Analysis Of Arthur Miller's 'Death Of A Salesman'
"…I absolutely forget I was driving. If I `d `ve gone the other way over the white line I might `ve killed somebody. So I went on again- and five minutes later I `m dreamin` again, and I nearly-He prosses two fingers against his eyes. I have such thoughts, I have such strange thought"(I 14).
The origin of the play is based on a short story which Miller wrote at the age of seventeen. The short story is called In Memoriam. It is based on the experience of Miller with a Jewish salesman. After Miller`s graduation from the high school, he worked with his father for a few months. The story is about an old salesman who sells nothing and the buyers treat him badly. So he throws himself in front of a train. The story ends with his death as the play ends with the death of Willy (Bigsby 173-86).
According to Miller, American depression is an important part in American history. His father lost his business which he had worked hard to establish. As well as, his mother became so depressed because of the poverty circumstances of the family. As a result, Miller dramatizes the depression, frustration, anger, and unemployment which result from American depression in his play Death of a Salesman (Abbotson 3).
As for title, the first title of the play was The inside of His Head. This title reflects a mass of contradictions that Willy Loman is suffering from. As Willy himself explains "why am I always being contradicted" ( I 28). Arthur Miller says that this title may refer to the incident
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