Death of a Salesman
Further Analysis
Realism
• Realism was an artistic movement that began in
19th century in France
• Realists sought to accurately portray everyday
characters, situations and dilemmas
• Realist drama was a careful observation of human
characteristics and the language attempted to be
as close as possible to natural conversation
• Contemporary costuming and 3D sets were used
to make it “life-like”
• Plays were usually critiques of social problems
Expressionism
• A reaction to realism that began in early 1900s
• Expressionist dramatists were concerned with
presenting the inner psychological reality of a
character, a subjective vision of the world as
opposed to an objective representation as
realism wanted to do
• They threw out dramatic convention – plot,
structure, and characterization. Dialogue became
more poetic and lighting was used to create
atmosphere
How does this apply to DOAS?
• Miller was interested in expressionism but didn’t want to abandon
the conventions of realism
• He used a dramatic form that combined the subjectivity of
expressionism with the illusion of objectivity afforded by realism
• He tries to bend time: social time, psychic time and the way we
remember things and the sense of time created by the play and
shared by the audience
• It is taking place in 24 hours but is dealing with material that goes
back 25 years. It also goes forward through Ben who is dead
• Language used is entirely realistic. It is carefully constructed to
follow the exact speech patterns of ordinary New Yorkers. It is very
dense and fast with repetitions, hesitations and contradictions. The
characters often use slang and cliches
Staging - Music
The use of music serves several functions:
- Constantly reminds us that we are not watching a
strictly naturalistic play
- Adds to our understanding of the play as it
reminds us of when this is “Ben’s music” which
prepares us for the appearance of Ben out of the
depths of Willy’s confused mind
- It also highlights the emotional impact of the play
and heightens the intensity of the snatches of
apparently ordinary conversation
Music…
• We find out Willy’s father used to make and sell
flutes – connects with two aspects of his life:
- The importance he places on working with his
hands
- Salesmanship
- We hear music when Willy and Ben speak of their
father and this suggests energy and confidence,
opportunity and new life – none of which Willy
has available himself
Music…
• Flute music is the most common and symbolizes Willy’s
longing for freedom, space and a connection with
nature
• It also suggests the past that Willy has idealized and
the dream that has driven him throughout his life.
• It is introduced when he thinks of happier times, when
life seemed closer to the dream that he finds at that
moment
• However the past is not always the nostalgic haven
evoked by the flute – other types of music suggest a
past that can be vibrant and joyful, or painful and guilt
ridden (The Woman)
Theatre of Realism
• An audience watches what happens on stage as if they
were spying through the window of the family’s sitting
room, privy to absolutely everything
• It should be clear to the audience that Miller does not
attempt to create an illusion of total reality. The top half of
the Loman’s room is missing and there incomplete walls
and no roof at all. The audience can also see the buildings
around the house. With such a set, Miller is able to suggest
that the barriers between the past and the present are very
insubstantial
• The use of a multiple set allows the playwright to use the
cinematic technique of a flashback within the structures of
live theatre where the laws of physical reality are in
operation
And when I saw that, I realized that selling was the greatest
career a man could want. ‘ Cause what could be more satisfying
than to be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or
thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered
and loved and helped by so many different people?
Willy poses this question to Howard in Act II. He is discussing how he
decided to become a salesman after meeting Dave Singleman, the
mythic salesman who died the noble “death of a salesman” that Willy
himself covets. His admiration of Singleman’s prolonged success
illustrates his obsession with being well liked. He fathoms having
people “remember” and “love” him as the ultimate satisfaction,
because such warmth from business contacts would validate him in a
way that his family’s love does not.
What he fails to see is the human side of Singleman, much as he fails to
see his own human side. He envisions Singleman as a happy man but
ignores the fact that Singlman was still working at age 84 and might
likely have experienced the same financial difficulties and misery as
Willy.
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.
Biff’s explanation to his father during the climax of their final confrontation in
Act II helps him articulate the revelation of his true identity, even though
Willy cannot possibly understand. Biff is confident and somewhat
comfortable with the knowledge that he is “a dime a dozen”, as this
escape from his father’s delusions allows him to follow his instincts and
align his life with his own dreams. Whereas Willy cannot comprehend any
notion of individual identity outside of the confines of the material
success and “well-liked”-ness promised by the American Dream, Biff
realizes that he can be happy only outside these confines. Though his
attempt to cure Willy’s delusions fails, Biff frees himself from Willy’s
expectations for him. He sees the stupidity of stealing the pen and
renounces the commercial word, content to enjoy the simple necessities
of life.
