Death of a salesman PDF

Preview

Summary

short summary of ´Death of a Salesman` by Arthur Miller...

Description

Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller The drama ´Death of a Salesman ´ by Arthur Miller tells the story of the end of the life of the Salesman Willy Loman and also describes his families situation, the relations within the family and the influence the American Dream had on all of their lives. First performed in 1949, the play was Arthur Miller´s first successful work. The focus of this text will be set on the main character of the drama, Willy Loman, using criteria from Michael Meyer (Michael Meyer, English and American Literature, 4th edition, p. 127- 132). Most of the play takes place in Willy Loman´s house, where his sons, Happy and Biff, are staying with their parents. Willy is still working but he isn´t earning as much money as he used to, he is, in fact, not earning anything but borrowing money. Willy is too proud to tell his wife, Linda, who knows anyways. He also tells her that he can´t keep his eyes on the road anymore while driving. As a 63year-old, Willy seems to still be discontent with himself and the things he did and didn´t achieve in his life. His wife knows him too well to not notice when he is lying to her and finds out that Willy is attempting suicide. Watching the play, the audience will also find out that Willy talks to himself a lot and seems to be living in the past, rather than in the presence. Parts of the play consist of flashbacks Willy has, where he remembers the families past live. During the performance of these flashbacks, the contrast of past and presence Willy is very clearly portrayed. Especially his relationship with his sons, Happy and Biff shows big differences. Willy used to fiercely love his sons, he was very proud of them and sure they would have a great future. Regardless of Biff not putting much effort into his education, Willy was still very proud of his sons: ´Bernhard can get the best marks in school, y´understand, but when he gets out in the business world, you are going to be five times ahead of him.´ ( p. 21). He used to be sure they have great chances in the business world, whereas in the presence, he seems to be rather disappointed. Especially his wife suffers from his chance of attitude, she misses the time when Willy and his sons got along amazingly (p. 40). The relationship of Biff and Willy changed drastically from when Biff was a boy to the presence of the play, where he is 34. Old Willy isn´t happy with what Biff made of his life, working as a stablehand, not being settled yet. He was hoping for his son to achieve all the dreams he had himself, in order for Biff to be happy. This also shows a contrast between Biff and Willy because Biff himself says that working as a stablehand is what makes him happy. Happy on the other hand is trying harder to fit into society and is working towards fulfilling the American Dream his father had. He is earning more money, pays a lot to live in a nice apartment but still doesn´t to be fulfilled, he is missing a wife and feels lonely. Using the conception of characters in dramatic texts (Michael Meyer, English and American Literature, 4th edition, p. 128), Willy belongs into the category of round characters. He is very complex, as there is darker and brighter aspect to him, like his love for his wife and his children and all his hopes for them, but also his self- destructive behavior, desperation for (financial) success and his lack of honesty towards his wife. Willy is completely absorbed in his American Dream, to the point of not being able to love his children regardless of the money they don´t make and committing suicide. He is also a very dynamic character, as he develops from a man that is driven to do the best he can for his family and to accomplish what he always dreamt of to one that is at a high age still completely

obsessed. One might even question Willy´s sanity, he seems to be on a very slim line between desperation for a dream he hasn´t got time to achieve and the loss of his mind. Willy is an opaque character to an audience watching ´Death of a Salesman´ and the reader of it. It is never fully clear whether he is able to distinguish between presence and past, his impossible dreams and his real achievements.

Bibliography Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. London: Cresset Press, 1949 Michael Meyer, English and American Literature, 4th edition...