Death of a Salesman
Arthur Miller
The American Dream:
At what cost?
About the Playwright:
Arthur Miller
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 Born in New York City on October 17, 1915
 Began as playwright at University of Michigan
 Pulitzer Prize winner for Death of A Salesman
 Double winner of New York Drama Critics
Circle Award
Miller’s Legal Troubles
 Suspected of being a Communist
sympathizer
 Death seen as un-American
 Miller has troubles with the
HUAC/McCarthy
 1953 - Miller denied a passport
 1955 - HUAC pressures NYC not to
allow Miller to make a film for them on
juvenile delinquency
The Saga Continues...
 1957 - Miller convicted of contempt of
Congress for refusing to name names
And then...
 1958 - US Court of Appeals overturns
his contempt conviction
Miller’s Assertions
 Death is not a “document of
pessimism.”
 Death is not un-American; it celebrates
the life of Willy Loman.
 Miller believes that tragedy is
“inherently optimistic.”
From Classical Tragedy
 Unity of time -- the
final 24 hours in
Willy’s life
 Unity of action - the
play is complete
unto itself
 the tragic hero…with
a twist
Also from Classical Tragedy
 the hero’s traits, esp. being a mixture of
good and bad and being of higher
moral worth than others in society
 the concept of the hero’s flaw
 the hero’s capacity to willingly endure
suffering
 the catharsis of the audience
Characteristics of the Tragic Hero
"A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of
his own downfall."
~Aristotle
Six Characteristics of the Tragic Hero:
 Nobility or wisdom (by birth)
 A flaw or error of judgment (Hamartia)
 A reversal of fortune (perepetia)
 The discovery or recognition that the reversal was
brought about by the hero's own actions (anagnorisis)
 The audience must feel dramatic irony for the
character.
 The character's fate must be greater than deserved.
A few key traits of the T.H.
 Usually evokes empathy…
 Has a weakness, usually pride
 Something has gone awry in his/her life
 Usually faced with a very serious decision he
must make
 Noble in nature
 Must understand his mistakes…
 Likely doomed from the start…
 Begins his “journey” as no better or worse
than the rest of us…
The Common Man as Hero
Miller’s thoughts:
 “Everyone knows Willy Loman.”
(allusion to the morality play,
Everyman.)
 “The common man is suitable for a
tragic hero.”
 Willy is meant to be seen as greater
and better (at least in potential) than
his society.
Miller’s Modern Tragedy
 The
 The
 The
 The
hero is a common man.
hero struggles against society.
hero meets his downfall.
downfall is a result of an
incongruity between his own perception
of the world and reality.
 The hero achieves a kind of redemption
in his downfall.
Initial Themes
 Addresses family conflict in post World War II
America
 Takes a close look at the price paid for the
“American Dream”
 Charges America with creating a capitalist
materialism centered around a postwar
economy
 This materialism skewed the original view of
the “American Dream” as envisioned by the
founding fathers
Death of a Salesman and the
American Dream
Death of a Salesman is considered by many to be the
quintessential modern literary work on the American dream, a term
created by James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book, The Epic of
America. This is somewhat ironic, given that it is such a dark and
frustrated play. The idea of the American dream is as old as
America itself: the country has often been seen as an empty frontier
to be explored and conquered. Unlike the Old World, the New
World had no social hierarchies, so a man could be whatever he
wanted, rather than merely having the option of doing what his
father did.
The American Dream is closely tied up with the literary works
of another author, Horatio Alger. This author grew famous through
his allegorical tales which were always based on the rags-to-riches
model. He illustrated how through hard work and determination,
penniless boys could make a lot of money and gain respect in
America.
Themes in Death
 Willy Loman as a modern tragic hero
 An individual’s search for meaning and
purpose in life (not Willy, but Biff)
 failure in pursuit of success
 Man’s need to “leave a thumbprint
somewhere in the world.”
 An examination of the materialistic
values of society
More themes in Death
 The love of a father for a son, and a
son (Biff) for a father
 The conflict between father and son
 The question of who shall wield the
power?
 The problem of communication
Add: Themes
 Abandonment: The not-so-positive
transient nature of mankind
 Betrayal: Willy’s primary obsession
(Biff)
Symbols
 Seeds: opportunity for growth, but will not
always germinate.
 Diamonds: Material & tangible wealth
 The Woman’s Stockings: betrayal and
infidelity.
 The Rubber Hose: Suicide
 Alaska, Africa…The American West:
success and failure…escape
Act 1
An air of the dream clings to the place, a
dream rising out of reality.