A diamond is hard and rough to the
touch
Ben’s final mantra of “the jungle is dark, but full of diamonds” in Act II
turns Willy’s suicide into a moral struggle and a matter of commerce.
His final act, according to Ben, is not “like an appointment at all” but
like “a diamond…rough and hard to the touch”. As opposed to the
fruitless, emotionally ruinous meetings that Willy has had with Howard
and Charley, his death, Ben suggests, will actually yield something
concrete for Willy and his family. Willy latches onto this appealing idea,
relieved to be able to finally prove himself a success in business.
Additionally, he is certain that with the $20 000 from his life insurance
policy, Biff will at last fulfill the expectations that he, Willy, has long
held for him. The diamond stands as a tangible reminder of the
material success that Willy’s salesman job could not offer him and the
missed opportunity of material success with Ben. In selling himself for
the metaphorical diamond of $20 000, Willy bears out his earlier
assertion to Charley that “after all the highways, and the trains, and
the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead than
alive”.
Nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing
in the ground.
After the climax in Frank’s Chop House, in Act II, talking to Stanley
suddenly fixates on buying seeds to plant a garden in his diminutive,
dark backyard because he does not have “a thing in the ground”. The
garden functions as a last-ditch substitute for Willy’s failed career and
Biff’s dissipated ambition. Willy realizes, at least metaphorically, that
he has no tangible proof of his life’s work. While he is planting the
seeds and conversing with Ben, he worries that “a man can’t go out of
the way he came in” that he has to “add up to something”. His
preoccupation with material evidence of success belies his very
profession, which necessitates the ability to sell one’s own, intangible
image. The seeds symbolize Willy’s failure in other ways as well. The
fact that Willy uses gardening as a metaphor for success and failure
indicates that he subconsciously acknowledges that his chosen
profession is a poor choice, given his natural inclinations. Though his
figurative roots are in sales (Ben claims that their father was a
successful salesman), Willy never blossomed into the Dave Singleman
figure that he idolizes.
He’s a man way out there in the blue,
riding on a smile and a shoeshine…a
salesman is got to dream, boy.
Charley’s speech in the requiem about the nature of the salesman’s dreams
eulogizes Willy as a victim of his difficult profession. His poetic assessment
of sales defends Willy’s death, attributing to Willy’s work the sort of
mythic quality that Willy himself always envisioned about it. Charley likens
the salesman to a heroic, courageous sailor, “out there in the blue”, with
nothing to guide him and powerful forces against which to contend.
Charley also points out the great disparity between the enormity of the
salesman’s task and the piddling tools with which he is equipped: Willy
had only the insubstantial smile on his face and the shine of his shoe with
which to sell himself. Failure faded Willy’s smile and smudged his shoe,
which made it even more difficult to sell himself. Lacking confidence in his
image and thus “finished” psychologically, Willy still had to go out and give
it his best, because “a salesman is got to dream”. Charley’s sympathy
reveals itself in this remark – he understands that Willy didn’t simply feel
compelled to sell; rather, Willy failed even to recognize that he had any
choice in life.
Symbols! – The Jungle/Woods
• Woods or jungle are a symbol of life, especially the risks of
life
• Uncle Ben is not afraid to take risks – he literally walked
into the jungle to achieve his dreams – he took control of
his life
• Willy is more fearful and is losing control of his life – he tells
the boys “the woods are burning” when he loses his job
• Then Ben tells Willy “the jungle is dark” but that he must
walk into it – he is telling him he should take control by
committing suicide
• Also represents the 20th century free mark economy
(American Dream ideal) that Miller often criticized
Diamonds
• Diamonds are a symbol of success
• Ben finds diamonds in the jungle and gives
Willy a diamond watch fob – Willy has to
pawn this to pay for a course for Bill – he is
trying to pass “the success” on to Biff
• He tries to do this again by committing suicide
and leaving money to Biff; he must “fetch a
diamond”
The Garden/ SEEDS
• Is a repeated motif that works as a symbol of Willy’s
desire and need to create a good life for his family success
• Willy’s garden used to grow well before the apartment
blocks were built, but now “the grass don’t grow
anymore, you can’t raise a carrot in the backyard”.
