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Death of a Salesman By Jon M. Shane Living Theater Professor Mark Lancaster March 9, 1999 I found Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman, while a definite classic, not as interesting as other Miller plays. For example, ? All my Sons is a story about an unscrupulous businessman who lies in court to save himself from certain imprisonment, sends his business partner to prison, and eventually commits suicide once one of his sons uncovers his devious plot.
The intrigue, excitement, and setting were easy to follow, enjoyable and riveting. Conversely, I found Death of a Salesman to be slow at times (particularly the first act), difficult to follow (i. e. , when Willy Loman was thinking to himself or reminiscing from memory), and overall less enjoyable. This analysis will cover the six points of theater as evinced by Aristotle, and will center around a character analysis of Willy Loman. Death of a Salesman is set in the 1940 s in New York City. Willy Loman has been a traveling salesman for thirty-four years with the Wagner company and considers himself vital to the New England area.
This is the first lie the audience sees that Willy Loman is living. Shortly after this we realize that Willy is not essential, or vital as he calls it, to the New England territory. In fact, later in the play we discover that Willy is actually a hindrance to the company. Still, Willys self-respect stands in the way of common sense and good judgement. This is evident when Willys wife Linda asks Willy to ask his company for a transfer to New York. Willy declines and continues living his charade believing he is too important to the companys success in the New England area.
My reaction to this event is that Willy knows he is truly unsuccessful. But with little self confidence and low self esteem he develops a microcosm of success, wealth, pride and importance. He cannot operate (or function) outside this world he has developed for fear of being caught and subsequently revealed; his family members would most likely catch Willy, and that would be overwhelmingly difficult for this man who has such hopes and dreams for all of them. You see, making people believe you are something you are not when you operate from a distance is very easy; the closer to home your actions are, the easier it is to discover your weaknesses.
And this becomes quite evident when Willy says to his sons that someday he will take them to New England and show them how important he really is. Willy never does take them because he knows his children are too close to him and they would surely reveal him for the fake that he is. As the play begins, Willy has just come home from New England. The audience believes Willy must have had a tiring day, presumably from the long drive, since he is physically exhausted (carrying those two heavy suitcases I felt as though Willys life was in each of them, a very heavy and burdensome life). Soon we discover that Willy is physically drained because he was driving aimlessly with no sense of direction; this is the first example of how this play is set partly from the mind and memory of Willy Loman.
The difficulty that arises is because the plot fluctuates between the 1940 s and 1928. The audience must follow carefully from the past to the present, and I found this to be easiest by watching the interaction between Willy and significant life events (e. g. , the 1928 Chevrolet; Willy finding the boys polishing the Chevy upon his return from a trip to Boston; Biffs big football game). Willy Loman is at the bottom of the ladder. He is not ingenious and therefore lacks the basic inductive and deductive reasoning skills to make himself promotable (and profitable).
Willy is a physically large man, tall, barrel-chested with a deep voice. Yet one might consider his name (Loman) farcical (i. e. , Low-man) since we soon discover that he is really insignificant on the social scale. Willy soon finds out just how expendable he is because the company takes him off salary and places him on straight commission before they eventually fire him. The? salesman idea suggests that Willy really is and has nothing; a salesman hawks the wares made and owned by others.
Willy does not own his home or refrigerator, and both his car and refrigerator need repairs (junk). This is key because as the first act progresses Willy evidently has no sense of accomplishment or ownership. Willy, himself, is becoming all used up. This confirmed by several comments: Willy Figure it out. You work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and theres nobody to live in it Linda Willy I made the last payment on the house today and there be nobody homework free and clear Willy Once in my life I would like to own something outright before its broken!
I just finished paying for the car and its on its last leg Willy The refrigerator consumes belts like a goddamn maniac! They time those things. They time so when you finally paid for them, theyre used up. Recognizing this, Willy develops an attitude that centers around a theory of personal attractiveness and of being well-liked. He believes that if a person is well-liked and has great a deal of personal attractiveness then success will undoubtedly follow. Willy reinforces this theory by constantly reminding himself of a salesman he met a long time ago named David Singleman; Singleman was able to go into a town, pick up a telephone and make several sales without ever leaving his hotel room.
When Singleman died, people from all over the country came to his funeral. This is quite a dichotomy, we discover, from Willys life, since no one comes to Willys funeral despite his relentless pursuit of Singleman's lifestyle. We discover early in the play that Willy believes his son Biff possesses these qualities. This fact eventually haunts Willy since he cannot escape the reality that Biff is a failure: going from job to job, from jail to jail, and especially from the philosophy that being well-liked will not excuse anything (i. e. , Biffs chronic stealing, stealing the football from the locker room; stealing the carton of basketballs; stealing the suits; stealing the lumber). This is a sad commentary on Willys outlook on life; the fact that he was willing to excuse a wrong if committed by a person who was well-liked.