 How does this serve to foreshadow Willy
Loman’s life?
Major Characters
 Willy Loman
 Biff Loman
 Linda Loman
 Happy Loman
 Charley
 Bernard
 Ben
 The Woman
 Howard Wagner
 Stanley
 Jenny
 Miss Forsythe and
Letta
Willy Loman
 Father, traveling salesman
 Believes in chasing the American
Dream although he never achieves
it
 Pins his failed hopes on his sons,
Biff and Happy
 Becomes mentally ill when pressure
of reality crushes his illusions
Biff Loman
 Elder son, 34 years old
 High school standout-football star, many
male friends, and female admirers
 Academic failures lead to a life of
kleptomania
 Represents Willy’s vulnerable, tragic side
 Fails to reconcile his father’s
expectations
Linda Loman
 Loving, devoted wife
 Naïve and realistic of Willy’s hopes
 Emotionally supportive of Willy
 Willy’s strength until his tragic
perishing
Happy Loman
 Younger son, 32 years old
 In Biff’s shadow all his life
 Relentless sex and professional drive
 Represents Willy’s sense of self
importance and ambition
 Often engages in bad business ethics
Charley
 The Lomans’ next door neighbor
 Successful businessman
 Often gives Willy financial support
 Described sadly as Willy’s only
friend although Willy is jealous of
Charley’s success
Bernard
 Charley’s son
 Successful lawyer
 Often mocked by Willy for being
studious
 Compared to Loman sons by Willy;
they do not measure up to his
success
Ben
 Willy’s deceased older brother
 Independently wealthy
 Appears to Willy in daydreams
 Willy’s symbol of success that he
desperately wants for his sons
The Woman
 Willy’s mistress
 Her admiration for Willy is an ego boost
 Biff catches Willy with her in a hotel room
 Biff loses faith in his father due to infidelity
So…What do you think The Woman symbolizes?
Biff and Willy’s Relationship
(p. 54) When you write you’re coming,
he’s all smiles, and talks about the
future, and…he’s just wonderful. And
then the closer you seem to come, the
more shaky he gets, and then, by the
time you get here, he’s arguing, and he
seems angry at you…
Why are you so hateful to each other?
The Dream is Vanishing…
(p. 58) He’s been trying to kill himself…
That all the accidents in the last
year…weren’t…weren’t…accidents.
And behind the fuse box…it happened to
fall out…was a length of rubber
pipe…just short.
Hmmm…
(p.72) You wait, kid, before it’s all over,
we’re gonna get a little place out in the
country, and I’ll raise some vegetables,
a couple of chickens…
What is important about this connection?
Envisioning the Dream
(p. 105) Dad is never so happy as when
he’s looking forward to something!
What does Happy mean by this?
What does this say about Everyman?
Willy’s Dream Begins to Vanish…
WILLY: I'm not interested in stories about the past or any
crap of that kind because the woods are burning, boys,
you understand? There's a big blaze going on all around.
I was fired today.
BIFF (shocked): How could you be?
WILLY: I was fired, and I'm looking for a little good news
to tell your mother, because the woman has waited and
the woman has suffered. The gist of it is that I haven't
got a story left in my head, Biff. So don't give me a
lecture about facts and aspects. I am not interested. Now
what've you got so say to me?
(p. 107)
The Dream…but…
(p. 122) Willy: “I’ve got to get some seeds,
right away. Nothing’s planted. I don’t
have a thing in the ground…”
What’s going on with Willy at this point?
Quote from Biff
“I saw the things that I love in this world.
The work and the food and the time to
sit and smoke. And I looked at the pen
and I thought, what the hell am I
grabbing this for? Why am I trying to
become what I don’t want to be . . .
when all I want is out there, waiting for
me the minute I say I know who I am.”
“Why am I becoming what I don’t want to
be?” (p. 132)
Requiem
(p. 137) Linda: “Why didn’t anybody
come?
But where are all the people he knew…?”
“It’s a rough world, Linda…”
What parallel jumps out at you and grabs
you by your literary throat?!
Requiem…the dream
(p. 138) Biff: He had all the wrong
dreams. All, all, wrong…
(p. 139) Happy: He had a good dream.
It’s the only dream you can have…to
come out number-one man. He fought
it out here, and this is where I’m gonna
win it for him
Freedom
(p. 139) Linda: Willy, I made the last
payment on the house today. Today,
dear. And there’ll be nobody home.
We’re free and clear. We’re free. We’re
free.