Death of a Salesman
Certain Private Conversations
in Two Acts and a Requiem
Written by Arthur Miller
ARTHUR MILLER: The Playwright
Arthur Miller was born in New
York City on October 17, 1915.
He wrote Death of a Salesman,
which won the Pulitzer Prize
and transformed Miller into a
national sensation. Many critics
described Death of a Salesman
as the first great American
tragedy, and Miller gained
eminence as a man who
understood the deep essence of the
United States.
Miller continued…
He published The Crucible in
1953, a searing indictment
of the anti-Communist
hysteria that pervaded
1950s America, which is
set during the Salem
Witch Trials of 1690.
Miller is also famous for
having been one of
Marilyn Monroe’s
husbands! He died in
2005.
The Play
Death of a Salesman,
Miller’s most famous work,
addresses the painful
conflicts within one family,
but it also tackles larger
issues regarding American
national values. The play
examines the cost of blind
faith in the American
Dream, the idea that success and
status are rights, not
earned privileges.
(www.sparknotes.com/lit)
The Play continued…
It is a play viewed by
many as a scathing
attack on the American
Dream of achieving
wealth and success
without regard for
principle or morals.
“The American Dream”
• The American Dream is a belief that in the
United States of America, hard work and
determination can lead to a better life, usually
through the earning of money. These were values
held by many early European settlers, and have
been passed on to the newer generations.
• This idea persists today, though younger
generations have deveoped a different idea of the
American Dream.
“The American Dream” cont’d
• Traditionally, Americans have sought to realize the
American dream of success, fame and wealth through thrift
and hard work. However, the industrialization of the 19th
and 20th centuries began to erode the dream, replacing it
with a philosophy of "get rich quick". A variety of
seductive but elusive strategies have evolved, and today
the three leading ways to instant wealth are large-prize
television game shows, big-jackpot state lotteries and
compensation lawsuits. In this article, Matthew
Warshauer, Professor of History at Central Connecticut
State University, examines why so many Americans are
persuaded to seek these easy ways to their dream.
(http://www.americansc.org.uk/Online/American_Dream.htm).
The American Dream
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How has the dream changed?
What does the dream mean to you?
Is it a right or a priviledge?
How will you try to realize your dream?
How important is being well-liked?
How vital is it to work hard?
Will luck play a part?
Is it better to win the lottery or make money in
your chosen career? Why?
The Lomans.
• The play centers on
Willy Loman, an
aging salesman who is
beginning to lose his
grip on reality. Willy
places great emphasis
on his supposed native
charm and ability to
make friends;
The Lomans…
Willy has worked hard his entire life (he’s 63) and
ought to be retiring by now, living a life of luxury
and closing deals with contractors on the phone—
especially since increasing episodes of
depersonalization and memory flashbacks are
impairing his ability to drive. Instead, all of
Willy's aspirations seem to have failed: he is fired
from his job after 34 years—which barely paid
enough anyway—by a man young enough to be
his son and who, in fact, Willy claims to have
named.
Symbolism of the name
LOMAN?
The Lomans…
Biff, his 34-year-old son,
has been unable to 'find
himself' as a result of his
inability to settle down;
he’s a former football star.
Happy, 32, the younger son,
lies shamelessly to make it
look like he is a perfect
Loman son.
Both sons are
disspointments.
Becoming Your Own Person
To what extent are you
shaped by your parents?
If you fail to become successful, can
you blame your parents?
Why or why not?
For example, Willy tells his sons that the most
important trait needed to be successful is to be
well liked. If you were told this, how might
that shape your life?
Finally, Willy is haunted by memories of
his now-dead older brother, Ben, who has
constantly overshadowed Willy, and he is in
many ways the man that Willy wanted to be.
Willy's emphasis on being well-liked stems
from a belief that it will bring success—not a
harmful dream in itself, except that he clings to
this idea as if it is a life-preserver, refusing to
give it up. His boys are not only well-liked but
quite handsome, and as far as Willy is concerned,
that's all anyone needs. He pitches this idea to his
sons so effectively that they believe opportunity
will fall into their laps.
The Tragic Flaw
Tragic Flaw: a flaw in character that
brings about the downfall of the
hero of a tragedy; e.g. hubris (or
excessive pride) or avarice
(financial greed).
Willy witnesses his and his sons'
failures and clings ever more
tightly to his master plan, now
placing his hopes vicariously on
them: he may not succeed, but
they might. His tragic flaw is in
failing to question whether the
dream is valid.
The Setting
• Loman’s tiny Brooklyn house
– Claustrophobic effect, surrounded by buildings
– Middle-class furniture
– takes place over 48 hours, 1942
• NOTE: when the play takes place in the
present, the Loman house has imaginary
walls; in scenes relived (reimagined) from
the past, the walls don’t exist.
Thematic Ideas
• The American Dream
– find prospertity; be “well liked”
• Personal Attractiveness
– better to look good and be “well liked”
• Truth and lies
– “We never told the truth for ten minutes in this house!”
• Family
– loyalty, pride
• Loneliness
– Even with others around, we can still be lonely
Miller’s Narrative Technique
• The separation of past and present no longer
exists in Willy’s mind.
• When a present event reminds him of the
past, he drifts from his immediate
surroundings and talks with unseen people
from the past
• Willy has MEMORIES, not flasbacks
• Facts and time sequence are often confused
Memories vs. Flashbacks
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What’s the difference?
Can we trust memory?
Why? Why not?
How might our memories be different from
what actually happened?
• Why might we recall the same event
differently from other people?