Willy was obsessed with Singleman's experience and how personality paid off for him. Nevertheless, for Willy to survive in this environment he must live an illusory life, one filled with lies and a vivid imagination. Unfortunately, Willy succumbs to his fantasy and begins living the lies as if they were real. A clear illustration of how Willys lies trapped him is in the scene when Ben arrives to take Willy to Alaska. Linda reminds him of how well-liked he is and how Mr. Wagner promised him a place in the firm.
These lies were responsible for trapping Willy long ago and preventing him from accepting an interesting position. Sadly enough, Linda may have contributed to Willys strange illusions by having never told him the truth when he found fault with himself. Linda simply told him it was not a fault, thus reinforcing Willys illusions about himself. An excellent use of spectacle is seen here as Ben appears in a white suit with a white beard.
This gives a ghost-like appearance, and feeling Willys thought process is easy. Willys world is now beginning to close in on him. He has nothing tangible. This leads him to a compulsive desire to get something to grow in the backyard (the tangible, the physical has captivated Willy: carpentry; the mixing of cement; the living room ceiling; the flowers). It is this feeling of inferiority that motivates Willy to commit suicide (I got the impression that he was such a failure that not even a single carrot wanted to be near him or associated with him that is why nothing ever grew in the backyard. It also said to me that everything Willy put his hand to failed: his salesmanship, his children, relationships, etc. ).
Since Willys world is closing in on him, he begins to build an aura of personality. One instance where Willys yarns catch up to him is when he tells his wife (Linda) that he made $ 1, 200 in gross sales in Boston and Providence. As she calculates the commission Willy has to confess to her that he made only $ 70. Linda then tells Willy they owe $ 120 in bills; even in Willys illusions he cannot face the reality that he is not a good salesman despite his enthusiasm. It is this enthusiasm, coupled with Willys obsession to be well-like that drove him to have an affair with Mrs. Frances in Boston.
Willys affair was not for the love of the matter, but for the egotism due his constant rejection during his daily sales routine. The steady rejection inherent in sales further undermines Willys self confidence and respect. Therefore, the affair is the idea that Mrs. Frances wants Willy because he is such a good salesman by selling himself to her; in her company, Willy feels the importance that was denied him every day during his sales routine (I thought it was obvious that Mrs. Frances knew he was a loser. But she too had very little self worth and allowed herself too be picked up for the price of a pair of stockings).
The idea of being well-liked began early in Willys life. He often spoke to his sons about the notion. I believe Willy recognized early in his own life that he was a failure and he was living vicariously through his sons, particularly Biff; Biff exemplified the characteristics that Willy strove for, great promise and leadership in his calling? football. Biff appeared consumed by Willys well-liked theory, this was apparent when Biff went to Boston to tell Willy that he failed math in hopes that Willy would convince his teacher to reverse the grade. The scene in Boston, where Biff confronts Willy with Mrs.
Frances, is the climax of the play. We can envision Willys entire life having been lived according to the theory of personal attractiveness and of being well-liked. Willy exposed his children to this falsity and never admitted to himself that he was living a fantasy. He could no longer continue with his facade after the hotel scene with Biff. Interestingly, the falling action involves Biff and Willy.
Late at night, in the yard Biff encounters Willy talking to his brother Ben. Again, this is an illusion since Ben is actually dead. Biff tries desperately to get Willy to accept the truth, that being how Biff is a constant failure and that Willy should forget him; that Biff is not a great leader but rather an ordinary man with no exceptional qualities. Frustrated, Biff begins to cry and pleads with Willy to forget him and to stop putting him on a pedestal. This spectacle is captured with interesting lighting (fragmented to give the appearance of leafs on the ground) and darkness (picturing this classic father / son moment in the yard is easy, a cool breeze and the sound of crickets). So much has happened in both mens lives to bring them to this point, it is a very somber moment.
But Willy stubbornly believes that if he could leave Biff with something? tangible ($ 20, 000 life insurance policy) that Biff would amount to something. The play closes with a scene at Willys grave. Linda is touching the freshly turned earth and wonders why no one came to see him. I believe this is a decisive moment for Linda, for she knows in her heart that Willy really was never anything special. It is clear and convincing that Willy was never well-liked, and that all of his dreams were bogus.
It also underscores how Willy impressed upon his children the need for personal attractiveness, the lies and illusions are being perpetuated through his other son Happy.
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