Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Notes
A motif is “a situation, incident, idea, image, or character-type that is found in many
different literary works […] or any element of a work that is elaborated into a more
general THEME. […]. Where an image, incident, or other element is repeated
significantly within a single work, it is more commonly referred to as a LEITMOTIF”
(Baldick, Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms 162). A motif provides a
unifying idea or may assist in the development of characterization or theme. A motif
may also rise to symbolic importance. In the great drama Death of a Salesman, the
various motifs blend together expertly.
As you read the play, note examples of the following motifs and symbols, and explain the
significance of each:
Motif/Symbol
Example (page numbers)
Significance
Personal
attractiveness/Being “wellliked”
Stealing
“Vital to New England”
Debts/ “All Used Up”
“Boxed-in”
“The Woods are Burning”
Woman’s laughter
Mythic figures
Ben
Flute
Stockings
Happy “Losing Weight”;
“Getting Married”
Suitcase
Seeds
Diamonds
Symbolic names
Arthur Miller
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Born in NYC in 1915; died 2005
Son of a middle-class clothing manufacturer who suffered considerable business
losses in 1928.
Miller wasn’t much of a student; he played football, and watched the worsening
effects of the Depression on his family and neighborhood. The once rural area
became crowded and industrialized, and the trees and vacant lots vanished.
Before college, Miller worked (clerk, etc), and discovered literature.
Attended the University of Michigan as a Journalism major, but pursued his
interest in playwriting; won two prestigious drama prizes
After 1938 graduation, he returned to NYC + wrote.
1949- Death of a Salesman, his first great hit and most successful play, opened on
Broadway; its initial run was 742 performances, and it has recently been revived.
It has won every major drama award.
Miller has always been known for his social responsibility and commentary. In
this play, his views are anti-establishment and anti-capitalist. He expresses a
moral view, one which encompasses guilt and the continual movement of his
characters toward a deeper awareness of themselves and the significance of their
past and present actions. This integration of social and psychological themes
distinguished Miller’s plays.
Miller believed that an ordinary man could be a tragic hero; Willy Loman is not a
king or nobleman, but is capable of heroism. Miller depicts tragedy as the result
of the individual’s quest for personal dignity. The flaw in such an individual is his
unwillingness to submit passively to established order
As a modern playwright, Miller uses conventions such as innovative staging,
music, and lighting to express meaning. The time of the play fluctuates between
1942 and 1928, in keeping with Miller’s view that everything exists at the same
time-at least within the human mind. Miller provides for a seamless flow between
times through skillfully used conventions. For example, in the 1942 (present), the
characters observe doors and “walls”, but in the past of 1928, characters walk
through walls that aren’t really there. In addition, music is a signal: there is the
happy music of the nostalgic past, raucous music of Willy’s affair, and flute
music associated with Willy’s youth.
Themes:
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American Dream-
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The Quest for Self Identity-
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Betrayal/Disillusionment-
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Abandonment-