Play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller - Essay Example

?Analysis of the play Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller’s play Death of a Salesman demonstrates the miserable and tragic life of man in this distressed world. Miller presents various themes, such as, isolation, reality versus illusion, failure of American success myth, insecure family relations and the evilness of capitalism in Death of a Salesman. The story is developed through the character of Willy Loman, a middle-class sales executive. Miller successfully amalgamates the insecure existence of personal and social life through the character of Willy Loman. Because of his self- centered nature, Willy Loman often fails to admit his faults and it disjoints his relationship with his family members as well the society. Loman is portrayed as a representative of a middle class American who suffered with insecure material existence and isolation. Analyzing the theme, plot, structure, characterization and style of Miller’s Death of a Salesman, one can observe the plight of middle-class people in a capitalist society. Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman describes the trials and tribulations of modern American middle-class people. . Themes like isolation, reality versus illusion, and failure of American success myth, insecure family relations and the evilness of capitalism are successfully depicted in Miller’s play Death of a Salesman. Miller portrays the real life of a typical American middleclass man Willy Loman and his family, who bestows the most part of his life in a private company. Loman tries to drive the family with his maximum facility. Unfortunately, he cannot satisfy his wife Linda and his two sons Biff and Happy. Literary critics have identified the fact that the themes of failure of American success myth and reality versus illusion play a vital role in Miller’s Death of a salesman. The central character in the play, Willy Loman, fails to comprehend the real pulse of the society. Dramatist succeeds to direct the readers to think that Loman is a total failure in his personal life and the same failure leads to his disastrous death at the end of the play. As Harold Bloom comments; “This tragedy, according to Miller, is the crisis and the reality of American life” (Bloom 44). As a follower of socialist ideologies Arthur Miller harshly criticizes the evilness of capitalism through the pathetic end of his hero Willy Loman. At the end of the play Willy Loman commits suicide in the expectation that his death will be really helpful for his family. He was aware of the fact that after his death Biff will get his father’s insurance money, twenty five thousand pound by which he can enrich his business. Miller reminds the reader horrible reality of the modern competing capitalist world that offers the value of twenty five thousand pound for a human life and his lifelong service. Loman believes in capitalist ideologies and material existence so that he acts as self-centered. In a conscious effort, Loman forces others to admit that he is an ideal family man. Loman is highly conscious about his son’s misbehavior and his failure as a businessman. It is significant for a reader to comprehend the fact that Loman always fails to advice his son Biff because, he is responsible for his son’s fall. It is merely accidental that Biff became the victim of his Father’s illegal relationship with a prostitute. Therefore, Biff’s unhealthy behavior haunts Loman like horrible nightmare. Miller’s characters are powerful and reader can see a true personality and soul in these characters. Author exposes the protagonist Willy Loman as a symbol of American middle-class people who fail to maintain a structured life during the depression era. One can see that Miller’s personal experiences during the depression period have a great influence on his hero Willy Loman. Capitalist ideologies make Willy a man of self possessive and self-centered nature. This self- possessive nature always prevents him to admit his faults. As such, he would scold his sons for trifles in an attempt to hide his own faults. His wife Linda often reproaches with him, especially for his ill-treatment of their elder son Biff. But Loman calmly replies that; “I simply asked him if he was making any money. Is that criticism?” (Miller 10). Here Willy proves that he keeps fatherly affection towards his sons. Willy’s wife Linda is portrayed as an understanding wife who always supports her husband. Minor characters like Charley, Bernard, Stanley, Miss Forsythe and Letta and Jenny keep their own personality and their presence help to keep the flow of the play. Willy’s elder son Biff also fails to understand the pulse of the society and he never reaches to his father’s expectations. Each member of Loman family experiences unending frustration and insecurity in their relationship. Loman isolates from his wife Linda, his son, Biff and other members of the society because of his unwillingness to accept existing reality. As a strong follower of capitalist ideology, Loman always thinks about making money. His unexpected expulsion from the company forced him to face the reality that he was an unsuccessful person in his life. He worries about his disability in making financial benefits for his family. The play is perfectly designed through a stylized structure and reader feel difficulty in separating its plot from its structure. The play divides into two acts and Miller uses dramatic techniques like stream of consciousness and flashbacks to enhance theatrical experience. Most of the events are told through the views of the protagonist Willy Loman. Readers do not feel the breaking of scenes though they are interlinked with flashback memories. This clearly indicates the perfect craftsmanship of Miller who has imbibed the real pulse of the modern life. The settings and stage directions are suitable for the plot and they help the audience or readers to enrich their enjoyment. “The opening stage directions of Death of a Salesman, for example resonate with powerful symbolic suggestiveness and speak to the overwhelming force of society crashing down on the individual” (Sterling 40). Audience can comprehend the seriousness of theme from the beginning and they identify the tragic hero Willy Loman, who fails to catch the real pulse of his surroundings. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman shares some common features of modern American drama like theme, plot, structure, characterization and style. Miller portrays the failure of American success myth and the insecure existence of modern material life through the fall of Willy Loman, who fails to distinguish reality and illusion. Through a fine characterization, Miller exposes his dramatic craftsmanship in his play Death of a Salesman. He presents the hero Willy Loman, as a representative of middle-class American man who fails to find a grip in social and economic life. Thus, one can conclude that Miller has succeeded in his attempts to sketch out the modern fast paced life where man loses his real face and often regarded as a mere weapon in the hands of others. This makes one conclude that Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman describes the trials and tribulations of modern American middle-class people. Works Cited: Bloom, H. Arthur Miller's Death of a salesman. 2nd ed. Infobase Publishing, 2007. Print. Miller. Death of A Salesman. Pearson Education India, 2007. Print. Sterling, E. J. Arthur Miller's Death of a salesman. Rodopi, 2008. Print. Read More