The play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller is known by many Americans as an epitaph for the American dream. It is about the life of Willy Loman, an aging and failing salesman, chasing after his ambitions to become the most popular and successful individual in his field of work. Surprisingly, the story set behind the curtains also mirrors the lives of many modern Americans today. The play, performed in the 1940s, dealt with how people’s expectations for perfection were insubstantial and impractical, and how these expectations bred dissatisfaction and doubt. Unfortunately, this mentality still persists in the current American society.
Living The Reality Rather Than Chasing The Impossible Willy Loman ultimate dream was to achieve perfection By Turki Al-Al-Suwailem Rational Throughout my report I have chosen to illustrate how Willy Loman in the story of Death of a salesman has lived by all his life by searching for perfection rather than reality. Willy lived to chase his unachievable dream rather than living the reality. His unrealistic connection between his reality and what he dreams to be has led him to death. His wrong judgments’ that are based on materialism and capitalism are a symbol of Willy’s dream to become a wealthy person.
Thurman writes about fear in chapter 2, a fear that is different in its oppressive, relentless pursuit to dispossess and marginalize. The fear Thurman talks about is the concrete, real presence of political and religious powers who use their powers and religion to crush the spirits of people. He writes: “Fear is one of the persistent hounds of hell that dog the footsteps of the poor, the dispossessed, the disinherited… When the power and the tools of violence are on one side, the fact that there is no available and recognized protection from violence makes the resulting fear deeply terrifying.” (36-37) And: “There are few things more devastating than to have it burned into you that you do not count and that no provisions are made for the literal protection of your person.”
Death of a Salesman Free Response Essay Throughout the play Death of a Salesman, author Arthur Miller discusses the flaws of Willy Loman and the extent to which they bring about his own suffering and the suffering of others. As a tragic hero in the 1940’s, Willy exemplifies a typical man trying to achieve the very unrealistic American Dream. This dream not only solidified his fate but also threatened the success of every member in his household. Willy Loman first encounters the American Dream after his uncle Ben shares his successes and priorities with him, which in turn, become the basis of Willy’s dreams as well.
In his seminal work, Death of A Salesman, Arthur Miller portrays wretched conditions inflicting the lives of lower class people amid class-struggle in 1940s America. Miller sets the story during the great financial depression in the US , in between times after World War I and around World War II, though his characters hardly speak about the trauma of two World Wars. Miller earns an enormous success by putting an ordinary salesman as the protagonist in his play instead of putting a man of social nobility. In the play, Miller depicts his central character, Willy Loman as a destitute salesman struggling to rise up the social ladder in a capitalist society, who remains deluded by a 'dream of success ' and takes on a relentless pursuit of happiness that eventually brings his tragic demise. Though some critics speak in favor of the popular account of the cause of his death being his excessive obsession with so called the American dream and the 'capitalist oppression ' ; however, many still refuse to ascribe the cause of his death to capitalist oppression, which I will use synonymously with American dream here.
“The man who makes an appearance in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead” (33). In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller uses foil characters to elucidate Willy’s flaws that ultimately prevent him and his family from succeeding. The contrast between Charley and Willy and Bernard and Biff serves to highlight how Willy’s obsession with achieving his version of the American Dream impacts both his life and his children’s. His poor values are passed on to his children producing even more failures. ¬¬¬¬Both Charley and Willy work as salesmen, however Charley represents what Willy desired to become – successful.
The Death of a Salesman should be classified as a tragedy since it depicts the fall of Willy Loman as respectable figure.. The Death of the Salesman is a tragedy when Willy is considered the protagonist because it depicts Willy’s fall from respectability -and his sad attempts at gaining it- in both his professional and personal life. It is implied that Willy, at least in his mind, held the respect of Howard’s father, the previous owner of the firm when Willy states “Your father came to me the day you were born and asked me what I thought of the name of Howard…”. This indicates that Howard’s father respected Willy because one would generally only ask friends about potential baby names and one has to respect someone if they are their friend, therefore, it is implied that Howard’s father respected Willy. Willy’s fall from respectability is illustrated by how Howard, Willy’s boss, treats him.
After a forced evacuation from their house in a condemned building in Tehran, the couple of Emad and Rana relocate to a small flat recommended by Babak, a fellow actor in their theatrical adaptation of Arthur Miller’s, “Death of a Salesman”. However, what Babak failed to say, was that Ahu, the previous tenant, was a rather promiscuous woman whose belongings were left behind with the intention to remove them in the near future. When Emad stays late for a rehearsal, Rana returns home to wait for him and then, the unspeakable happens… Waiting for Emad, Rana unwisely opens up the main door and goes for a shower, while a stranger looking for Ahu enters the house and attempts to violate the poor woman.
Death of a Salesman was written in the year 1949, this was the period when World War II ended and it was when Americans started a period of unparalleled national prosperity. This was the period when American businesses invested a lot of money in new business materials and revolutionized old equipment with new equipment. The number of independent nonfarm businesses grew by about a third. Housing and construction of buildings expanded rapidly. This all created high inflation and prices of everything went high.
The world depends on the salesperson. Yes, businesses create wealth. Businesses pay salaries and give benefits. The health of businesses in a community determines the kind of life and the standard of living in that community. But will businesses survive without the salesman?
Willy’s American Dream The tragic play of Death of a salesman by Arthur Miller tells a story about an old man of 84 years old named Willy. Willy was captured by the American dream. He believed that hard work and ambitions could take him to a life of fame and popularity like the american dream was supposed to be. In Death of a salesman, the american dream reveals disappointment, failure and loss of hope. Thus showing that the american dream is not a great dream after all.
Tragedy can spread. In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman is the protagonist, however he not the only person in the play who’s story ends tragically. His view on life spreads to those close to him. Primarily, Willy teaches it to his children who look up to him while his wife simply attaches herself to him, rooting for him in blind support while really she should be waking him up to the cold and dark reality that is their life. Throughout the play, the Loman family evolves differently.
Money and happiness: is financial success really the key to a happy life? Reaching financial stability is a goal many people share believing that money is central to quality of life. There are endless books, blogs, articles and seminars on how to achieve the dream job, how to multiply savings through smart investments, which careers have the biggest pay, and basically how to make more money. One of the greatest plays in American theater, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, portrays a man’s quest for professional success, believing the money and status it would bring was the solution to the family’s problems.
In Death of a Salesman , Arthur Miller displays utter disillusion as a recurring obstacle. He proves that tragedy can strike anywhere, including within the most optimistic. The protagonist, Willy, mistakenly believes that someone’s reputation complements tangible success. Like many other characters, he was blinded by the belief that charisma can change one’s social status. The question remains: How far can one be substantially benefited by only faith?
Arthur Miller’s “Death of a salesman” has more to do with levelheadedness than with state of mind. The production merriments the depth of the logical mentality of Arthur Miller as he is innovative in his request to describe the complexity of the characters. As Arthur Miller is way too truthful and documental they play “Death of salesman” to be extremely genuine with its profound symbolic meaning. Symbolism is without a doubt seen all through the play with the purchasing of the seeds and planting them to the setting of the play to the diamonds just to name a few things that represented symbolism. Willy Loman persist on buying and planting seeds which is an important symbol within the play.