• Willy is trying to “grow” something for his family
• At the end, he makes a futile attempt at planting seeds
– but he never achieves success in life, and he also
never plants his garden. He wants to leave a legacy but
never does. TOO LITTLE TOO LATE
Stockings
• Represent his affair with The Woman
• Linda is seen several times mending stockings while The
Woman is given new stockings by Willy
• Willy gives love to The Woman which he should be giving to
his wife. He always feels guilty when he sees Linda mending
stockings and orders her not to do it
• They are a symbol of material wealth and Willy feels he
cannot provide Linda with new stockings – she hides them
instead of throwing them away – she understands that they
cannot afford to be wasteful
• Also the “phoniness” of Willy’s existence – he says he is
doing all he can for his family but he gives Linda’s stockings
to his mistress
Falling/Down
• The words fall, falling and down and the movements
they suggest re-appear again and again and emphasize
the fall of Willy and his family
• Willy is described as “beaten down” and he “lies back,
exhausted”. He also “falls” into bed with the woman
• Biff is also going down – when he steals the pen from
Oliver’s office he runs down 11 flights of stairs
• Willy has fallen to his death and Linda lays flowers
down at his grave
Stealing
• Biff and Happy both steal
– Happy steals fiances and Biff steals a football, basketballs,
lumber and cement, a suit, a fountain pen and other things not
mentioned
• Their stealing can be seen to represent the way their true
identities have been stolen by lying and the pursuit of an
unachievable dream
• Willy doesn’t believe in working one’s way up the ladder of
success; he thinks that since he’s a Loman, he should be
automatically granted manager status. Biff following this
example, hopes to “steal” his way to the top instead of
working for it
Tennis
• Bernard’s reference to tennis ironically proves
his success and the Loman’s failure since
Oliver is suppose to give Biff and Happy a big
deal in the sporting goods business
• Bernard’s future doesn’t revolve around
sports, he has access to tennis rackets while
the Lomans don’t
Themes! Reality and Illusion
• Willy is a dreamer and dreams of success that it is
not possible for him to achieve. He always
exaggerates his success and is totally unrealistic
about what Biff will be able to achieve too
• Happy exaggerates how successful he is and Biff
only realizes in Oliver’s office that he has been
lying to himself for years
• Biff is the only one who realizes how this blurring
of reality has destroyed them all. He then tries to
make Willy and the family face the truth which
they have been avoiding
The American Dream
• Capitalist belief that if you work hard enough you
can be a success in America – but this is based on
money and power
• In Willy’s mind, it is also linked to being “wellliked”.
• Biff realizes that being true to yourself is a more
important success
• Willy buys status symbols on credit that he
cannot afford to keep up on.
• It is ironic that Willy’s funeral is on the day that
the last mortgage payment is made
Family
• Each generation has a responsibility to the other
that they cannot fulfill
• Biff and Happy are shaped by Willy’s sins
– Happy is destined to perpetuate Willy’s values and
strive for material success
– Biff has been destroyed totally by Willy’s betrayal of
the family through his affair and the fact that Willy
never discouraged him from stealing
– Biff attempts to break the cycle of destruction in the
family by trying to support Willy and Linda with his
attempt with Oliver
Nature and Physical Pursuits
• The alternative to the corruption of urban
capitalism is physical or natural pursuits
• Biff talks about working with horses or cattle
• Happy knows he can ‘outbox, outrun and out-lift
anybody in that store’
• Willy was ‘a happy man with a batch of cement
• The suggestion is that the true nature of all three
of these men would be in physical pursuits and in
a rural setting, however Willy’s dependence on
the “DREAM” means they cannot follow their
true calling
Discussion
• What is the turning point in Willy’s life? Is
Willy the main character in this play or is Biff?
• What does Biff discover about himself? How
does this discovery affect his relationship with
Willy?
• Does Biff use Willy’s behavior as an excuse for
his own waywardness?
• Does Linda know about the woman in Boston?
What makes you think she does or doesn’t?
Discussion
• Why does Miller let us know in the title that
Willy’s death is coming? Why doesn’t he make
it a surprise?
• What harm does Willy’s death do? What
good?
• How is Willy’s killing himself for the insurance
money symptomatic of the way he has lived?
What legacy does Willy leave his family?