Nature VS city &
American Dream
By Callam Molloy and Jessica Yeh
Presentation will include:
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Key Quotation
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Key scenes
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How the theme is shown through character
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How the theme link to the society/ the world
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Is theme relevant today? Explain
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How the audience response to the theme?
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What is the playwright trying to say about the theme?
The stage direction
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“Towering, angular shapes behind it, surrounding it on all sides” Page 1
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Through this we can imagine how the little house of the Lomans are
surrounded by all the modern days building. Seems like the city is taking over.
This may also be a reflection of Willy’s own life. He is just like his little house,
being surrounded by the materialistic city and not living the life he really want.
Nature and the city represent two different way of living. In “Death of a
salesman” the city represents a life controlled by external pressures, Willy is
under pressure to own material things and to be seen as someone likable. He
is living under people’s judgments and expectation. Nature represent knowing
who you really are and striking for things you really. It is about live for yourself
and not for others.
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It is closely related to America dream because Willy is the best example of
someone chasing the dream blindly. Hence the author might want us to
understand how foolish it is to dream about something without facing reality,
and misses out many more better things in life.
Quote: Biffs' point of view of life
“shipping clerk, salesman, business of
one kind or another, and if it’s a
measly manner of existence. When all
you desire to do is to be in the
outdoors, with your shirt off, that’s
how you build a future”
Explanation from quote:
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This is how biff reels towards life, city and even the “American dream”. He
thinks living in the country side and being in the out doors is how you be
happy and successful. He dislikes the city and thinks the city is all about
work and labor. This is relevant to nowadays since it is still like that now.
Cities are all about the high buildings and sky scrapers and money. But the
country side is all about the nice fresh air and nature. Arthur miller portrays
that the city is a dim and quite chrostrophobic place. City life is all about
materialism and owning things etc. but nature in the other hand is conveyed
positively and maybe a bit exaggerated and unachievable. But Arthur miller
may be trying to imply that the city is like Willy Lomans life, compacted,
uncomfortable, dark and confusing.
Willy’s speech
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The street is lined with cars….not a breath of fresh air…grass don’t grow any
more…you can’t raise any carrot…remember those two beautiful elm trees…”
Pg 12 Willy
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This is showing the growth of the city and how it is taking over the nature.
Everything seems to be crowded and restless. The way he say there’s “not a
breath of fresh air” shows that the city is making him hard to breath. Since he
is crushed under all the pressure. This might also express the author’s point of
view, that American Dream isn’t always a good thing. It can be good but with
many negative effects too. As the city grow, our home nature is being
destroyed by us. Not only physically, but mentally, too. We are setting a box
for ourselves when we can achieve much more outside the box. We shouldn’t
trap ourselves with our own interpretation of success. Success can be anything,
as long it’s what makes you happy.
Biff’s speech
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“Shipping clerk, salesman……To suffer fifty weeks of the year…..when all
you really want is to be outdoor, with your shirt off….And still that’s how
you build the future.” Pg 16
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In the play Biff seems to be the character that convey Miller’s thought. Here
it is saying that even though Biff know that he can’t get his happiness out of
those job but that is how the future is build on. This shows that everyone
might have this common interpretation of success is working in the city.
People betraying themselves by doing things that’s not really what they are
willing to do. They still do it anyway because everyone think it is what we
all should do. However the author might think this isn’t right, we should be
able to do other things and maybe we are more capable at them. We can
deduce this by the word “suffer”.
Willy and Biff
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“ That is a one-million-dollar idea!....you guys together could be absolute lick the civilized
world.” Pg 50
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Willy never think about the real life problem the at he could be facing. He never knew what
his children really could do and what they can’t. He is absolutely delighted and hopefully
however, this trigger the audience’s emotion. We already knew it’s not a happy ending so
when Willy is so happy, we knew it is not going to be happy.
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“ Will you take that phony dream and burn it before something happens?” Biff pg 106
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Biff seems to be the voice of the author and the audience’s. Since we’ve been through what
Biff been through. We woke up just like Biff does. Since he found out that he’s been living
as someone he is not and he has found about all those lies been told in his home. He realize
that Happy is becoming to follow the America Dream that Willy always followed. Happy is
lying to himself a lot. He realize that his mom is blinded by the love that she have for Willy,
so she doesn’t want to break Willy’s lies. Biff found out that everyone has been lying and it
is all because the idea of American Dream. So when Biff said that, he is saying what the
author want to say. In the end, seems like Biff is the only one that see the truth, and felt
how foolish he was.
Quote: Willy’s point of view
of the city, page 12
“There's not a drop of fresh air in the city”
Explanation of quote
The quote relates to society extraordinarily well. Now a days cities are very polluted and
compacted. There are so many tall buildings surrounding you in each side its as if you
suddenly just turned chrostrophobic. Not only that in cities there are lots of high polluting
factories letting off tons of smoke every day. Arthur miller once again may be trying to
convey that Willies life is represented as the city, very compact and difficult to live.
Linda
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“I made the last payment one the house today. Today, dear…..” Pg 112
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This sounds extremely sarcastic to the audience. If Willy didn’t kill himself, then he would
finally be free. However this is still the way life goes. When all that Willy believes shattered,
he couldn’t take it anymore. He is more confused then ever, that why isn’t thing going the
right way as he wanted to. He died not knowing the truth and still believing what he always
did. The idea that everyone likes him and success is about the properties that you own.
Through this empathetic ending, the author wants the audience to understand about what
is the true happiness about life. Life isn’t only about materialistic things. Anyone can be
successful just by being together with your family. In the end, even Linda’ didn’t cry,
because Willy was never there. She definitely love him but, she’s just too used too Willy
being gone.
The end