?).
Symbolism: Tennis racquet
Tennis racquets: This ironic
symbol completes Willy’s feeling
of helplessness. Bernard owns
the racquet (something you can
put your hands on) while Biff
“owned” sports as a youth, but
no longer. It symbolizes the
failure of his children to succeed
and his misguided perceptions
that popularity matters. When
Willy realizes Bernard has rich
friends, he asks him how he did
it.
Symbolism: Diamonds and the Jungle
• Diamonds equal concrete wealth
(you can put your hands on it). In
other words, it’s pure achievement
of something tangible.
• On the other hand, the jungle not
only represents possible hard work
and risk-taking, but also “get rich
quick” schemes that many people
fall for. The so-called “easy path to
wealth.”
• Ben’s acknowledgement that the
jungle provided this wealth causes
Willy’s final decision to take that
path…the ultimate risk of death, to
provide wealth for his sons.
Themes
1. Hopes and dreams
2. Visions of America
3. Lies and deceit
4. Success
5. Respect and reputation
6. Appearances
7. Pride
8. Abandonment
9. Freedom and containment
10.Betrayal
Dramatic Elements
• Monologue (long speech by someone when others are
present). Biff’s discussion of where he was (jail) and why his
life is a lie (Act II).
• Soliloquy? Character talks with himself/herself as if no one
else is present. Some say it’s an on-stage solo. Romeo’s
balcony scene prior to Juliet’s being aware of him: even
though she is there, it is a soliloquy because he is talking to
himself.
• Both are designed to show the inner thoughts of a
character.
• Aside: Character talks out loud to either the audience or to
another character, presumably without others hearing
him/her.
Freytag’s Pyramid or Triangle
What’s it all about?
Full Movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84imDSRdr_U
http://www.shmoop.com/video/death-of-a-salesman/